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Posted Sunday, April 11, 1999


 

THE SKETCH above is a detail from an unflattering cartoon published in The Guardian when it reviewed David Irving's book Hitler's War. He purchased the original from artist David Smith, from whom FOCAL POINT commissioned several skilfully executed caricatures.

David Irving circulates to his supporters a private newsletter, ACTION REPORT, which runs a regular column, "Inside Right -- A Radical's Diary."

We reproduce here the text of his private diary entry for February 27, 1993 reporting an odd document furnished to him, which appeared to be forged -- or was it?

 

F

ebruary 27, 1993 (Sunday)
Outeniqua, South Africa

 

K... has faxed through an extraordinary US diplomatic document anonymously mailed to the IHR, dated Oct. 9, 1942: purporting to be an O.S.I. report (the Neal Sher gang) on myself and others. Inaccurate, but deeply worrying. Copies went to three or four US embassies, the Israeli embassy in Bonn(!), and "'Bn. Br. London", presumably B'nai Brith. I shall protest to the US embassy in London, delicately. -- I also faxed a reader's letter to the Australian, about a proposed target list for libel actions in Australia, to lawyer Ed Wall.

I have written to the US ambassador in London as follows:

Your Excellency,

I am a wellknown British historian, living not a hundred yards from your embassy. I have today received a copy or transcript of the attached document which purports to be a U.S. diplomatic despatch, although it bears no security classification. It is purportedly addressed from a U.S. diplomatic outpost to, among others, the Israeli embassy in Bonn and B'nai Brith, London, and its content -- if authentic -- is both deeply alarming and, as far as I myself am concerned, wildly inaccurate: e.g., after my name in para. 3 are listed works I have never heard of, as well as my well-known books published over the last thirty years by reputable firms -- published in the United States by The Viking Press, Inc.; Little, Brown, Inc.; Holt, Rinehart, Winston, Inc.; and Macmillan, Inc.

I cannot believe that an office with such a reputation for impartiality and accuracy as the Justice Department's O.S.I. would be guilty of such inaccuracies. Before I take this matter into the public domain, however, I thought I would approach yourself first to inquire, confidentially, whether the document is perhaps a forgery, designed to blacken the names of the United States and others. I have been most careful to maintain the most proper relations with the United States, a people for whom I have the utmost admiration.

Although I am currently writing my next manuscript in South Africa, may I ask you to address your reply to the address above, in Duke Street, where my staff will attend to it urgently.

Yours sincerely,

DAVID IRVING


The document reads in part as follows, complete with spelling mistakes; it is all in Capital letters apart from the date. Irrelevant material is omitted [...].

 

09-Oct-92

From: US Counsel Frankfurt GE/OSI AIC

To: US Dpt Jus-OSI WashDC

RUFHMU/USEmbassy Vienna

RUFHNU/USEmbassy Bonn

RUFHNU/Israel Embassy Bonn

RUDOGHA/Israel Consul NY//Survey//

RHDLCNE/Bn'Br"/London UK//N24//

Country: Federal Republic of Germany (GE)

Subject: BKA REP5033 93/Revisionistic Propaganda Continues Attempt at Winning Sympathizer Support for Right Extremism (U)

 

Warning: Handle via Diplomatic Pouch

 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FIELD REPORT

 

Summary: The Revisionist Movement again creates concern among some German Security Authorities because of its appeal to the sympathizers of the new Right wing extremism. A new awareness of the distortion of established history by the German Right wing is being formulated and readdressed.

Text:

1. Since about 1951 the right extremist revisionism movement has attempted to distort the historical perspective of Nazi regime horrors. Although revisionism is an international phenomenon, it is currently most prominent in Germany, France and Italy and is spreading its propositions of Holocaust denial and distortion through apologists of National Socialism into Eastern Europe. Revisionist denial of the historical facts surrounding World War II has led to a distorted presentation of Jewish persecution during the Third Reich. The Right extreme revisionist vehemently argues against the fact of Jewish genocide in the Nazi gas chambers and concentration camps. The criminal acts of revisionism have even led to open questioning of the Holocaust fact at the Dachau death camp near Munich and new Polish doubt of the Auschwitz gas chambers.

2. The most well-known canon of revisionism is the "Leuchter Report,"' [...] Of course the diabolicle plan of the revisionists is to move rapidly from an objective presentation of their case into the Right extremist rhetoric of justifying National Socialistic despotism. These Right wing apologists of the Nazi regime and denyers of the Holocaust are motivated by their attempt at reestablishing the old Nazi system, or replacing it with a similar new Nazi one. Because of their tenacity, well structured approach, seemingly endless publication of books and the recent Right extremist media focus, we have insured that the German authorities are carefully working with the Simon Wiesenthal Centers in Vienna, Aus, and Los Angeles, US, to stop the publication of all revisionist materials originating in the US. OSI authorities are watching current developments within the revisionistic camp.

