These doomsday warriors look no more like soldiers than the soldiers of the Second World War looked like conquistadors. The more expert they become the more they look like lab assistants in small colleges.

" Having relinquiAlistair Cooked his British citizenship during World War II he could not be called "Sir Alistair". The first American Letter was broadcast on 24 March 1946 (Cooke said this was at the request of Lindsey Wellington the BBC's New York Controller); the series was initially commissioned for only 13 instalments. He had been ill with heart disease but died of lung cancer which had spread to his bones.

After holding the job for 22 years and having worked in television for 42 years Cooke retired in 1992 although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly before his death. He was the father of author and folk singer John Byrne Cooke.