Fellow, travellers
From the Lady Latham Sir: I have recently skipped through David Caute's book The Fellow Travellers. This I soon discovered was all it was worth — the inaccuracies were so appalling.
I was horrified by the way he maligned many friends and colleagues of my late husband, Lord Latham, in the Labour Party, and gave a misleading picture of their characters and intentions. He denigrates in particular Commander Young whom I have known personally for nearly fifty years. We, my late husband and I, have not always agreed with their views, but I am more than 100 per cent certain of the honesty and integrity of Edgar Young and the reasons for which he holds his views. Normally, he is much too astute to allow himself to be used or to have wool pulled over h;s eyes.
It shocks me profoundly therefore in the case of this so-called historian David Caute„ who, having accepted his confidence and generosity and freedom to peruse a' documents and correspondence, then proceeded to abuse and misuse them.
In fact •he utterly condemns himself by his own dictum on page 105 — I quote, "The intellectual's proper function is a critical one; his theories require factual support, but if he fixes the facts then his theories lose all credibility. This is precisely what very rapidly occurs in practice.
"As soon as we discover they have done this, we have to ask whether they can claim to represent authentic socialist theory. Once they. have debased their own coinage in this way their credibility and therefore their utility (not to mention their personal reputation) is destroyed." There are many examples where he obviously 'fixes the facts' to suit his own purpose. I think the number of fairly favourable reviews the book has received are inappropriate as it is so unjust to so many people, and Mr Caute may deem himself fortunate that such people as Sir Stafford Cripps, D. N. Pritt, Harold Laski and Dr Hewlett Johnson are dead and cannot reply. Edgar Young is however very much alive. This is why I feel most strongly that this book merits this unfavourable criticism.
Sylvia Latham 3 Chalfont Court, Baker Street, London NW I
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