Letter: Troops must go in

Sir: Denys Whatmore advocates using a "Defence of the Realm Act", as in the 1939-45 war, to restrict the freedom of the media to report on the Kosovo conflict (letter, 27 April). But the situations are not comparable.

Then the "realm" was undergoing savage bombing and invasion was a real possibility. It is hard to believe that Britain is in danger of air raids or invasion from Serbia. We should be able to tolerate hearing views from all sides without necessarily believing all we hear. A gag on the media might give our political leaders more power than is wise or necessary.

Mr Whatmore cites the Vietnam war as an example of the "sapping of morale" in America as a result of media coverage of a war. Many of us, remembering the horrors perpetrated there by American chemical warfare, napalm and carpet bombing, would wish it could have been "sapped" much earlier.

Dr EVA TREGILLUS

Reeth, North Yorkshire