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Sept 14th 1928

Dear Mr. Bennett:

When I went to France ten days ago for a rest I was too ill after this dreadful summer of domestic misfortune to write any personal letters: and as I had informed the Press Association that I have issued a writ for libel against the Evening Standard on account of the interview they published with me on August 14th on the subject of yourself, I had believed this would be published in the press and you would learn of it in that way. I am extremely sorry to find that for some reason the Press Association have not been able to give publicity to this fact, and I am concerned lest you should have no knowledge of it. It is awkward to speak of anything which is the subject of legal proceedings - but I do most earnestly wish to assure you that I have never in my life been so aghast as when I read that interview (which I did only some days after it had appeared): so aghast, and so humiliated, and so bewildered. The rest must wait till another time to be explained. But I could not rest until I had given you some intimation of my feelings.

Yours sincerely,

REBECCA WEST

75, CADOGAN SQUARE,
S.W.1.

2nd October 1930

Dear Miss West,

Thank you for your letter. I did see the sentence which you quote; but I never take the slightest notice of these things, knowing as I do how misleading they are apt to be. Nor has my attitude towards yourself been disturbed at all. I knew that at worst you could only have used the phrase as referring to literary criticism. So that is quite all right.

I hope that you will find a home soon.

Miss Rebecca West