Victor Figueroa Clark writes: For my PhD research into the role of Chilean internationalists during Nicaragua's Sandinista government, I interviewed Luís Corvalán (obituary, 16 August) one sunny afternoon in 2007. Although he was 90, his mind was still sharp and he spoke clearly, taking occasional sips of sweet black tea while answering my questions.

He described a narrow escape from Pinochet's secret services, when they raided a house where the party leadership was gathered. They repeatedly hammered on the door demanding entry – so the people inside all scattered. Some stayed round the kitchen table, there were women at the sink, and Corvalán himself went into the upstairs bathroom. Glancing out of the window he saw that all exits were blocked. He could hear shouting downstairs, and then boots stomping upstairs. In a flash he stood over the toilet, just as the door was kicked open. "What's this, Sir? Have some respect."

The policeman's sense of decency won out, and he apologised before returning downstairs. The remaining comrades explained that they were holding a wake, and the agents left empty-handed, unaware that they had let the party's leaders slip through their fingers.