Session: 123456789101112131415161718         Page 334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373 of 617

took place in England. And they have protested their treatment, but two left-wing members of Congress (and they gave their names) have examined the situation and have found they're receiving excellent treatment. They are being forcefed because they've gone on a hunger strike and they want to make certain -- the prison officials do -- that they don't die.

Well, based on that letter, I write back to the guy that had written me saying: “This is the situation, it appears to me,” that I could not in good conscience urge, since the crimes had been committed in England that they be transported to Northern Ireland to be in jail. Nor do I consider the forcefeeding... My own feeling is: if somebody wants to die, they should be allowed to die; so I wouldn't forecefeed anybody. But it's not an inhumane situation. That's a philosophical concept which you can take both sides on. But I don't really see how I can get involved here. The treatment apparently is reasonable.

SIDE 2

And so I indicated in my letter that I thought the treatment they were being accorded was reasonable and therefore I didn't see how I could intrude on it or protest. And then I put in a line which went something like this: “And, as I hope you know, I am opposed to terrorism, as I hope you are.”

So a few days later I get a letter not from this guy, but I get it from Paul O'Dwyer, and the thrust of the letter, the feel of it -- I could see the page burning up -- went something like this: “Who the hell asked your opinion on terrorism?” (laughs)