In 1956 I, too, was in Cyprus. One evening, at
a party in Nicosia, t talked with one of the 'restrained' and 'humane' senior UK police officers referred to in Sir John Harding's White Paper who were sent out from Britain to reinforce the local security force.
He had just sufficient drink to loosen his tongue and, presumably, let him forget I was a newspaper- man. At any event, he regaled me at length on his methods of dealing with Eoka suspects. He illustrated, with appropriate gestures, the testicle-twisting and other means that were used in an effort to make prisoners talk or confess.
At the time my reaction was: Six months ago this man was worried about nothing more serious than errant motorists—and listen to him now.' I was not incensed—just sorry to see it happening.
1 hold no brief for Eoka. Two newspaper colleagues, one of them a reporter on Charles Foley's own Times of Cyprus, were victims of their gun- men. But some of your correspondents, I fear, are trying to paint the security forces in Cyprus 'whiter than white.'
300 East 51s1 Street, New York
JEFFREY BLYTII
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