22 MAY 1993, Page 25

Greek cross

Sir: I am not surprised that J. Paul Getty Jr does not understand English; after all, he's an American. In his letter in 1 May issue, he says I claim to have known him. I have done nothing of the sort. In the piece about him in the 17 April issue (`He's a hard man to shop for'), I am quoted as saying, 'I sometimes hang out with the same crowd ' which does not mean I hung out with Getty Junior. After all, although an ex-jail- 'How suburban.' bird, I do have standards. And as far as the absurd threat of Junior's to sue me, when was the last time a Greek backed off from an anti-war phoney like Getty? As my ancestor Leonidas of Sparta told another bully, `Molon lave.'

Taki Theodoracopulos

35 Cadogan Square, London SW1