Sonic of Our Best Friends Lord Francis-Williams The Scottish Economy
Geoffrey Palmer The Invasion of Laodicea Jeffrey Simmons, Genf Kvergic Financing the Universities I. W. L. Robinson. E. H. Carpenter Last of the Viceroys Philip Mason Machina ex Deo Brigadier F. E. C. Hughes Nurses' Pay P. Winstanley Draught Beer L. R. N. Percey Ralegh's Eldest Son Dr. A. L. Rowse `Viridiana' John Davenport A Pissarro Painting W. S. Meadmore Llareggub Revisited Adrian Bell Mysticism Basil Smith SOME OF OUR BEST FRIENDS SIR,—Mr. lain Hamilton is naturally entitled to his own views on my recently published book The American Invasion. But he might at least read it. In the course of his long and choleric review he states specifically : 'Nowhere in this book is there any recognition of the large and impressive fact that American society, as always, throws up in abundance its own most searching critics. . . .' Really Mr. Hamilton! Let me quote one passage only from The American Invasion (page 150). There are a great many others making the same point : Even when one is most aware of the strength of the trend towards conformity in American life one cannot help, also, but be aware of the ferment of writers, sociologists, journalists, students of all kinds, probing and questioning and publishing books full of challenges and denunciations, exhortations, warning and clarion calls, and of the fact that all these challenges, denunciations and exhortations are seized upon and read avidly in their paperback thousands by an immense number of ordinary people who wish to ask themselves whether it is really so. The pot is stirred constantly. There never comes a time when one has to say : Well this is it, this for good or ill is what American civilisation has made of itself. So long as this ferment, this constant American curiosity about what is happening to themselves, continues, there is no need to worry about America. There is nothing wrong with America that Americans cannot put right.
One of the main points made in my book, in fact is, to quote again, that 'American society is basically so vigorous, so charged with generosity and optimism and so confident in its belief in the possi- bility of change that wrong directions are never final,' but that we could, because we 'are older and less volatile, less rich in resources, less capable of change and with less of the wealth that makes change easy,' find ourselves 'stuck to a degree Americans are not' with some of the consequences of American advertising and American'salesmanship. Mr. Hamilton thinks it a 'smear worthy of McCarthy himself' to say that McCarthyism, despite the deter- mined and courageous attack on it consistently mounted by leading American writers, education- alists and newspapers, whom I list in impressive numbers, and despite other roots in American history to which I refer, was 'nourished' by a consumer civilisation which lays inordinate stress on con- formity. But it happens to be an historical fact and one on which many Americans have laid even greater emphasis than I.
Until I read Mr. Hamilton's hysterical outburst I did not realise bow far The American Invasion had already affected some Englishmen. Who could imagine he was writing about the same book as the most distinguished of American Correspondents in London, Mr. Drew Middleton, Chief Correspondent of the New York Times. Mr. Middleton opened his review with the words, 'Francis Williams is a good friend of the United States.' After saying that 'No American would contest his argument that big busi- ness has imposed a sameness on American life that the thoughtful find irritating and perhaps danger- ously menacing to free thought' but that he did not agree that the process had had quite as deep an effect as I argued, 'he concluded: 'This is a stimu- lating book. It is good for a country to have an amiable friend take it apart.' I am well satisfied to leave it to anyone who reads The American Invasion to judge between Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Middleton.
FRANCIS-WILLIAMS Griffins, A binger Hammer. Nr. Dorking, Surrey
[lain Hatnilton ' writes: 'Lord Francis-Williams will no doubt be glad to learn that I read his book not once but twice in the hope of finding some redeeming features which slipped through my first reading. His quotations confirm my point that he punctuates his diatribe with assurances that some of his best friends are Americans but do not alter the fact that the whole tone of the book is hostile, con- descending and superficial. I have no doubt that Mr. Middleton's review was gentler than mine. The courtesy of Americans in the face of their self- appointed critics is one of their many agreeable characteristics:--Editor, Spectator.)
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