(by Mark Weber)
David Irving was born in Essex, England in 1938, the son of a Royal Navy Commander. After education at London University, our next speaker spent a year working in a German steel mill to perfect his fluency in German. In the years since, he has firmly established himself as not only one of the most courageous historians of this or any age, but also as one of the most successful and widely read: several of his many books have been best-sellers.
His first work, The Destruction of Dresden, was published in 1963, when he was twenty-five years old. This was followed by many other books, including The Mare's Nest: The Secret Weapons of the Third Reich, published in 1964, The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe, The German Atomic Bomb, The War Between the Generals and The Trail of the Fox, a best-selling biography of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Several of his books have appeared in various languages, and several have been serialized in periodicals including the Sunday Express, the Sunday Telegraph and Der Spiegel.
Over the years our next speaker has contributed articles to some 60 British and foreign periodicals including the Daily Telegraph , the Sunday Express in London and Der Stern and Der Spiegel in Germany. You'd need a wheelbarrow to carry away all the newspaper and magazine clippings that have been written about him.
Mr. Irving has a track record of uncovering startling new facts about supposedly well-known episodes of history. Much of his effectiveness is due to his extensive reliance on original source materials, such as diaries, original documents and so forth, from both official and private sources. He is tenacious in his ceaseless digging in just about every important historical archive in the Western world. He has little respect for colleagues who are guilty of what he calls inter-historian incest, and who have thereby helped to keep alive myths and legends left over from Second World War propaganda. British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper once said of Irving: "He is one of the few guys I would entirely trust. Indefatigable in the pursuit of evidence, fearless in face of it, sound in judgment."
Well, Irving's reputation took a beating following the publication in 1977 of Hitler's War, a monumental workthat was hysterically criticized for its contention that Hitler did not order the extermination of Europe's Jews: the mass killings must have been carried out by Himmler and his cohorts behind Hitler's back, Irving concluded at that time. So enraged was the Zionist Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith by Irving's book that the shadowy organization promptly added his name to its ever-growing list of enemies.
As it turned out, though, the ADL's troubles with David Irving were only just beginning. The campaign against him became even more emotional and intense following the publication, in 1981, of Uprising , an unvarnished historyof the 1956 anti-Communist revolt in Hungary. This book enraged the ADL crowd because it does not whitewash the significant Jewish role in the Hungarian Communist regime.
In 1987, the first volume of Irving'smonumental biography of Winston Churchill, a work representing ten years of reasearch and writing, was published in Australia. And last year Irving's biography of Hermann Goring was published by William Morrow.
A startling climax in the second Holocaust trial in 1988 of Ernst Zundel was the testimony of our next speaker, who was the last of twenty-three defense witnesses. Irving stunned the completely packed Toronto courtroom by announcing that he had changed his mind about the Holocaust story. During his three days on the stand, he explained in detail why he now accepts the Revisionist view of the extermination story.
As a kind of one-man IHR, David Irving has made highly successful speaking and promotional tours in West Germany, Canada, Australia, South Africa, the United States and other countries. German listeners delight in hearing an Englishman say out loud what many in that country believe in their souls, but have been intimidated to keep to themselves. In Germany Irving has become a kind of conscience for a people who have been all but robbed of their own.
During this past year, in the wake of the collapes of the Soviet-Communist domination of Eastern Europe, Irving has made triumphal speaking visits in what was the East German Democratic Republic. Last February, he addressed a large audience in Dresden on the 45th anniversary of the Allied firebombing of that once beautiful, baroque city. Large posters with Irving's picture appeared throughout Dresden to announce his presentation. He was greeted with flowers by the city's cultural affairs director, and was interviewed on East German television. When he appeared on stage before the microphones, more than a thousand people gave him a standing ovation. Speaking in fluent German, he recounted Winston Churchill's campaign to obliterate German cities. Irving's appearance in Dresden on the anniversary of the firebombing was also noteworthy because his first book, the one that launched his career, was about this very event. Irving concluded his address in Dresden with these words: "Ladies and gentlemen, survivors and decendants of the Holocaust of Dresden, the Holocaust of Germans in Dresden really happened. That of the Jews in the gas chambers of Auschwitz is an invention. I am ashamed to be an Englishman."
