READERS of the Daily Telegraph must have rubbed their eyes
on Tuesday morning. Its leading article, in the course of a virulent' attack on the Government's handling of the Suez affair (`the whole affair has been politically bungled to an almost incredible degree') asserted : 'The Daily Telegraph has never concealed its view that the ultimatum was presented to the wrong address.' Oh? Then what does the Telegraph con- sider was the right address? The United Nations? But on November 1 the Telegraph argued that the ultimatum had to be delivered because the Middle East situation had exposed the UN's powerlessness. Had the Government referred the matter to the UN, the Telegraph asked, 'What would have been the situation in the Middle East this morning?' A reading of the Telegraph's leaders in that period does indeed reveal some doubts about the wisdom of the decisions made, but no refer- ence to wrong addresses. On the contrary, the Telegraph's first reaction on October 30 (under the heading 'For Law and the Canal') was that Britain and France 'had no choice but to act quickly and drastically'; and on November 2 (under the heading `Clearer and Stronger') it noted the strength of the opinion that Police action in the Middle East was necessary and that we were right to carry it out.' Come now, what was the right address?
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