3. Since the end of World War II, proponents of the revisionistic movement emerged from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and the U.S. The German BKA has assured us that criminal proceedings will be initiated against any person or group found in possession of any revisionist material. The following books some of those involved are individuals like Peter ((Kleist)), 1952, "Auch du warst dabei"' (You too were there); 1961 "Der erzwungene Krieg" (The coerced war); Paul ((Rassinier)) [...]; Thies ((Christophersen)) [...]; Dr. Wilhelm ((Staeglich)) [...]; Arthur R. ((Butz)) [...]; Fred ((Leuchter)); Paul ((Rassinier)) [...]; Jean-Claude ((Pressac)), 1990 "Auschwitz Technik und Betrieb der Gaskammern" [...J; David ((Irving)), "Der Untergang Dresdens" (The Fall of Dresden), 1979 "Hitler's War," 1982 "The War Path", 1989 "Der Holocaust fand nicht statt, Weltjudentum gerät in Panik!" (The Holocaust did not take place, World Judaism in panic!), a planne three volume work title ""Adolf Hitler und die Judenfrage" (Adolf Hitler and the Jewish Question); and Ewald ((Althans)) [...], "Ein Engländer kämpft fur die Ehre der Deutschen" (An Englishman fights for German Honor); 1979-93, Mark ((Weber)), "The Journal of Historic Review."

4. Revisionist organisations and publications active in Germany include: Amt fuer Volksaufklaerung und Oeffentlichkeitsarbeit- AVO [...], Nationalistischer Front - NF 1...], Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands - NPD [...], the Remer-Depesche report, Nationale Offensive - NO [...], Muenchner Anzeiger [...] and Trabantanzeiger (The Guardsman Advertiser), DVU- Deutsche Volks Union.

5. Some revisionist agitators in Austria and Switzerland are: Gerd ((Honsik)) and his magazine "Halt" (Stop), and Dr. Max ((Wahl)) and his bimonthly publication of the same name.

Comments: The BKA is working closely with OSI reps to chart the flow of revisionists from the US to Germany. So-called conferences will be interfered with when visas are to be issued. Many of the above-listed revisionists have faced court proceedings in Germany, served prison sentences for their criminal activities and paid fines for their activities,

 

Acq: (U) Germany, Wiesbaden (920923)

Dissem: (U) Field: AmConsul Frankfurt.

 

The inclusion of Pressac, an anti-revisionist, suggests it may be a hoax. But there is an appendix, reading:-

 

Summary: An appeal trial for David Irving, British revisionist historian, is scheduled for 13 Jan 93 in Munich. Irving was charged with defamation of the deceased on 21 Apr 90 and sentenced and fined on 5 May 92.

Text: 1. On 13 Jan 93, David ((Irving)) must appear before the Munich State Court. On 21 Apr 90, Irving made the following statement during a gathering in Munich-- "The gas chambers of Auschwitz are a lie." Because of that statement, on 5 May 92, the Munich State Court charged Irving with offending and defaming the memory of the deceased and fined him Deutschmark 10,000 (USD 6,135). Irving appealed the decision. The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior instructed Irving to pay the fine. The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior has ordered Irving's deportation, but will probably allow him to attend the trial. The right German Youth Education Project (Deutsches Jugendbildungswerk-DJBW) scheduled a meeting with Irving in Munich for 14 Jan 93. Further details about the planned meeting are not known.

Presumably these are subtexts entered in the OSI computer database under the ((...)) of each name in the main report. It is inaccurate in details: e.g., the Bavarians did not instruct me to pay the fine; and they were unaware of the later date change of the Munich meeting to Jan..15.

There is a clear inference to be drawn from the main report, if authentic, that the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) works hand in glove with the OSI, that greasy, illegal, document-forging, document-suppressing organisation, and perhaps even takes orders from it in deciding who should be prosecuted; and that the U.S. authorities will use visa problems to hamper the free flow of opinion and information across borders. 

 
For more on this campaign go to the full-length draft brochure which Focal Point Publications are preparing:-      [175K]
Note that the US Embassy in London subsequently denied in writing, after a reminder, that the document was authentic. Der Spiegel ascertained that the letter-groups like RUFHMU were authentic US official address codes.

© Focal Point 1999 e-mail: write to David Irving