The legal proceedings that have led to the stoppage, for
the present at any rate, of the publication of the Countess Haig's book on her husband bring a singularly Unhappy situation (familiar already in certain limited circles) to light. Lord Haig left his diaries and other papers in the custody of his.wife, but the time and manner of their publication was to be decided by his three trustees, of whom Lady Haig was one. But as she was only one she could be outvoted by the other two, who accordingly decided that the official life of Lord Haig should be written by Mr.' Duff Cooper, and the diaries placed at Mr. Cooper's disposal. Lady Haig, who urges that' LOrd•Haigdiscussed in detail' with her just what parts of his voluminous entries should be published., decided in the, end to write .a book, The Man I Knew, presenting her own picture of her husband as she would desire the world to know him. It would have appeared, but for the legal proceedings, a. month before Mr. Duff Cooper's. On the legal question I. express no view. Lord Carmont has held that one chapter in Lady Haig's book is based largely on the diaries,:and there fore infringed copyright in the diaries, to the detriment of the volume sponsored by the other trustees. That, subject to appeal, ends the matter. But' it is hard that a wife, Should not be able to write as she chooses about her dead' husband, and the harder in this case in that Lord Haig always sent his wife a carbon copy of his diary entries as her absolute property. But copyright, of course, vests an author and his executors or trustees.
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