News Release
March 17, 2005
More than two hundred prominent historians and social scientists from the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel have signed a letter protesting C-SPAN’s plan to broadcast a lecture by Holocaust-denier David Irving on its program “Book TV.”
The letter was organized by the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which publishes the only annual report on Holocaust-denial around the world.
C-SPAN officials claim the broadcast of Irving is needed to “balance” its planned broadcast of a speech by Holocaust historian Prof. Deborah Lipstadt. (Lipstadt has now withdrawn her permission for C-SPAN to broadcast her lecture, to protest C-SPAN’s plan to give Irving a platform.) C-SPAN’s Book TV executive producer Connie Doebele, of , said: “You know how important fairness and balance is at C-SPAN. We work very, very hard at this. We ask ourselves, ‘Is there an opposing view of this?’ ” (Washington Post, March 15, 2005)
Wyman Institute director Dr. Rafael Medoff strongly disagreed with Doebele, saying: “The Holocaust is not a topic with ‘opposing views.’ It is a historical fact. Giving a platform to a Holocaust-denier to ‘balance’ a Holocaust historian is as outrageous as giving a platform to the Flat Earth Society to balance a speech by an astronomer. Like any responsible news outlet, C-SPAN should not broadcast speeches or statements it knows to be false.”
The signatories on the Wyman Institute letter include leading historians from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, UCLA, Georgetown, the University of Chicago, and other prominent universities, and many of the most noted historians of the Holocaust, such as Christopher Browning, Richard Breitman, Deborah Dwork, Ronald Zweig, and David S. Wyman.
The text of the letter and the complete list of signatories (as of March 17) follow:
March 17, 2005
Connie Doebele, Executive Producer
Book TV
C-SPAN 2
booktv@c-span.org
Dear Ms. Doebele:
As historians and social scientists, we strongly oppose your reported decision to broadcast a lecture by Holocaust-denier David Irving, to “balance” your intended broadcast of a lecture by Holocaust historian Prof. Deborah Lipstadt.
We support Prof. Lipstadt’s refusal to participate in this project. Falsifiers of history cannot “balance” historians. Falsehoods cannot “balance” the truth. Justice Charles Gray of the British Royal High Court of Justice, in his verdict on April 11, 2000 dismissing Irving’s libel suit against Prof. Lipstadt, concluded that Irving “is antisemitic and racist” and ruled: “Irving has for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence.”
Just a few weeks ago, we concluded Black History Month. Presumably C-SPAN did not consider broadcasting a program about Black history that would be “balanced” by a program featuring someone denying that African-Americans were enslaved. C-SPAN should not broadcast statements that it knows to be false, nor provide a platform for falsifiers of history, whether about the Holocaust, African-American history, or any other subject.
A recent report by the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies found that Holocaust-denial is a real and growing problem, and continues to be actively promoted in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, and in some cases enjoys government sponsorship. If C-SPAN broadcasts a lecture by David Irving, it will provide publicity and legitimacy to Holocaust-denial, which is nothing more than a mask for anti-Jewish bigotry.
We strongly urge you to cancel your planned broadcast of the Irving lecture, and to proceed with your original plan to broadcast a lecture by Prof. Lipstadt.
Sincerely,
Prof. David S. Wyman
University of Massachusetts at Amherst (emer.)
Prof. Irving Abella
York University
Prof. I. D. Abella
University of Chicago
Prof. Bradley Abrams
Columbia University
Prof. Elinor Accampo
University of Southern California
Prof. Bonnie S. Anderson
Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center
Prof. M. Christine Anderson
Co-Director, Gender and Diversity Studies
Xavier University
Prof. Clifford Ando
University of Southern California
Prof. Electa Arenal
CUNY Graduate Center (emer.)
Prof. Dianne Ashton
Director of American Studies
Rowan University
Prof. Tommaso Astarita
Georgetown University
Prof. Ralph Austen
University of Chicago
Prof. Peter Baldwin
University of California, Los Angeles
Emily G. Balic
Stanford University
Prof. Lawrence Baron
Director, Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies
San Diego State University
Dr. Rachel N. Baum
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Prof. Naomi Baumslag
Georgetown University
Prof. Marjorie Becker
University of Southern California
Prof. Brigitte Miriam Bedos-Rezak
New York University
Prof. Joseph W. Bendersky
Virginia Commonwealth University
Prof. Andrew Bennett
Georgetown University
Prof. Michael Berenbaum
University of Judaism
Prof. Edward Berenson
New York University
Prof. Alan Berger
Florida Atlantic University
Dr. Marion Berghahn
Berghahn Books
Prof. Volker R. Berghahn
Columbia University
Prof. Aaron Berman
Dean, Hampshire College
Prof. Mira Binford
Quinnipiac University
Prof. Norman Birnbaum
Georgetown University (emer.)
