Madam, - We should be grateful to Vincent Browne (Opinion, August 18th) for making public regarding Roger Casement that "almost certainly he sexually abused young boys". We should be grateful because he does not try to trivialise what the so-called "Black Diaries" are about.
Can we be assured these writings are the work of Roger Casement, the first great 20th century humanitarian and nationalist revolutionary? Supposedly, they were finally authenticated as his by a forensic examination two years ago. The results were accepted on behalf of the Irish people by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on prime-time TV. News was duly relayed around the world.
If those who commissioned this examination have full confidence in its findings why is there a reluctance to publish the final report? Over two years is a bizarrely long time to keep us waiting - and still no sign of the hoped-for document. Singularly strange. - Yours, etc.,
TIM O'SULLIVAN,
Secretary,
Roger Casement Foundation,
Dublin 9.