The Website of Carlos Whitlock Porter

THE WAR OF THE FOOTNOTES:
AN OPEN LETTER TO DAVID IRVING

With all due respect.

Dear Sir,

I note the following footnote on p. 82 of the first edition of your book, NUREMBERG, THE LAST BATTLE, published in 1996:

* "As one critic has pointed out, ‘This document turned out to be a certified photocopy of a microfilm copy of a retyped “certified true copy”, prepared by an American, of a re-typed “certified true copy”, prepared by a German, of unauthenticated hand-written notes by Hossbach, written from memory five days after a discussion led by Hitler on 5 November 1937.” Spectator, London, December 16-23, 1995, page 57. Despite its unprepossessing provenance, however, there is no doubt in this author’s mind about the protocol’s authenticity. Rear-Admiral Karl-Jesco von Puttkamer told him he saw it at the time; and it is referred to in Jodl’s contemporary diary."

Since the passage in italics is simply a quotation from NOT GUILTY AT NUREMBERG, published by myself in 1989 --

[Note: What I actually said was, "This is, unfortunately, only typical. Document 386-PS, the 'Hossbach Protokoll', Hitler's supposed speech of 5 November 1938, is a certified photocopy of a microfilm copy of a re-typed 'certified true copy' prepared by an American, of a re-typed 'certified true copy' prepared by a German, of unauthenticated handwritten notes by Hossbach, of a speech by Hitler, written from memory 5 days later. This is not the worst document, but one of the best, because we know who made one of the copies. The text of 386-PS has been 'edited' (XLII 228-230)."]

-- (actually, I noticed this in 1996, when I first bought the book, but I forgot about it) --

the question thus arises: did the Spectator, a somewhat glitzy, snobby, paraplegically boring and pretentious English literary and news magazine, really quote me in 1995, without mentioning my name?

Or is this simply a mistake in your notes?

I'm not the sort of person who goes around being quoted by the Spectator and I should not like people to get that impression.

Please advise.

Faithfully,

Carlos W. Porter

31 May 2017