15 JANUARY 1983, Page 19

The sons of Edward Kennedy

Sir: Mr Henry Nen (Letters, 1 January) is quite right to denounce me. My stupid con- fusion of the Kennedy children and their problems was one of those mistakes which have one whimpering with shame for much longer than he might think. It doesn't, on the other hand, make much difference to my argument — which was that the Senator uses 'family feeling' to muffle criticism of his personal and public life. I apologise all right, but to those I may have misled about the names, ages and misfortunes of Ken- nedy's children.

Christopher Hitchens

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