Mr Smith of course has like all of us, the right to not answer these or any questions.
The great value of PPRuNe is that the credibility of all who post here is determined by the quality of their debate and strength of their argument. It is a hard taskmaster and takes no prisoners.
So beware those who try to hit and run, as we all find out here, there is always someone out there who has the real facts and they have a really irritating habit of turning up.