28 JUNE 1957, Page 17

TELEPHONE TAPPING

SIR,—The Spectator has been quite superb in its atti- tude to the Marrinan case, and I for one hope it will continue in it, lest the affair be sidetracked.

I don't know anything about Mr. Marrinan, who must fight his own battle with the Bar Council, nor does his alleged offence, whatever it is, concern me. I feel, however, that the Bar Council might have smelled a little sweeter had it gone about its business with clean hands. Mr. Butler may be comforted by the support it is rumoured he is to get from Sir Hartley Shawcross, more or less in fulfilment of the Spectator's recent prophecy. He should remem- ber that Sir Hartley himself may be feeling hot about the collar, and that he is in no position to pass the buck to his predecessor.—Yours faithfully,

GEOFFREY GODWIN Old Rector)' Cottage, White Roding, Dumnow, Essex