Recently Published

Historians and 9-11

by Ronald Radosh

Recently, along with a few thousand others, I was privileged to attend the annual Francis Boyer Award Dinner of the American Enterprise Institute, to hear Norman Podhoretz give the recipient's annual speech. Podhoretz chose to speak about the intellectuals, the culture and the war on terrorism. He reminded us, looking back to the early days of the war in Vietnam, that the American intervention was in fact not only popular and supported by most of the populace, but that even the American med

Three New Books (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

by Philip Nobile

Doris Kearns Goodwin has dramatically revised her story of plagiarism. The celebrity historian was quoted in the New York Times on February 23 that her 1987 bestseller, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, contained far more copying than previously reported. Last month, The Weekly Standard revealed that Goodwin had l

The Case of Louis Roberts

by John Monfasani

Editor's Note In mid-February the media, including the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times, reported that Louis Roberts, the chairman of the classics department at the State University of New York at Albany, had stepped down following allegations of plagiarism. Below is the memo that triggered his resignation as chairman. It was written by Mr. Monfasani, a member of the Albany department of history. MEMORANDUM TO: The University of

Column: Mob Rule

by P.M. Carpenter

11From applying scientific humbuggery to the Kyoto accords to unilateral insolence on the ABM treaty to strong-arm indifference on fiscal policy, Bush II has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt to American citizens and the world alike its penchant for a Mafia mentality, absent any pretensions of honor. The administration is stuck in the century-old Black Hand decadence of the T.R.-Taft-Wilson era, which historian Robert Wiebe characterized as profit- and power-oriented, and specifically in

The War and the West

by James Kurth

The war that began with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 has been defined in different ways for political purposes. President Bush immediately defined the war as one against"terrorists with global reach" and"the states that harbor them," being careful not to identify the terrorists with Islam and let the war be seen as a" clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West. Osama bin Laden, in contrast, repeatedly spoke of a war between"the Islamic nation" and"the Jews

Putting Yourself in the Shoes of a 20 Year Old Palestinian

by Paul Sullivan

The Palestinian Territories are a fairly miserable place. Let us try to look at the place from the eyes of a 20 year old Palestinian:The median age in the territories is only 16. Hence, that is one of the many reasons why one sees lots of teenagers tossing rocks. About 65% of the population is under the age of 25. This is a young population, full of energy and anger, with lots of time on its hands, and locked in a tiny space. There are some 1 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. T

Top 6 Differences Between the Ancient and Modern Olympics

by Kelley Duddleson

Myths about the Olympics debunked.

When Did Plagiarism Become a Crime?

by Katie Brynn

The Biblical writings of the New Testament repeat many themes of the Old Testament. Roman writers copied what the Greeks had written. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from other writers. And nobody called it plagiarism. In the past imitation was considered a compliment. THE PRACTICE BEFORE THE 17TH CENTURY Until the seventeenth century writers did not think twice about borrowing passages or themes from one another. As Thomas Mallon points

Column: Did President Bush Pass Up an Attempt to Get Bin Laden Before 9-11?

by Thomas Spencer

How would Americans have reacted if they had discovered that six months before the outbreak of World War II that Roosevelt's administration was seeking an oil deal with Japan? Or Italy? Or Germany? And what would they think if Roosevelt was threatening war if the deal wasn't consummated? Americans in the twentieth century have become accustomed to discovering years after the fact that their government was negotiating with or propping up repressive regimes. Many Americans believe that"blo

Column: And You Thought the Reagan Hangover Was Bad

by P.M. Carpenter

Like strung-out drug addicts, the folks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are in serious need of intervention. They're on an artificial high, gobbling political amphetamines by the handful, hocking the family's jewels for more, and dashing about for the next fix before the entire system crashes from the inevitable results of an overdose. When the history of the Bush

Presidency: Dick Cheney's Line Has a Familiar Ring to It

by John Dean

The following piece appeared first on findlaw.com.Vice President Dick Cheney has thrown down the gauntlet. He has refused to give the General Accounting Office the very limited information they have requested about the work of his energy task force. (GAO, created in 1921 during the Harding Administration, has from its inception been an independent and nonpartisan agency of the Congress, charged with studying the programs and expenditures of the federal government.)Cheney says