Prof. Lisa M. Bitel
University of Southern California
Editor, Matrix
Prof. Paul Bookbinder
University of Massachusetts – Boston
Dr. Harold Brackman
Simon Wiesenthal Center
Prof. Richard Breitman
American University
Editor in Chief, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Prof. Catherine A. Brekus
University of Chicago
Prof. Renate Bridenthal
Brooklyn College-CUNY (emer.)
Prof. Michael Brown
York University (emer.)
Prof. Christopher R. Browning
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Prof. Daniel Brumberg
Georgetown University-ICC
Prof. Jon Butler
Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Yale University
Prof. Daniel Byman
Georgetown University
Leith Campbell
Edmonton Catholic School System
James Carroll
Author
Prof. Karl H. Cerny
Georgetown University (emer.)
Kathy Chapman
Education Director
Dallas Holocaust Museum
Prof. Anna M. Cienciala
University of Kansas (emer.)
Prof. Benjamin J. Cohen
University of California at Santa Barbara
Prof. Charles E. Cohen
University of Chicago
Prof. James B. Collins
Georgetown University
Prof. Sandi E. Cooper
College of Staten Island and CUNY Graduate School
Dr. Hélène Dallaire
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Marion Deshmukh
George Mason University
Prof. Jeffry Diefendorf
University of New Hampshire
Prof. Hasia R. Diner
New York University
Elliott Dlin
Executive Director
Dallas Holocaust Museum
Prof. Lawrence Douglas
Amherst College
Prof. Deborah Dwork
Clark University
Prof. Arthur M. Eckstein
University of Maryland
Prof. John M. Efron
University of California-Berkeley
Prof. Hester Eisenstein
Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center
Prof. Pamela Elfenbein
Florida International University
Dr. Noah Elkin
Independent Historian
Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
University of Minnesota
Prof. Gerald D. Feldman
University of California, Berkeley
Prof. George M. Fredrickson
Stanford University (emer.)
Prof. Hal W. French
University of South Carolina (emer.)
Dr. Murray Friedman
Director, Feinstein Center for American Jewish History, Temple University
Prof. Serge Frolov
Southern Methodist University
Prof. Zev Garber
Los Angeles Valley College
Editor in Chief, Studies in the Shoah
Prof. Charles Gati
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Jay Geller
Vanderbilt University
Prof. Geoffrey J. Giles
University of Florida
Prof. Eagle Glassheim
Princeton University
Prof. Myron P. Glazer
Smith College
Prof. Penina M. Glazer
Hampshire College
Prof. Norman Golb
University of Chicago
Prof. Richard M. Golden
Director, Jewish Studies Program
University of North Texas
Prof. Myrna Goldenberg
University of Maryland, College Park
Prof. Jonathan Goldstein
University of West Georgia/Harvard University Fairbank Center
Prof. Linda Gordon
Professor of History
Dr. Eugene Gorski, C.S.C.
University of Notre Dame
Prof. Henry Greenspan
University of Michigan
Dr. Alex Grobman
Brenn Institute
Prof. Lloyd Gruber
University of Chicago
Prof. Peter J. Haas
Chair, Department of Religion
Case Western Reserve University
Prof. Judith P. Hallett
University of Maryland, College Park
Prof. Neil Harris
University of Chicago
Prof. Patrick Henry
Whitman College
Prof. Jeffrey Herf
University of Maryland, College Park
Prof. Arthur Hertzberg
New York University
Prof. Susannah Heschel
Dartmouth College
Prof. Steve Hochstadt
Bates College
Prof. David A. Hollinger
University of California at Berkeley
Prof. Brian Horowitz
Tulane University
Prof. Sandra Horvath-Peterson
Georgetown University
Allison Howdieshell
The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Prof. I.V. Hull
Cornell University
Prof. Paula E. Hyman
Yale University
Prof. Harold James
Princeton University
Prof. Marty J. Kalb
Ohio Wesleyan University
Prof. Marion Kaplan
New York University
Prof. Rochelle Goldberg Kaplan
William Paterson University
Prof. Nathan Katz
Florida International University
Prof. Hillel J. Kieval
Chair, Department of History
Washington University in St. Louis
Prof. Harvey Klehr
Emory University
Prof. Henry F. Knight
University of Tulsa
Prof. Claudia Koonz
Duke University
Prof. Barbara Krauthamer
New York University
Prof. Neil J. Kressel
William Paterson University
Prof. Robert A. Krieg
University of Notre Dame
Prof. Brendan LaRocque
Xavier University
Prof. Fred A. Lazin
Ben Gurion University
Prof. Laurel Leff
Northeastern University
Prof. Amy E. Leonard
Georgetown University
Bernice Lerner
Acting Director,
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
Boston University
Prof. Kevin Lewis
University of South Carolina
Prof. Robert J. Lieber
Georgetown University
Prof. Charles Lipson
University of Chicago
Dr Erich H. Loewy
University of California, Davis (emer.)
