Undeviating

To the Editors:

In my review (NYR, May 12) of Mr. Pryce-Jones’s biography of Unity Mitford, I mentioned that a hostile review of that book in the TLS in London had been cut by the editor before appearance. Lest anyone should suppose that my friend, Mr. Alistair Forbes, who wrote that review, was animated by anti-Semitic views in it, may I state that his review—and indeed his conduct—make it abundantly clear that he was not and always detested Nazism? By the same token Mr. John Gross in cutting that review was not making a partisan decision: he was exercising his editorial judgment.

I said in my review that these theories of conspiracy were untenable; and since Mr. Forbes was scurrilously attacked in a London newspaper, I would like to make it plain that none of the passages cut expressed anti-Semitic or pro-Fascist views and the review as published did not deviate in its line from the original version.

Noel Annan

London, England