April 27, 2010

The serious repercussions of clownish historians

by

The blurb by Robert Caro on this Eisenhower biograph by Stephen Ambrose calls it "an indespensible contribution to our understanding of our country in the 20th century."

The blurb by Robert Caro on the cover of this Eisenhower biography by Stephen Ambrose calls it "an indespensable contribution to our understanding of our country in the 20th century."

The shocking revelation that the late, mega-selling pop historian Stephen Ambrose committed “fraud on a massive scale” in his concoction of interviews with President Dwight D. Eisenhower isn’t getting much play in the American media — not as much play, say, as the story of another lying pop historian, Orlando Figes, is getting in the UK, nor even as much play as a new book Ambrose supposedly began, his son Hugh Ambrose has supposedly finished, and Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have definitely made a movie out of.

Nonetheless, as a thoughtful commentary by James Palmer for Global Times makes clear, the ramifications of the hoax are far reaching ….

Everything Ambrose claimed Eisenhower said, including quotes that have often been used by other historians, must now be taken as false.

Ambrose’s books have consistently presented an image of US power as heroic, even salvationary. The interviews he invented show Eisenhower as wise, contemplative, and deeply aware of world affairs.

Ambrose’s treatment of US soldiers in World War II in other books was written as though through the eyes of an adoring child. It’s a view of the US that has often exerted a strong grip on the American public, and contributed to the enthusiasm for using US strength worldwide – such as in Iraq.

And that’s a discussion deserving bigger play.

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.

  • http://www.brendanmcnallyauthor.com Brendan McNally

    In my early adulthood, I worshipped at the altar of Stephen Ambrose. His most important book back in the early 1970s was “The Rise to Globalism” And I also read his great bios of Dwight Eisenhower. Great books. But in the 80s and 90s he took over like one of these monster organisms that destroys everything in its past. In the late 90s, it was just about impossible for an up and coming history writer to sell anything about world war II because the publishers only wanted books by Ambrose and wouldn’t risk going head to head with him. Most of what he wrote was shoddy cut-and-paste SHIT.

    For that reason I would not read Band of Brothers or watch the HBO series, which was outstanding. The book, Band of Brothers is worth reading. The subject actually transcends the rather pedestrian job which Stephen Ambrose did.

    I think we also need to note what a bunch of absolute dickless wimps the academic community was in refusing to go after Ambrose when it became pathetically obvious that he was a bald-faced plagarist (sp?)

    Stephen Ambrose deserves to have his reputation trashed and his estate sued to death.

  • http://www.brendanmcnallyauthor.com Brendan McNally

    In my early adulthood, I worshipped at the altar of Stephen Ambrose. His most important book back in the early 1970s was “The Rise to Globalism” And I also read his great bios of Dwight Eisenhower. Great books. But in the 80s and 90s he took over like one of these monster organisms that destroys everything in its past. In the late 90s, it was just about impossible for an up and coming history writer to sell anything about world war II because the publishers only wanted books by Ambrose and wouldn’t risk going head to head with him. Most of what he wrote was shoddy cut-and-paste SHIT.

    For that reason I would not read Band of Brothers or watch the HBO series, which was outstanding. The book, Band of Brothers is worth reading. The subject actually transcends the rather pedestrian job which Stephen Ambrose did.

    I think we also need to note what a bunch of absolute dickless wimps the academic community was in refusing to go after Ambrose when it became pathetically obvious that he was a bald-faced plagarist (sp?)

    Stephen Ambrose deserves to have his reputation trashed and his estate sued to death.

  • John Gamble

    “… not as much play, say, as the story of another lying pop historian, Orlando Figes…”

    Figes is still alive and, until recently, digging that hole even deeper. Ambrose doesn’t have the advantage of life and libelous behavior that Figes has.

  • John Gamble

    “… not as much play, say, as the story of another lying pop historian, Orlando Figes…”

    Figes is still alive and, until recently, digging that hole even deeper. Ambrose doesn’t have the advantage of life and libelous behavior that Figes has.

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