Sir, - "Nowhere else in Europe, perhaps in the world," says Fintan O'Toole in the course of his review of The Wartime Broadcasts of Francis Stuart (Books, October 14th), "would it be possible to debate the cultural legacy of fascism, Nazism and collaboration with such wilful ignorance and such intellectual laziness as it is in this country." The context makes clear that he is referring to "the debate that broke out among leading members of the intelligentsia" when Francis Stuart was "elected to the honorific position of Saoi of Aosdana in 1996".
Anywhere else except in Ireland, he suggests, "the question of whether Francis Stuart was a Nazi collaborator during the second World War would be answered by reference to his writings and in particular his radio broadcasts from Berlin."
But Aosdana was not debating these matters. Nor could it have been. It was discussing the specific terms of a motion brought by one of its members, which made an allegation of anti-Semitic sentiments having been expressed by Francis in a television broadcast. And apart from that, it could not have been discussing the question of "collaboration" or the possibility of Stuart being a "collaborator", as Fintan O'Toole will see if he looks up the meaning of the words in any reputable dictionary, including the Shorter Ox- ford and the Concise Oxford. It could not possibly be applicable to Stuart's case; but, alas, his ignorance of the meaning of the word "collaborator" seems to be shared by Brendan Barrington, the editor of the book he was reviewing, whose scholarship was so lavishly praised by Mr O'Toole.
Even so, as Stuart's principal defender on that occasion, I did refer to the contrasting cases of such actual collaborators as Knut Hamsun and Louis Fernand Celine. And I also referred at some length to Stuart's radio broadcasts, which I said were available to the curious enquirer; and indeed quoted from them.
The fact that the discussion of Stuart's writings was confined to Black List Section H was because it was the only work relevant to the terms of the motion brought by Mrs Cruise O'Brien (as she said she wished to be called); but I may say that I discussed some of the earlier novels in detail in the course of a subsequent controversy with her husband, Conor Cruise O'Brien.
Francis Stuart is now dead and even the corpse of which The Irish Times chose to print a photograph to accompany O'Toole's review is now buried in Co Clare. Since he is not here to be defended I have resolved not to enter into controversy again about his views and attitudes; but may I just say that I think it took a good deal of special pleading for O'Toole to arrive at the conclusions he did from the broadcasts? - Yours, etc.,
Anthony Cronin, Oakley Road, Dublin 6.