31 MAY 1940, Page 15

ABSENT AUTHORS

Sut,—In view of Mr. Nicolson's comments on the departure of Messrs. Auden, Isherwood, Heard and Aldous Huxley to the U.S.A. in your issue of April 19th, and Mr. Stephen Spender's letter of April 26th, the following may interest your readers : I have just received a letter from American friends (Dr. X. is a Professor of one of the leading American Universities in the U.S.A.), written on April 16th, in which the following remarks occur:

" We make the many young Englishmen here feel our questioning. When they announce that they won't read war news, that they are attempting to evade their contracts and stay on in America until they can go back and ' help make the peace,' That Europe stinks,' &c., &c., we want to say ' we don't want such in America. Get out.'"

I will make no comment on these remarks, except to say that

everyone worthy of the name of Briton will say : " We, also, don't want such Great Britain. Get out."—Yours, &c.,