Sir, - In his Irishman's Diary of November 25th, Kevin Myers, in Victorian mood, describes Charles Haughey's face as "debauched" and "raddled". I have been an implacable critic of the appalling Haughey ever since Mr Myers was not long out of rompers; it is my experience, however, that truly wicked people almost unfailingly have countenances that might be described as angelic.
Hitler, seen out of context, resembled a desiccated clerical officer with an irreproachable home life. The opposite is equally true: in appearance, the saintly Pope John XXIII could have taken over from Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon. Mr Myers has inveighed against many a witch-hunt. By taking a dog-eared book by its cover, he runs the risk of starting a hunt of his own. - Yours, etc.,
Hugh Leonard, Pilot View, Dalkey, Co Dublin.