ORDE WINGATE Sitt,—In his letter to you published last week
Mr, Mosley states that it is not true that his book was written 'without consulting' General Wingate's widow and his family.
The facts are these. In the autumn of last year Mr. Mosley wrote to my sister-In-law asking for an interview and she referred him to me, Accordingly I. saw him on November 24, 1954. He said he was writing a life of my brother and would be very glad to have such materials and information as the family could give him. He told me that he had an admira- tion for my brother and assured me several times that the reputation of my brother would in no way suffer by the publication of his
hook although of course he would criticise where criticism' was due, an attitude with which I ventured to express complete agree- ment. I told Mr. Mosley we could not assist him because we were bound to give our help to an author of literary standing who had consented .to' write, my brother's biography (this is Mr. Christopher Sykes). Mr. Mosley appeared to accept the validity of this objec- tion albeit reluctantly and I find it difficult to understand how it is that he now suggests that his failure to obtain our co-operation was due to a disagreement with the 'line' be was pro- posing to take in his book. No such disagree- ment was expressed by me since Mr. Mosley said nothing to indicate the surprising 'line' that he evidently had in mind. '
Mr. Mosley says that he decided to carry on without the 'guiding hand of the Wingate family.' This remark is hardly justified in view of the fact that a 'guiding hand' was never offered to him (or to anyone else for that matter).
W. G.
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