Historians/History

The United States and the Japanese Mengele: Payoffs and Amnesty for Unit 731 Scientists

by Christopher Reed

Everyone has heard of Auschwitz, but what about Pingfan? This Japanese germ warfare headquarters and laboratory in Manchuria, northern China, did not hold as many victims, but atrocities committed there were physically worse than in the Nazi concentration camp, and lasted much longer. Many people know of Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi SS "Angel of Death" and a physician (though not chief medical officer) at Auschwitz

The Clash of Civilizations: A Novelist's Perspective

by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

The naval Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October1571 when a galley fleet of the Holy League, a sometimes-flimsy coalition of the Papacy (under Pope Pius V),

Irving H. Bartlett (1923-2006) and American Studies

by Sheldon M. Stern

I first met historian Irving Bartlett in 1980 when he was appointed John F. Kennedy Professor and chair of the American Civilization department at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Professor Bartlett had already gained national recognition for his biographies of Wendell Phillips and Daniel Webster and his study of American ideas in the antebellum era. 1 He was particularly excited about the fact that the university shared Colum

History 101: Florida's Flawed Lesson Plan

by J.L. Bell

Last month Florida governor Jeb Bush signed a law revising teaching standards in the state’s public schools in ways that have caused some dismay among historians. At the top of the list of what will be taught is: (a) The history and content of the Declaration of Independence, including national sovereignty, natural law, self-evident truth, equality of all persons, limited government, popu

NHK’s Finest Hour: Japan’s Official Record of Chinese Forced Labor

by William Underwood

May 3, 1960: “We have heard that in March of Showa 21 [1946], the directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MOFA] compiled such an investigative record. However, it was thought that if the documents were used for war crimes prosecutions they would cause trouble to a great many people. Therefore, all of the documents were burned and MOFA does not now possess even a portion of the documents.” --Diet remarks by th

Why Civilizations Decline

by Peter Montague

Some civilizations reach their peak of power and then suddenly collapse and remain in decline or even disappear. Others thrive for thousands of years. What accounts for the difference, and what does it matter to the U.S.?The year 2005 began with an interesting choice by the editors of the New York Times -- the first op-ed of the year was a long essay by Jared Diamond called "The ends of the world as we know them." Diamond won the Pulitzer prize for his non-fiction book, "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and later in 2005 he published "Collapse; How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed."Diamond's op-ed offers an analysis of why civilizations collapse. It is an essay obviously intended to make us ask, "Does our civilization have what it takes to survive?" In the opening paragraph he says, "In this fresh year, with the United States seemingly at the height of its power and at the start of a new presidential term, Americans are increasingly concerned and divided about where we are going. How long can America remain ascendant? Where will we stand 10 years from now, or even next year?"

Interview with Andrew Bacevich: The Arrogance of American Power

by Tom Engelhardt

I wait for him on a quiet, tree and wisteria-lined street of red-brick buildings. Students, some in short-sleeves on this still crisp spring morning, stream by. I'm seated on cold, stone steps next to a sign announcing the Boston University Department of International Relations. He turns the corner and advances, wearing a blue blazer, blue shirt and tie, and khaki slacks and carrying a computer in a black bag. He's white haired, has a nicely weathered face, and the squared shoulders and

Interview with William R. Polk About His New Book, The Birth of America

The following interview is being circulated by the publisher of Mr. Polk's newest book. It was prepared at the request of HNN.Your previous books which include Understanding Iraq, The United States and the Arab World, and The Elusive Peace have been about foreign policy subjects, but in your current book, The Birth of America: From Before Columbus to the Revolution, you deal with early American history. What prompted you to switch gears?

