Paul Barford

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A correspondent writes from the U.K. Friday, May 26, 2000


 

typewriter

Did you address the Judge as "Mein Führer"?

 

YOUR quote from the transcript of the passage where you are alleged to have addressed the judge as your Führer is not quite right. It is, in my version of the transcripts, not on p.194 but on p.193. Also, you appear to have inserted quotation remarks around the words 'Mein Führer'. There are none in the transcript. Thus the transcript could just about bear the interpretation that Deborah Lipstadt's friend put upon it, at least for people who did not hear you speak.

Let me hasten to add that I was in court on that day, and heard this passage, and heard the rhythm and emphasis you put on the words, and I am quite sure that you meant to quote the slogans people were chanting, and I am sure the amusement of the court, including the judge and myself, was at the situation of your addressing these people and their responding by shouting 'Mein Führer'. It sounded as if they saw YOU as their Führer. This was richly comic. The friend of Deborah Lipstadt, I am inclined to think, was not listening intelligently, and genuinely misunderstood that you were quoting what people were shouting, rather than addressing the judge. More exactly, she probably hoped you were addressing the judge, as it would make a nice story, and did not bother to check. She then could 'genuinely' claim she thought our amusement was at your supposed Freudian slip. I have seen your alleged slip reported subsequently many times.

 


Website comment: We are preparing to issue a corrected version of the transcripts with punctuation, name spellings, and German words correctly transcribed.


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