12 NOVEMBER 1994, Page 34

Tyrolean tale

Sir: Like most of your readers I am totally ignorant as to the ultimate historical truth of the events relating to the automotive Anschluss between Sebastian Shake- speare's vehicle and that of Herr Kern- thaler, the Commercial Counsellor of the Austrian Embassy, so movingly described in your pages (Wery diplomatic, I don't think', 1 October, Letters, 22 October). The gallant diplomat's advocacy does, however, remind one of how persuasively his compatriots have argued that Hitler was German and Beethoven Austrian and that they were all Tyrolean ski-teachers during the last war.

Claus von Bulow

109 Onslow Square, London SW7