3 AUGUST 2002, Page 28

Holy smoke

From Mr J. P. Veen-Ilan

Sir: In 'Pius the hero' (20 July) John Laughland introduces 'the man who can prove his innocence'. But if Father Gumpel can, then why does he not do so? Why, indeed, does he hide behind the fact that the Vatican's wartime papers are uncatalogued? More to the point, why, more than half a century later, are they still uncatalogued? His somewhat disingenuous assertion that 'every sovereign entity has rules of disclosure', followed by an example of an apparent cover-up by the American authorities, gives us a fair idea of what the man with the impressive array of cigarettes is up to. A holy smokescreen?

J.P. Veerman

Loxhill, Surrey