16 AUGUST 1957, Page 16

Sut,—Mr. Edinger says he will 'unreservedly retract' his allegation that

the Green Howards 'fired on the population' of Hong Kong last October. Then in the next sentence he says they were 'called on only to stand by to keep the ring while others did the shooting.' Some retraction! Some unreserve I

That I do not know whether any other British units fired or not is not as remarkable as Mr. Edinger appears to suppose. I make no claim to be omniscient. But I suggest that if Mr. Edinger had taken more pains to collect a few facts before giving rein to his fancies he might have found that the shooting was done by the police on October 10 before the military were called in on the following day.—Yours faithfully,

MEREDITH WHITTAKER Mercury Office, Scarborough