Mr. Ephrem Fernando’s follow-up to my article on Tibet and the Evans-Wentz-Le Goc theological debate was most interesting, as a contribution from “the ranks of Tuscany”. Being totally ignorant of Roman Catholic religious orders, I accept his assertion that Rev. Le Goc was no Jesuit.

Meanwhile, Mr. Godwin Mendis has also entered into the discussion [Sunday Times, July 13], and ends his letter with the foul insinuation that the anthropologist, writer and scholar Dr. Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz was the Imperial Wizard of the racist Klu Klux Klan, in the United States. From what dustbin of pseudo-history did Mr. Mendis pick up this slanderous allegation?

Dr. Evans-Wentz was the author of the “Tibetan Book of the Dead”, which was published by Oxford University. He was a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and a Doctor of Literature (D.Litt), in addition to possessing Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

I doubt Dr. Evans-Wentz would have had the time or inclination to run around in a white hood, planting burning crosses and lynching negroes [as African Americans were then called] in America’s deep south.