I had to read your article "Don't expect any hand-outs from US, Wilson tells firms" twice, as I thought I must have misread what Brian Wilson had said (4 April, page 13).
His article suggests that UK contractors will be awarded work in Iraq "on purely commercial grounds". Now where has Mr Wilson been all his life that he is naive enough to suggest that things are this simple? The very reason he is being lobbied for government help is precisely because it is not as simple as he suggests. If he actually believes what he says, then we are in a worse position than I thought.

I do not believe that Wilson is this naive, but that leaves me even more confused – unless the answer is that he simply hasn't responded in time to influence the Americans. Perhaps what is more worrying is his misjudgment in thinking that we would believe his assertion.

Postscript

Frank Perry, via email.