I WAS interested to see the comments our Foreign Secretary made about the 'Star Wars' Missile Defence System (February 6).

Whether you agree with the idea or not, his remark: "Had there been systems of missile defence available to this country at the time of the German V1 and V2 rockets, many thousands of lives would have been saved" does seem farcical.

Using the same argument I think I can confidently say that had King Harold been equipped with Challenger tanks at Hastings, or if only Richard III could have summoned up a squadron of Spitfires at Bosworth Field then their lives, too, would probably have been saved.

Richard Stansfield,

Main Street,

Bulmer,

York.

Updated: 13:52 Saturday, February 09, 2002