(who is now Minister of Culture in Germany, and proving a worthy successor to Dr Goebbels)
August
27, 1994
In February
1994 David Irving was suddenly arrested at his London
home and taken straight to prison to serve a Contempt of
Court sentence. This was the first he knew of any court
proceedings, and there was a press outcry. The action had
been brought by his German publisher Rowohlt, whose chief
Michael Naumann -- later a New York publisher -- was
the moving force behind the campaign to get St Martins Press
to dump
Irving's Goebbels biography, and who is since 1998 Minister
of Culture in Germany.
Dr Michael
Naumann
Blumenstraße 23
22310 Hamburg
Germany
Naumann did not acknowledge the letter or reply.
Sussex, Saturday, August 27, 1994
[7:03pm]Dear Mr Naumann,
vor einigen Tagen erhielt ich aus Australien(!) das Gerichtsprotokoll der [Londoner Gerichts-] Sitzung, wobei ich angeblich auf Geheiß Ihres Verlages von meiner Familie getrennt wurde und auf drei Monate ins Gefängnis eingewiesen wurde. Bis zu diesem Augenblick hatte ich keine Ahnung von den versch. Gerichtsverhandlungen. Es kann sein, daß Sie selbst hiervon auch keine Ahnung hatten -- ich hoffe es sehr. Wußten Sie aber, daß Ihre Rechtswahrer in London nicht drei Monate, sondern zwei Jahre Gefängnis beantragten?
Originalton:
MR. Justice BROOKE: "Subject to that, I order that [Mr. Irving] be committed to prison for a period of three months for his contempt of court as I have found it... ."Later in the Day MR. Charles MACKENZIE (Counsel): "My Lord, I have been asked to raise one matter with your Lordship and I would crave your Lordship's indulgence. It relates to the time of imprisonment. I did refer your Lordship to the authority of Lightfoot vs. Lightfoot and your Lordship interrupted me.. . I would have moved your Lordship for a sentence of two years based on what the passage says, but if your Lordship has already taken that into account then there is nothing really I can say, my Lord."
Ob Sie wirklich erwarteten, daß ich nach zwei Jahren Gefängnis in der Lage gewesen wäre, auch nur einen einzigen Pfennig zu zahlen? Auf Ihre Erklärung bin ich sehr gespannt.
Yours sincerely,
David Irving