Prof. Michael Mandelbaum
Johns Hopkins University
Prof. Andrei S. Markovits
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Prof. Eric Markusen
Danish Institute of International Studies and
Southwest Minnesota State University
Prof. Dr. Christof Mauch
Director, German Historical Institute, Washington, D.C.
Prof. Joseph A. McCartin
Georgetown University
Prof. Louis Menashe
Polytechnic University
Prof. Rajan Menon
Lehigh University
Prof. Michael A. Meyer
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Rochelle L. Millen
Wittenberg University
Prof. Paul B. Miller
University of Sarajevo and McDaniel College
Prof. Paul Mojzes,
Rosemont College
Prof. Raul Moncarz
Vice Provost Biscayne Bay Campus,
Florida International University
Prof. Eric Monkkonen
University of California at Los Angeles
Prof. Paul Montagna
Brooklyn College, CUNY (emer.)
Suzanne Moore
Dawson Trail School, Manitoba
Henry Morgenthau III
Social Historian
Dr. Samson Munn
Tufts University
President, The Foundation Trust
Prof. Pamela S. Nadell
American University
Prof. Jacob Neusner
Bard College
Prof. Francis R. Nicosia
Saint Michael’s College, Vermont
Prof. Mary Nolan
New York University
Prof. Stephen H. Norwood
University of Oklahoma
Prof. Robert Orsi
Harvard University
Prof. Stephen M. Passamaneck
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Robert Jan van Pelt
University of Waterloo
Prof. Monty Noam Penkower
Touro College Graduate School
Prof. Susan L. Pentlin
Central Missouri State University (emer.)
Prof. Bruce Phillips
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Allen Podet
SUNY-Buffalo
Dr. Eunice G. Pollack
University of North Texas
Prof. Cathy Popkin
Columbia University
Prof. Arun J. Prakash
Florida International University
Prof. Anson Rabinbach
Princeton University
Prof. Ronald Radosh
City University of New York (emer.)
Prof. Walter Reich
George Washington University
Prof. Harry Reicher
University of Penn. Law School
Dr. Michael A. Riff
Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Prof. Bryan Mark Rigg
American Military University
Prof. Erik Rose
Miami University, Ohio
Prof. Paul Lawrence Rose
Pennsylvania State University
Prof. Milton J. Rosenberg
University of Chicago (emer.)
Prof. Aviel Roshwald
Georgetown University
Prof. John K. Roth
Claremont College
Joanne Weiner Rudof, Archivist
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
Yale University
Dr. Richard S. Sarason
Hebrew Union College
Dr. Robert B. Satloff
Executive Director
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Prof. John C. Savagian
Alverno College
Prof. Leigh E. Schmidt
Princeton University
Dr. David Schwartz
Kean University
Dr. Baila Shargel
SUNY-Purchase College
Prof. James Shedel
Georgetown University
Prof. Michael A. Signer
University of Notre Dame
Prof. Herman Sinaiko
University of Chicago
Prof. Robert Skloot
University of Utrecht and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Prof. Melvin Small
Wayne State University
Prof. Ronald Smelser
University of Utah
Kim Smiley
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
Prof. Julia Sneeringer
Queens College-CUNY
Prof. Gerald Sorin
SUNY-New Paltz
Prof. Howard R. Spendelow
Georgetown University
Dr. Kevin P. Spicer, C.S.C.
Stonehill College
Prof. Alan E. Steinweis
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Prof. Oren Stier
Florida International University
Prof. Ross M. Stolzenberg
University of Chicago
Prof. Leslie Woodcock Tentler
Catholic University of America
Prof. Mary Todd
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Ohio Dominican University
Prof. Emilie M. Townes
Union Theological Seminary
Prof. Gil Troy
McGill University
Prof. Lise Vogel
Rider University
Prof. Howard M. Wachtel
Director, Center for Israeli Studies
American University
Prof. Linda Waite
University of Chicago
Prof. Irwin Wall
University of California, Riverside (emer.)
Center for European Studies, New York University
Prof. Mark J. Webber
York University
Dr. Racelle R. Weiman
Director, The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Ruth Weisberg
Dean of Fine Arts
University of Southern California
Prof. Lenore J. Weitzman
George Mason University
Prof. S. Jonathan Wiesen
Southern Illinois University
Prof. Randall C. Zachman
University of Notre Dame
Dr. Juergen Zimmerer
University of Duisburg-Essen/Germany
Prof. Gary P. Zola
Hebrew Union College
Prof. Bat-Ami Zucker
Bar Ilan University
Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Simon Wiesenthal Center
Prof. Ronald W. Zweig
New York University
Sonia Zylberberg
Director of Education
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
Dr. Rafael Medoff
The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies
(Institutions listed for identification purposes.)