LETTERS Mandela's last speech
Sir: With regard to Richard West's des- patch from Pretoria two weeks ago Crime to free Mandela'): I did not write Mande- la's last speech, or any part of it. It was written by Mandela in consultation with many others including his co-accused. All I did was to edit a part of it, at his request through his lawyer Bram Fisher.
I was interested that Mr West quoted his own views about South Africa 20 years ago: I had thought that there was now no connection between the two Richard Wests. The first Richard West wrote in 1972, in his book ferociously attacking the Rio Tinto Zinc mining company for its collaboration with apartheid, that 'there is no need to repeat at length the arguments against the apartheid system, whose injus- tices and cruelties are widely known to the rest of the world . . . . Those who have been to South Africa know the atmosphere of resentment, sadness and fear that per- vades that country.'
What has happened since then to the country, or to him, to make him take the other side?
Anthony Sampson
27 Ladbroke Grove, London W11
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