Lipstadt Atlanta Report

our Lipstadt Trial index Wednesday, March 16, 2005 Deborah Lipstadt writes: The C-Span Storm PEOPLE have asked for an update. I have watched and been quite amazed by the reaction. While Jewish groups and individuals have weighed in strongly, my academic colleagues have also made their voices heard. The David Wyman Institute has circulated a petition to be signed by historians and academics [. . .] and, as of this morning, I am told it has well over 200 signatures.

David Irving writes: LEWIS REGENSTEIN, who sends me this version of the talk I gave at Atlanta, as recorded by one of Lipstadt’s friends, comments: “Here is the account of your talk in Atlanta — partially incorrect & incomplete, as you can see — from the March [2005] archives of Lipstadt’s website, which I recall as seeing on your website as well. I could not find it on yours or her current site, but it may be there & I missed it. In any event, here it is.”

For some unstated reason which shall ever be part of her Mystery, Prof Lipstadt has now removed it from her website — perhaps pursuant to her general refusal to allow the other side of the argument ever to be heard. It is 95 percent an accurate record; we reproduce as it is, unamended except for minor spelling corrections. It has some embellishments — e.g. I did not refer to the Traditional Enemies as such in this talk, but, if the cap fits . . .

We do warn that this narrative contains errors, some serious. Rumor has it that C-Span may have decided to drop the idea of screening Irving’s presentation in Atlanta (which they filmed). Maybe by now they have had a chance to watch it and they saw what Irving said. According to two different people who were there the meeting was attended by perhaps 35 to 40 people, if that.

The following is a report from one of the attendees: ” ALL appeared to be affluent and well-dressed but almost all of them were older and apparently Irving’s devoted followers. There were two limousines out front. One very long white stretch limo and another regular black limo. (The Landmark Diner is a family restaurant and not a limousine-type venue.)

Irving had informed attendees in the letter he sent out a few days before that C-Span would be there and laid down rules: No t-shirts with slogans, no emblems, and no leaflets; and I know I can rely on you to show due propriety in behavior and in any questions you ask in the discussion at the end. The low attendance appeared to cause Irving some anxiety. He looked tired and kept scanning the participants as if counting head. By 7 pm (dinner time) the room was only loosely 2/3 thirds full.

This meeting featured free complimentary champagne and a buffet with shrimp, beef bourguignon, fish, chicken, pasta, rice, salad, steamed vegetables and a special dessert. The cost was $25. It was catered. Irving paid little attention to his book table where he usually makes good money on sale of his own books and tapes and the resale of other materials.

Irving didn’t circulate around the room shaking hands and visiting each table [as he often does], but huddled with several older men at the center table from 6 pm to 7 pm. On the book table he featured his newly reprinted Hitlers War (2002), newly reprinted Nuremberg: The Last Battle , several videos of himself or in programs in which he took part. Irving has produced a DVD (with a VHS version) of his book Hitlers War, which he had for sale for $40 each.

The DVD was professional produced by a Lamancha Productions. Irving told the person who described the meeting to me that the newest version of his Dresden book is due out in just three weeks with the Goebbels biography following soon after. Irving also had pictures of himself and his family there for people to pick up and others he intended to use in his talk. C-SPAN had two cameras set up, with numerous sound boards and lights. There were about 4 people there from C-SPAN.

The attendees were warned by C-Span that if they didn’t want to be on camera they needed to move to the back of the room by the bar and behind the cameras. Some people did. [DEL: I would guess that this is one of the first times C-Span prefaced a filming with this kind of announcement. ] In fact, before Irving did begin to speak he requested that everyone come forward and fill the empty chairs at the front tables so that it would look full for the cameras.

I ate dinner and sat with two gentlemen. One was a book dealer from Tucker , Georgia who features Irving books on his website and E-Bay. He was going to pick up 30 books from Irving for resale that night. Irving thanked us all for coming and compared his situation to that of Mozart ‘s who relied on the patronage of courts and kings to support him while he worked. So, too, we supported him in his work.

Irving showed us the pictures of his family including one of his father whom he extolled as a war hero and for whom he proclaimed great pride. He also showed pictures of Jessica (his daughter) as a baby and now as a 12 year old and her mother, Bente. Irving then segued into a discussion of the long history of his persecution by the Traditional Enemies of the Truth (TEOTT), that is, the Jews. According to Irving, it began in 1963 (!) when he published his first book on the bombing of Dresden .

He claimed that all the reviews of the book proclaimed it to be superior and a real bombshell. It was a best seller. In all the hundreds of reviews there was just one that trashed it: it was clearly written by a man (whose name I didn’t catch) [Website: Arthur Pottersman of The Daily Mirror , furnished with a dossier on Irving by the Board of Deputies of British Jews ] who he insinuated therefore had to be a member of the Traditional Enemy of the Truth.

Irving proclaimed that this proved that his enemies had targeted him all the way