Is the Truth About Masada Less Romantic?

by Kim Stubbs

It is the spring of 73 AD and the revolt that has raged in the Roman province of Judea for eight years is about to reach its bloody and tragic conclusion. On an isolated rock overlooking the Dead Sea at the edge of the Judean Desert 967 men, women and children - the last remnants of Jewish resistance to Imperial Rome - await their fate. The spectacular natural redoubt that has become their final refuge is called Masada, from the Hebrew mezuda meaning “fortress” or &ldquo

Billy Graham: Have Journalists Given Us an Accurate Picture?

by Steven P. Miller

One year ago, my inbox bulged with stories about Billy Graham. The renowned evangelist, about whom I was then writing my doctoral dissertation, was holding a three-day crusade in New York City. This would likely be the final domestic crusade for the aging evangelist, whose career (or calling, as Graham would, of course, see it) had endured over seven successful decades. In the mainstream media, this lion in winter was being, well, lionized. My ever-supportive family and colleagues f

A DNA Test to Determine if Nan Britton and Harding Were Lovers?

by Philllip Payne

President Warren G. Harding died in office 83 years ago this August. This past November, Elizabeth Ann Blaesing died at the age of 86. Elizabeth Ann Blaesing, who did not seek the historical spotlight, was made famous when her mother, Nan Britton, wrote The President’s Daughter. The book’s appearance in 1927 caused a great deal of controversy. In it, Britton alleged that she had been President Warren G. Harding’s lover and the mother of his only biological child, El

What's New About African History?

by John Edward Philips

In the generations that have followed World War II, African history gradually became so accepted in the history profession that one might wonder how it could have been left out of scholarly history for so long during the colonial period. This neglect of Africa by historians was not due merely to the colonial urge to denigrate Africans, nor even (as

Avoiding History at the National Trust

by James W. Loewen

On May 10 the National Trust for Historic Preservation joined countless local historians who, over the years, have maintained a conspiracy of silence about one of America's most shameful secrets. Between 1890 and 1968, white

The Playwright Hitler Plagiarized

by Steven F. Sage

If asked, “Who was the most influential playwright in history?” for most people it’s a slam dunk. But in choosing Shakespeare they’d miss, as sometimes happens with sure slam dunks. The Bard of Avon has long been t

Stephen Ambrose: Corrected

by Peter Schrijvers

At dawn on Saturday, December 16, 1944, when Hitler ordered his troops to launch a counteroffensive against the Allies in the Belgian and Luxembourg Ardennes, he set in motion a battle that would become the stuff of American legends. Badly outnumbered GIs valiantly managed to delay

The Polyglot Manifesto

by Manan Ahmed

During the last few weeks, I have had occasion to think seriously about my discipline, my scholarship and my future. We had a conference recently on the Fate of the Disciplines [scroll down to Recent Events] at which many luminaries wrung their hands and furrowed their brows - worried that money and the right wing will soon destroy the Humanities. Sadly, the brilliantly organized conference had no space for new and recent graduates, those

Should Historians Try to Rank President Bush's Presidency?

by Larry DeWitt

“George W. Bush’s presidency appears headed for colossal historical disgrace. Barring a cataclysmic event . . . there seems to be little the administration can do to avoid being ranked on the lowest tier of U.S. presidents.” So begins Princeton historian Sean Wilentz’s latest foray into political commentary disguised as historical analysis, in the pages of the May issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Complete

Of Course, Historians Can Offer Their Assessment of Bush's Presidency

by Sean Wilentz

Larry DeWitt’s article is unfortunate. Dating back to George Bancroft, there is a long tradition of American historians bringing to bear their knowledge of the past in order to assess present politics and social issues. These historians view such commentary as part of a historian’s civic role, even as a civic duty. They have included, in recent decades, not just Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., but C. Vann Woodward, Richard Hofstadter, John

Reporter's Notebook: Highlights from the 2006 OAH/NCPH Convention (Wash. D.C. April 19-22)

by Rick Shenkman

IndexHNN Daily Reports Days 1 & 2 Day 3 Day 4 Podcasts HNN Audio Interviews with HistoriansNews News & Blogs on the Annual Meeting Past OAH Meetings HNN Reports on the OHA Meetings in 2003, 20

The Infamous Scribblers of the Founding Father Generation

by Eric Burns

It does not seem to make sense. It is almost incomprehensible. Yet the golden age of America's founding was the gutter age of American journalism. The era that produced such works as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers also produced new