21 SEPTEMBER 1985, Page 21

Defence of Hitchens

Sir: I do not understand why there is suddenly all the flagellation of poor Christ- opher Hitchens for his coverage of Amer- ican politics (Letters 10 & 24 August). Seen from this side of the Atlantic he seems to get it about right. In particular, he seems to be one of the very few journalists to appreciate the enormous role played by sheer ignorance.

Nicholas Martin

2914 Libby Terrace, Richmond, Virginia