Reader's letter of the day (2)

From today's FT:

Sir, Those who criticise the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi should rack their brains to recall an incident that occurred some five months prior to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie's fallout, Editorial August 25).

This was the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes. The US Navy warship was in Iranian territorial waters when it launched its surface to air missiles. All 290 civilians on board the airliner died. The captain of the Vincennes, William C. Rogers III, was subsequently awarded the Legion of Merit by President George H.W. Bush.

Yugo Kovach, Winterborne Houghton, Dorset, UK.