Out of the mouths . . .
Sir: Dominic Lawson's delightful story of Dick and Stephen White (Diary, 25 Febru- ary) brings to mind the story of how the American press found out about Richard Nixon's secret overtures to China in the early 1970s. At the time, Washington was awash with rumours that the National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger had been engaged in secret negotiations, but no proof was forthcoming. Then one day an enterprising reporter found himself in an aeroplane together with Kissinger, and Kissinger's son David, then aged ten. As soon as the National Security Adviser rose to answer a call of nature, the reporter wandered over to the younger Kissinger and struck up a conversation, introducing himself as 'a friend of your dad's'. He then
LETTERS
let drop, quite casually, 'Oh, when did your dad get back from China?' Last month,' David answered politely.
David A. Bell
58, rue d'Assas, Paris
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