One of the worthies
Sir: I trust that when Mr Paul Johnson (4 July) writes about the 'fantasy' of a 'group of worthies' appointing or sacking editors, and his 'gruesome experience' at Great Turnstile, he is not referring to the joint Board-staff committee which selected Mr Anthony Howard as editor of the New Statesman in 1972. Mr Johnson was himself one of the Board's representatives. He seemed to find both the proceedings and their conclusion satisfactory enough. Indeed, after Mr Howard's selection, I (as one of his staff representatives) received a warm letter from Mr Johnson, which I still have somewhere, thanking me for my cooperation in the enterprise and congratulating us all our collective good sense. I believe the other staff representatives, Miss Corinna Adam and Mr Benedict Nightingale, received similar testimonials from Mr Johnson.
Alan Watkins The Observer, 8 St Andrews Street, London EC4
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