Letter from Arthur Keith to D Pearson-Smith Esq

Arthur Keith, once he remembers that George Orwell is Eric Blair, heartily recommends him to Mr Pearson-Smith. Keith was a friend of Orwell's and asked to provide a reference for him on joining the BBC. Pearson-Smith was the Overseas Services Establishment Manager, 1940s jargon for Human Resources.

In his wartime diary, Orwell described the atmosphere at the BBC as 'something half way between a girls' school and a lunatic asylum'.