PLAYING IT DIRTY
SIR,—When passing through Athens airport in 1956 I was handed a leaflet listing alleged British atrocities committed in Cyprus: among them was the story of a young Cypriot girl who had been raped by eighteen of our soldiers, one after another. All that I missed in the story was the girl's name and the date and place of the incident.
Much the same can be said of the disgraceful acts attributed to the British in Charles Foley's book, Island in Revolt, which is so highly commended by your reviewer. I am astonished that the Spectator should countenance such a filthy attack on the security forces, who always behaved with the greatest restraint and discipline in the face of every provocation, I am further disgusted beyond measure that you should praise Mr. Foley's editorship of the Times of Cyprus, now happily deceased—a news- paper which did more to undermine the fighting resolution of our men than all the hysteria of the Labour Party and Athens Radio (until, too late, we jammed the transmitter and stopped that stream of poison).
I have read Island in Revolt and it almost makes me wish for the days in Cyprus when such a work would have been suppressed and its author gaoled. To avoid publicising other charges in the book I will simply get back to an extract published by your reviewer You might be beaten on the stomach with a flat board, you might have your testicles twisted, you might be half-suffocated with a wet cloth which forced you to drink with every breath you took, you might have a steel band tightened round your head.
The point is that your reviewer refers to these as 'specific instances' of British torture of the Cypriots. Let him specify where they took place and who the 'torturers' were.
The only documented instance given in Island in Revolt is that of a terrorist beaten by two In- telligence officers with a chain while a Gordon High- lander held him down. When this came out the two officers were cashiered, and this although they had been among the most successful in the difficult task of getting information about EOKA. Mr. Foley in- genuously admits, 'The first case against Army in- terrogators was also the last, but this did not seriously affect the flow of information.' I believe that makes my case. Let us hear no more of this nauseating nonsense.
Please do not publish my name. I am still
A SERVING OFFICER IN CYPRUS
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