Foulkes wrong on Megrahi and Supermac

As a senior member of the parliamentary committee charged with oversight of the security services, his voice would certainly add weight to that of Jim Swire and the Lockerbie relatives.

His call for publication of "the fullmedical evidence" in respect of the decision by the Scottish justice secretary (Kenny MacAskill) to release Mr Megrahi risks being seen, however, as more contentious - and indeed partisan.

It was not the SNP government in Scotland, after all, that was trying hard to negotiate a Libyan prisoner transfer deal in the Libyan desert but George's old friend, Tony Blair.

His reference to the unreliability of prostate cancer diagnosis in the case of Harold Macmillan also demands comment.

Former Conservative prime minister Macmillan did, indeed, survive for "another 23 years" after resigning office in October 1963 and was still fit enough in 1973 to record in detail in his memoir, At the End of the Day, the events surrounding his resignation "since much has been written, often inaccurately" about this matter.

Far from having been "diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer" he writes there that his first "operation" was to relieve the immediate distress caused by the "inflammation of the prostate gland (by either a benign or malignant tumour)".

The second "operation" followed - in 1969 - and with the help of his personal physician and friend Sir John Richardson, he did indeed live on to "a ripe old age".

In releasing his own medical details in 1973, "Supermac" was anxious to dispel the rumour put about that he might have "invented" his prostate condition to help facilitate the Tory succession in favour of Rab Butler.

He, no doubt, also aimed to address concerns expressed by his family that the 1963 diagnosis might have been influenced by Sir Alec Douglas-Home's own physician as his own doctor Sir John Richardson was apparently on vacation when the prime minister fell ill and was unable to face an election fight.

NEIL ROBERTSON

Glamis Terrace

Dundee