To the Editor:

My brother Christopher Hitchens writes that he never made a certain “preposterous, vulgar remark” which I have quoted him as having made [Letters from Readers, April]. This remark, cited by Mark Falcoffin “Watching Christopher Hitchens” [February], was, “I don’t care if the Red Army waters its horses in Hendon” (not the Thames, as he says in his letter), and I repeat with absolute certainty that he did speak these words one evening at my house in Oxford in the mid-1980’s. I and my wife Eve, who was present, have a perfectly clear recollection of it. He made the remark during a long discussion about the issue of nuclear weapons, and particularly the deployment of U.S. cruise missiles in Britain and Germany, to which he was opposed. My view was that nuclear deterrence prevented the Soviet Union from diplomatically dominating the European continent through its immense conventional military strength. This was his response, which he plainly thought rather witty, pausing for effect before pronouncing the word “Hen-don” (a notably mundane suburb of petit-bourgeois North London, the sort of place which is despised by all bien-pensant leftists).

I remember the episode so well because it was pretty much the last time we bothered to argue with each other about anything at any length, apart from various public or broadcast encounters in recent years. Before publishing the article in the London Spectator in which I quoted Christopher, I sent him a copy out of courtesy so that he should see it before it was printed. I would hardly have done this had I been intending to spread lies about him. I was astonished when he wrote back denying that he had used these words, and told him so. He said that if I left the quotation in the article, he would immediately say that I was lying. I said he was welcome to do so but that I was telling the truth and would stand by it. As far as I know, he has never accused me of lying in any British publication. I do not mind if he calls me a fool, since I am happy to rely on the judgment of others about that. But while I forgive him for calling me a liar, I must respond by insisting that he is mistaken.

Peter Hitchens
Oxford, England

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Corrections

In “The U.S. and Israel: The Road Ahead” by Abraham D. Sofaer (May), the academic affiliation of Sami al-Arian was incorrectly given as Florida State University; he was at the University of South Florida (page 23). Also, Hashemi Rafsanjani was incorrectly identified as the former prime minister of Iran; he is the former president (page 29). We regret these errors—Ed.

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