A question of mood
Sir: British foreign correspondents, in my experience, are on the whole a friendly and supportive bunch — particularly during hard times. I was therefore surprised and concerned to see a colleague of mine, easily identified in 'Nothing personal: now get out' (11 May), described as 'a sad creature', `a heavy drinker' (tut tut), and someone who 'garnered the odd story' in Moscow. The language reminded me very much of the way the Moscow press used to describe Western correspondents during my days in the Soviet Union. The correspondent referred to so contemptuously by Robin Gedye, a successor of mine in Moscow, had some of the best contacts in the Soviet Union, and when he was in the mood could write rings around me and, I suspect, Robin Gedye.
Richard Beeston
54 Upper Mall, London W6
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