SIR, —In his 'Spectator's Notebook,' Mr. Alan Brien tries to
be funny at George Lichtheim's expense, but succeeds only in being unfair and missing the point. George Lukacs is not one of the caged victims, but one of the gaolers and torturers—indeed, one of the founders of the gaol. He is not an artist but an ideologist-laureate.. One is entitled to denounce dishonesty and cowardice among people of his kind, precisely because of the airs they give themselves as 'fighters,' vanguard,' etc., and their personal abuse against Westerners. One is sorry for their victims whether one would fight back in their place or not— and I see no justification for Mr. Brien deciding in advance that anyone associated with the Congress for Cultural Freedom- is in fact a coward and blusterer. But one has the perfect right to comment. when Communist-world writers who lectured us on duty, etc., meekly toe the line, even though our main
strictures are reserved for people in this country who have been trying to persuade us that the caged victims are really quite free.
ALFRED SHERMAN 201 Raleigh House, Dolphin Square, SWI
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