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Britain
Holocaust denier David Irving to 'fight back'
2006-12-23
My favorite bit:
"I'm calling for an international boycott of German and Austrian historians until they put pressure on their governments to end the Stalinist legislation which puts historians in prison for expressing the wrong opinions about history - politically incorrect opinions."
Boycott historians? That's purdy draconian, but h'okay, yah shure.
We shouldn't imprison historians who express 'wrong opinions', we should ridicule them mercilessly. Let Rantburg show you how.
Posted by:.com

#4  Boycott historians?

Who will serve us our French Fires?
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-23 19:06  

#3  "...everyone in it was a "defective" in some way, physically or psychologically..."
This was noted at the time, and the source for a much quoted and bitter jest that the perfet German Aryan speciman was blond like Hitler, slim like Goering, and handsome like Goebbels."
Posted by: Sgt. Mom   2006-12-23 16:09  

#2  There is also the nature of bureaucracy that confuses those not familiar with it. For example, a read of the Wansee conference shows a great deal of attention to the bureaucracy of racial actions, and far less to the execution of such actions.

Hitler's inner circle had two noteworthy characteristics: everyone in it was a "defective" in some way, physically or psychologically (the notable exception being Reinhard Heydrich); and everyone had overlapping authority.

Hitler wanted freaks so that nobody but him would be politically popular, and he wanted nobody to be secure in their authority, so they could build an empire to challenge his authority in the government.

This also meant that Hitler was always indirect with his orders, even to the military. A long used leadership principal, in which you say something that has several meanings, expecting your subordinates to correctly interpret you, and yet allows you to shun responsibility.

Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-12-23 09:12  

#1  IIRC..Irving's main contention that there is no documentary evidence linking Hitler to issuance of the final solution order, is technically correct. He does admit however, in a Fuhrer state a directive of that magnitude could only have been issued by Hitler himself. Himmler never came out and said it but he alluded to a Fuhrer order in a private speech in 1943 to his SS Generals.
I don't think Irving's problem is his historical research, but the anti-semitic stupidity he has a tendency to utter in public.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2006-12-23 08:07  

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