As can be imangined, these final, provocative words resulted in a spirited discussion with journalists, which immediately followed his speech. During this exchange, Irving explained the significance of Fred Leuchter's investigations and findings, and he characterized the gas chamber stories as an invention of Allied war-time propganda.
Last June, Irving returned for another speaking tour in what was still the German Democratic Republic. In spite of a tenmark admission fee, large crowds came to hear him speak in Leipzig, Gera, and again in Dresden. Interestingly, his audiences were mostly younger Germans; middle-aged and elderly people were in the minority. By contrast Irving's treatment during the past year in West Germany and Austria has not always been as cordial.
In Austria, following the violent demonstration staged in Vienna by Jewish groups, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Even though his speaking tour scheduled for November of 1989 had been approved by the Austrian Interior Ministry months earlier, he was not permitted to speak in that country. Irving has initiated legal proceedings to overturn this ban. In West Germany, police forbade him, at the last minute, from addressing a mass rally on March 10, of some 8,000 people in Passau, organized by the German People's Union. He was the only speaker who was so forbidden to speak. Irving is now also fighting this ban through the courts. One bright side to this affair is that Irving's forbidden speech was recorded elsewhere on videotape, and is now being widely sold.
Some weeks later, Irving was arrested after addressing a sell-out crowd in Munich's famed Lowenbrau beer-hallon April 21st. This was followed by a spontaneous demonstration of some 250 supporters who carried posters of Irving, Faurisson and Zundel. After the crowd made its way past the historic Feldherrnhalle, police waded in and arrested about 10 of the demonstrators.
In June of 1989, David Irving published a British edition of the Leuchter Report . This handsome, illustrated edition,for which he wrote a foreword, was launched by him at a press conference in London. He told the journalists there that the infamous extermination gas chambers at Auschwitz and Majdanek did not exist, except perhaps, as the brain-child invention of Britain's war-time propaganda bureau, the Psychological Warfare Executive. More than 100 members of the British House of Commons, signed a statement condemning the Irving edition of the Report as "evil."Of course this statement made no effort to refute the Report's findings.
Earlier this year a new American editionof Irving's book Hitler's War was published in paperback by Avon books.It combines earlier editions of two books: The War Path and Hitler's War. Taking into account his most recent researchand insights, all references to so-called extermination camps were removed from this new revised edition. And in his introduction, Irving blasts one historical legend after another. The very fact that this iconoclastic work was published by a major New York publisher, is itself a gratifying victory over the dark forces that have been working over time to silence him.
David Irving is currently at work on more books that promise to raise even more hackles. One of them will entitled Roosevelt's War. He is also working on a biography of Hitler's propaganda chief, Dr. Joseph Goebbels.
Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, once warned: ". . . that historians are dangerous because they have the power to upset everything." Our next speaker is just such an historian. German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck once said: "That the main thing is not to write history, but to make it." David Irving is a man who has been able to do some of both. He is also living proof that the life of an historian need not be dull.
(by Greg Raven)
Faurisson, Robert. "A challenge to David Irving." Winter, 1984; v05 n2, 3, 4 p289.
Irving, David. "On contemporary history and historiography." Winter, 1984; v5 n2, 3, 4 p251.
Irving, David. The Secret Diaries of Hitler's Doctor. Reviewed by: Stimely, Keith. Winter, 1984; v5 n2, 3, 4 p418.
Irving, David. Uprising! One Nation's Nightmare: Hungary 1956. Reviewed by: Lutton, Charles. Winter, 1984; v5 n2, 3, 4 p411.
Irving, David. The War Between the Generals. Reviewed by: Lutton, Charles. Winter, 1984; v5 n2, 3, 4 p397.
O'Keefe, Theodore J. "Irving on Churchill." Winter, 1986; v07 n4 p498.
Irving, David. "Churchill and U.S. entry into World War II." Fall, 1989; v9 n3 p261. Paper presented to the Ninth International Revisionist Conference.
Irving, David. Göring: A biography. Reviewed by: Adams, Henry M. Winter, 1989; v9 n4 p505.
Irving, David. "Battleship Auschwitz." Winter, 1990; v10 n4 p490.
Irving, David. "Hitler's War: An introduction to the new edition." Winter, 1990; v10 n4 p389.
