A LETTER from a person claiming to speak for Oxfam reminded us of the anniversary of a report on a scandal wrongly portrayed by the media as Arms to Iraq.

Anyone reading beyond their headlines saw that the so-called arms were in fact perfectly normal machine tools of the multi-headed lathe type which can be seen in most factories.

The scandal, for this it was, involved the cover-up of a dispute between two Whitehall departments, and this was the conclusion of the inquiry.

The men described as arms dealers were nothing of the sort but had cleared with the appropriate ministry that the machines were not prohibited for export to Iraq.

In a situation which resembled an episode of Yes Minister, a different Humphrey then decided the machines could have been altered to make parts for weapons at the factory in Iraq.

This resulted in the men being put at risk of criminal charges for breaking sanctions laws. It was not until someone near the top banged heads together that the truth was revealed.

The factory containing the machines was one of the first targets of a smart bomb soon after the last Gulf War. If the facts proved anything, it was the serious attitude of John Major's government to sanctions and there was no arming of Iraq except by Russia and China, which still persist in breaking sanctions.

Keith Ratcliffe

Priory Green, Highworth

Swindon