Sir,—The reference in your editorial on Asian Studies to "low academic quality" is open to misinterpretation and does not accurately reflect the thinking of those who favour an Asian Studies Centre, rather than a Department. There has been no criticism of the quality of the staff, the courses, or the students in Asian Studies. The real problem is neatly diagnosed in the Hayter Report, dealing with UK experience in similar fields: "The small departments and the one-man appointments have not prospered, and have led to a waste of resources and the disappointment and isolation of the individuals concerned. To make its mark, or even to find its feet in the university, a department must be a large enough nucleus to give its members moral and intellectual support." The purpose of the proposed Centre is to provide such a nucleus, and thereby to make courses on Asian topics available to a wider range of students than the Department has been able to attract.