Irving, David. "The Trail of the Desert Fox: Rommel revised." Winter, 1990; v10 n4 p417.
Collins, Doug. "Canadian reflections on the Zündel and Irving cases." January/February, 1993; v13 n1 p42.
Irving, David. "Life under fire." January/February, 1993; v13 n1 p8.
Weber, Mark. "David Irving: Intrepid battler." January/February, 1993; v13n1p4.
Irving, David. "The suppressed Eichmann and Goebbels papers." March/April, 1993; v13 n2 p14.
Weber, Mark. "Irving conviction in Germany upheld, fine tripled." March/April, 1993; v13 n2 p7. Historian ordered to pay $18,000 for "gas chamber" remarks.
Weber, Mark. "Irving barred from Australia." May/June, 1993; v13 n3 p13. Major newspapers and civil liberties groups denounce ban against historian.
"Hess, Churchill, Irving." September/October, 1993; v13 n5 p46.
Raven, Greg. "Victory for Irving in Australia free speech struggle." November/December, 1993; v13 n6 p12.
Irving, David. "Serious opponent." March/April, 1994; v14 n2 p45.
Irving, David. "My confrontation with Deborah Lipstadt." January/February 1995; v15 n1 p28.
Irving, David. "Revelations from Goebbels' diary." January/February 1995; v15 n1 p2. Bringing to light secrets of Hitler's propaganda minister.
Faurisson, Robert. "On Irving, Goebbels, and Pressac (letter)." March/April 1995; v15 n2 p46.
Shermer, Michael. "A skeptics view of Irving." March/April 1995; v15 n2 p47.
Weber, Mark. "Irving protests German persecution of Holocaust skeptics." March/April 1995; v15 n2 p28. Historian still banned from Germany.
Irving, David. "Irving responds to Faurisson's comment." July/August 1995; v15 n4 p46.
[Although impressive, this is obviously not a comprehensive listing of books by and about Irving.]
1. 96-110509: Hesse, Horst, Dr. Gedanken zu Irvings "Hitlers Krieg" : Geschichtsschreibung als Wagnis / Augsburg : [s.n.], 1994. 206 p. ; 29 cm. NOT IN LC COLLECTION
2. 96-1424: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Goebbels : mastermind of the Third Reich / New York : St. Martin's Press, 1996. p. cm. CIP - NOT YET IN LC
3. 94-173268: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Churchill's war / London : Arrow Books, c1987- v. <1 > : ill. ; 22 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DA566.9.C5 I78 1987b
4. 93-72355: Jackel, Eberhard. David Irving's Hitler : a faulty history dissected, two essays / Port Angeles, Wash. : Ben-Simon Publications, c1993. 58 p. ; 20 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD247.H5 J28 1993
5. 92-251978: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Deutschlands Ostgrenze : weder Oder noch Neisse : die Ruckkehr des deutschen Ostens / Kiel : Arndt, c1990. 314 p. : ill., maps ; 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D821.P7 I78 1990
6. 89-91532: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Hitler's war / New York : Avon Books, c1990. vi, 794 p. ; 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D757 .I69 1990
7. 88-21776: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Goring : a biography / 1st ed. New York : Morrow, c1989. 573, [32] p. of plates : ill. ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD247.G67 I78 1989
8. 87-183545: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Churchill's War / Bullsbrook, W.A., Australia : Veritas Pub. Co., c1987- v. <1 > : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DA566.9.C5 I78 1987
9. 84-132592: Morell, Theodor Gilbert, 1886-1948. Die geheimen Tagebucher des Dr. Morell : Leibarzt Adolf Hitlers / Originalausg., 1. Aufl. Munchen : Goldmann, 1983. 381 p. ; 22 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD247.H5 M64 1983
10. 83-11496: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The German atomic bomb : the history of nuclear research in Nazi Germany / New York, N.Y. : Da Capo Press, [1983], c1967. 329 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. ; 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: QC773.3.G3 I78 1983
11. 83-1011: Morell, Theodor Gilbert, 1886-1948. The secret diaries of Hitler's doctor / New York : Macmillan, c1983. viii, 310 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD247.H5 M6413 1983
12. 82-18256: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The war between the generals / 1st paperback ed. New York, N.Y. : Congdon & Weed : distributed by St. Martin's Press, 1983, c1981. 446 p., [24] p. of plates : ill., map ; 23 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D756.3 .I78 1983
13. 81-133221: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Uprising! / London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1981. 628 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DB957 .I78
14. 81-116730: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The destruction of Convoy PQ.17 / Rev. and updated ed. London : Kimber, 1980. 314 p., [24] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D771 .I76 1980
