THE ENAHORO CASE
SIR,—In your last issue you published an article on the Enahoro debate containing the following passage :
The issue about counsel remained in storage. The Labour leaders had finally considered raising it before Enahoro was finally deported but were dissuaded by Mr. Dingle Foot who, though he suspected he would still be banned, hoped he might finally persuade the Nigerians to let him in if no fuss were made meanwhile.
This is incorrect. At no time did I dissuade the Labour leaders tram raising this issue. I was entirely satisfied with the assurance given to the Divisional Court on behalt of the Nigerian Government as elaborated by this counsel before the Appeal Committee of the House of Lords. This was to the effect that counsel for Chief Enahoro would only be denied entry for some unforeseeable reason such as smallpox.
Neither the Labour leaders nor I had the slightest grounds for suspecting that the Nigerian Government had later qualified the assurance which they had given to the Courts. Nor did they or I suspect that the Home Secretary had received information which he chose to withhold both from the Courts and from Parliament.
DINGLE FOOT 2 Paper Buildings, Temple, EC4 [David Watt writes: 'Is it not possible that Mr. Foot is more optimistic in retrospect than he was at the time?'—Editor, Spectator.]
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