LETTER: How to remember Winston Churchill

From Mr Richard M. Langworth

Sir: Contrary to today's article by Marianne Macdonald ("On the banks of the Thames, a 40ft bust of Churchill", 20 September), the International Churchill Society (United States) knows nothing of plans for a 40ft bust of Sir Winston on the Thames, and this project certainly does not have our support - nor, I am sure, that of the International Churchill Societies (UK and Canada).

Asked what he thought about monuments to him in London, Sir Winston once remarked that if anything was created in his honour, he would much prefer a park for children to play in. Alas, we are still waiting for the park.

We seem caught these days in a crossfire between "historians" who define Churchill as a power-mad megalomaniac and "worshippers" wishing to build gigantic statues of him. To paraphrase Sir Winston, there is surely some middle ground between these two scarecrow extremes.

Yours respectfully,

Richard M. Langworth

President

International Churchill Society, United States

Hopkinton, New Hampshire

United States

20 September