Casement Black Diaries

Sir, - In response to Dr Sawyer (October 21st), I wonder why, if he went through "time and time again" the two large boxes containing…

Sir, - In response to Dr Sawyer (October 21st), I wonder why, if he went through "time and time again" the two large boxes containing MS 13087 did he make no reference to that archive in either his end notes or bibliography of unprinted sources in The Flawed Hero (1984)? And his statement that Prof Reid made "extensive use" of that manuscript material is an overstatement. Prof Reid's references to documents held in MS 13087 can be counted on the fingers of one hand, while the number of mistakes in his source notes would make the subject of a paper in itself. Furthermore Peter SingletonGates' main reference to the Dublin MS is erroneous. He states on p.203 in The Black Diaries of Roger Casement: "A diary in Casement's handwriting comprising a number of double-sided foolscap sheets of ruled paper, from 24 September to 15 November, 1910 . . . is preserved in the National Library of Ireland."The NLI manuscript in fact runs from 2.15 on Friday, September 23rd, to Tuesday, December 6th, 1910.Brian Inglis, like Dr Sawyer, felt fit to ignore the Dublin "white diary" altogether and authenticated the Black Diaries on the strength of rumour and the opinion of handwriting experts rather than on any effort to analyse the parallel texts. Finally, all the biographers failed to make the distinction between the existence of a manuscript version of the Dublin diary and a typescript version.As for John McGuiggan, I suggest he meets me for a drink before he starts making judgments about my views on homosexuality and Irish nationalism. - Yours, etc.,Angus Mitchell,c/o The Lilliput Press,Arbour Hill,Dublin 7.