Americans Just Don't Do Outrage the Way They Used to

by Seth Rockman

Where's the outrage? Americans often seem immune to it. Public indifference to the Clinton impeachment trial in 1999 befuddled Congressional Republicans. Democrats now hope that public anger over Enron's collapse will revitalize campaign finance reform and deliver gains in the fall elections. Shredded documents, a stonewalling White House and congressional subpoenas may generate interest in this latest example of corporate corruption, but if sex didn't sell in 1999, will a scandal about bookkeep

Letters to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal

Editor's Note: Following are two letters sent to the Wall Street Journal in response to a letter by Stephen Ambrose. The first letter is from Randy Hils, the son of a Normandy veteran. The second is from Allen Campbell, Director, The Douglas DC-3 /Dakota Historical Society. The third letter is from Edson Strobridge. The letters were sent to the HNN offices by email. LETTER FROM RANDY HILS February 6, 2002 Le

Presidency: “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is … Scary Monsters”

by Andrew R. Heinze

Am I crazy or did George Bush just miss a great chance to enter the annals of American political oratory? I’m pretty certain that the impressive speech he delivered to the joint session of Congress in the aftermath of September 11 will make its way into documentary histories of American politics, to be studied next to other presidential moments of crisis-driven speechmaking. But I can’t say the same for his first State of the Union message. Sure, historians of foreign policy will c

Column: I Wonder Where I Heard that Before

by P.M. Carpenter

I just finished reading a fiery op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times concerning the White House’s obsession with hiding task force records from the public. The author was livid, writing that of all the things that could threaten this administration’s carefully polished image, “there are no greater dangers than the secret files of the ... task force, whic

Presidency: Is Laura Bush a Good First Lady at a Time Like This?

by Gayle V. Fischer

We know that former First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton"spoke" to Eleanor Roosevelt, especially in times of stress. Did First Lady Laura Bush turn to any of her predecessors after the acts of terrorism on September 11, 2001?The United States of America is a country founded in war; the American Revolution (or War for Independence) began with the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Over the centuries, armed conflict--domestic and foreign--has characterized much of U.S. history, from

Military: Have You Hugged the Pentagon Today?

by George Beres

When I was in college in the 1950s, the military draft was a reality for most young males in the United States. College enrollment provided a deferment, but only until graduation. Then the army became a reality.One of my Journalism professors at Northwestern University, Dozier Cade, was commanding officer of a rare kind of army reserves unit in Chicago-- a Psychological Warfare Battalion. He suggested I enlist, and spend one night a week away from campus, attending Psy War re

Stephen Ambrose: Off the Rails

by Edson Strobridge

It is more than plagiarism, it's about truth and honesty. When Simon & Schuster announced to the world that it was publishing a new book about the building of our nation's first transcontinental railroad written by Stephen Ambrose, railroad historians, at least the non-professional ones that I know the country over, were excited. At last, after so many poorly researched and poorly written books on the subject over the past hundred years we would have one that would be historically accura

Alex Haley’s Advice to Ambrose and Goodwin

by Philip Nobile

To: Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin From: Alex Haley I know how you feel. Been there, done exactly that. I was demolished in the Sunday Times of London and the New York Times, ridiculed in a BBC documentary, mocked by former Pulitzer Board Chairman Russell Baker, and humiliated in two very nasty lawsuits that cost a million dollars to defend and pay off. But don't worry, be happy. There is life after literary disgrace. Look at me. They nail

The Mouse that Roared

by Daniel Pipes

A donor conference for Afghanistan convened in Tokyo last week had every appearance of being humane, moral, and sensible. Representatives from sixty governments pledged to help rebuild Afghanistan by committing at least $1.7 billion in 2002 and $10.2 billion over the next decade. On behalf of the United States, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell pledged $297 million, approximately one-fifth of the first year's monies. This, the largest amount from any single country, is meant to help put