Sir

Your story about Gina Kolata's cancer research article in The New York Times reports a malicious rumour for which there is no evidence (Nature 393, 104; 1998).

For the record, after reading The New York Times article, I called Ms Kolata (which is perfectly proper in my role as her literary agent), she submitted a two-page letter-proposal and then she withdrew it. The timing is such that she could not have been colluding with herself to hoodwink The New York Times. Her ethical reputation is among the highest.