15. 80-68916: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The war between the generals / 1st ed. New York : Congdon & Lattes : distributed by St. Martin's Press, c1981. 446, [24] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D756.3 .I78 1981
16. 79-474015: Germany. Reichsluftfahrtministerium. Forschungsamt. Breach of security: the German secret intelligence file on events leading to the Second World War; London, Kimber, 1968. 216 p. 8 plates, facsims., ports. 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DA47.2 .G3413
17. 78-321465: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The war path : Hitler's Germany 1933-9 / London : M. Joseph, 1978. xxv, 301 p., [8] leaves of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD256.5 .I78 1978b
18. 78-303398: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The trail of the fox : the life of Field-Marshall Erwin Rommel / London : Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1977. ix, 448 p., [32] p. of plates : ill., ports. ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: U55.R6 I78 1977b
19. 78-302431: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Hitler's war / London : Hodder & Stoughton, 1977. xxxiii, 926 p. : maps (on lining papers) ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D757 .I69 1977b
20. 78-15824: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The war path : Hitler's Germany, 1933-1939 / New York : Viking Press, 1978. xvii, 301 p., [8] leaves of plates : ill., maps (on lining papers) ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: DD256.5 .I78 1978
21. 77-24009: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The trail of the fox / 1st ed. New York : Dutton, c1977. viii, 496 p., [16] leaves of plates : ill. ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: U55.R6 I78 1977
22. 76-18195: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- Hitler's war / New York : Viking Press, 1977. xxxiii, 926 p. : maps (on lining papers) ; 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D757 .I69 1977
23. 75-315801: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The destruction of Dresden/David Irving ; with a foreword by Sir Robert Saundby. Morley : Elmfield Press, 1974. 255 p. [10] p. of plates, leaf of plate : ill., maps, ports ; 22 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D757.9.D7 I78 1974
24. 74-376927: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The destruction of convoy PQ.17 London, Cassell, 1968. xiii, 337 p. 28 plates, illus., facsims., maps, ports. 22 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D771 .I76 1968
25. 74-164659: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The rise and fall of the Luftwaffe; the life of Luftwaffe Marshall Erhard Milch London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1973. xx, 451 p., [16] p. of plates. illus., facsims., ports. 25 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: TL540.M49 I78
26. 74-829: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The rise and fall of the Luftwaffe; the life of Field Marshal Erhard Milch [1st American ed.] Boston, Little, Brown [1974, c1973] xx, 443 p. illus. 24 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D787 .I788 1974
27. 72-333907: Osterkamp, Theo. Tragodie der Luftwaffe? Kritische Begegnung mit dem gleichnamigen Werk von Irving/Milch Neckargemund, K. Vowinckel, 1971. 172 p. illus. 21 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: UG635.G3 O87
28. 68-25749: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The destruction of Convoy PQ-17 New York, Simon and Schuster [1969, c1968] xiv, 337 p. illus., maps, plans, ports. 23 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: D771 .I76 1969
29. 68-11012: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The German atomic bomb; the history of nuclear research in Nazi Germany New York, Simon and Schuster [1968, c1967] 329 p. illus., maps, ports. 23 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: QC773.A1 I69
30. 67-75012: Irving, David John Cawdell, 1938- The virus house London, Kimber, 1967. 288 p. 12 plates (incl. ports.) maps, facsims., tables, diagrs. 24 1/2 cm. LC CALL NUMBER: QC773.A1 I7
For the current IHR catalog, with a complete listing of books and audio and video tapes, send two dollars to:
Institute For Historical Review
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Source: A revised version of an article printed in The Journal of Historical Review, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 4-7.
Published with permission of and courtesy to the Institute for Historical Review (IHR).
For the current IHR catalog, with a complete listing of books and audio and video tapes,
send one dollar to:
Institute For Historical Review
Post Office Box 2739
Newport Beach, California 92659
email: ihr@ihr.org
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