The sons of Edward Kennedy
Sir: The vitriolic article by Christopher Hit- chens on Edward Kennedy (`Farewell to a family man', 11 December) contains a serious factual error: 'In particularly, after the tales of the family summit had been made public, matronly feeling was aroused by the figure of 15-year-old Patrick Ken- nedy, brother to Kara and Ted, and lacking one leg due to a childhood sickness. One feels as tough and foul as W. C. Fields in simply pointing out that he only had one leg in 1980, when his father went all over the country roughing up Jimmy Carter and los- ing the nomination while spoiling the chances of his own party. And that year, more affectingly still, Patrick was only 13.'
The truth, of course, is that it was Ed- ward Moore Jr, Kennedy's eldest son and not Patrick, his youngest, who, at the age of 12, had a cancerous right leg which was amputated below the knee. I sincerely hope that Mr Hitchens will be prevailed upon
publicly to renounce his disgraceful slur against the Senator, even if by doing so he destroys one of the central planks in his argument, which is that Kennedy has manipulated the feelings of Americans towards his family for his own ends.
Henry Iven
37 Old Coach Road, Droitwich, Worcestershire
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