21 JANUARY 1978, page 24

In Public

Peter Ackroyd In the National Interest Marvin Kalb and Ted Koppel (Bodley Head £4.50) If politicians didn't exist, thriller-writers would have to invent them; come to think of......

Plain Tales

Benny Green Raj: A Scrapbook of British India Charles Allen (Andre Deutsch £5.95) The owl of Minerva, so the saying goes, flies at dusk, so it is understandable that only now,......