Ronald Farquhar

The death of Ronnie Farquhar is very sad news. For many years he epitomised the lone Reuters correspondent behind the Iron Curtain. He was an example to all of us who followed in his steps. I think back to the months in 1971 when we collaborated intensively in East Berlin on the German détente treaties. I can still see him working late into the night, night after night, in the grimy old East Berlin office. He lived in a tower block hotel in a room so high he was practically never out of the winter clouds. ■