6 NOVEMBER 1999, Page 36

Bill blunders on

From Mr James Srodes Sir: John Laughland's disclosure ('The mas- sacres that never were', 30 October) of the huge gap between actual Kosovo casualties and the Clinton-Blair estimates that justi- fied last summer's air campaign is a story that will get bigger and nastier in the weeks ahead. US intelligence services (mainly the Pentagon military branches) are tired of carrying the can for a president who refuses even to glance at his morning briefing, let alone heed more detailed warnings against his crusades in the Balkans and in East Timor. A series of selective leaks about White House blunders is being fed to main- stream Washington journalists in the hope of stirring up a Congressional hearing next month. At that point, the extent to which the Prime Minister was complicit in Mr Clinton's fabrications will be made public. James Srodes 1010 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20005, USA