REGARDING Jeffrey Stone's story (Letters, March 29) about the late, great George Burns, he was addressing some students as a guest of the college and one of the audience asked if the cigar he was smoking was Cuban.

"Sure is" Burns said. "The best from Havana."

"Do you realise," the student replied, "you are backing a communist regime, led by a despot ruler, Fidel Castro?"

"How do you make that out," replied Burns, "when I'm burning his crops?"

That was George Burns at his best.

RAY BUTLER, Denville Road, Blackburn.