London, December 13, 1994

 Dear Mr Vicksell,*

THANK you for that transcript of the tripe on Internet about me and my hypotheses. I am not into Internet yet, so please post something along these lines:
The quotations used against me are taken from pp.34-38 of the book The Holocaust and the Historians by Lucy Dawidowicz (Harvard University Press, 1981). They are also contained in a handy pamphlet published more recently, evidently late in 1993, and peddled by the ADL entitled David Irving’s Hitler. A Faulty History Dissected.
Dawidowicz (and those aping her) accuse me of editing a transcript of a Heinrich Himmler phone conversation of November 30, 1941 to suit my thesis – as though this were the only evidence I adduced in my 860pp biography, Hitler’s War (The Viking Press, 1975; Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1977; updated: Focal Point, London, 1991).

First let me brag a bit: until I took the trouble of transcribing that entire file of Himmler’s hand-written notes on his daily phone conversations, nobody else had ever bothered to do so — not even the biggest names in Holocaust historiography — even though it had been available since the late 1950s on National Archives microfilm No. T84, roll 26. I used the original file in the Bundesarchiv (the German Federal Archives, from which — hey, Internet historians, what d’you think about this! — I have now been formally banned since July 1, 1993, although they hold half a ton of records deposited by me, including Himmler’s 1935 and 1939 diaries and the Eichmann typescripts.)

* Vicksell had written to Mr Irving: “…Needless to say, your name comes up frequently in articles posted on the network. I’m attaching a typical exterminationist smear [by Dawidowicz]. I realize that you were cross examined, at the last Zündel trial, about the Himmler note and Hitler intervention. I have the transcript of that exchange, which I will be only too happy to post if you wish me to, along with anything else you have to say on the subject.–Ross Vicksell” 

“The gist of the telephone message was entered in four short lines in the log, though Mr. Irving cited only the last two lines.”

In fact I published the whole page of Himmler’s entries for November 30, 1941 as a facsimile document in every edition of this book. Those four lines read in full:

Verhaftung Dr Jekelius Angebl.
Sohn Molotow.
Judentransport aus Berlin.
Keine Liquidierung.

Literally translated as: “Arrest [=noun] Dr Jekelius. Alleg[ed] Son of Molotov. Jew Transport from Berlin. No Liquidation.”
From these few words Lucy D. constructed this fable (and I quote her 1981 book and the tripe on Internet):

“The last two lines now make sense. Himmler called Heydrich to instruct him that a certain Dr. Jekelius, presumed to be the Soviet Foreign Minister’s son, was to be taken to custody by the security police. Jekelius could be located in the transport of Jews from Berlin arriving in Prague [sic] and unlike the rest of the transport, was not to be liquidated.”

“Perplexed by Himmler’s hand-written note about a call to Heydrich after visiting Hitler’s bunker on November 30, 1941– “Arrest [of] Dr Jakelius. Alleged son Molotov. Consignment [Transport] of Jews from Berlin. No liquidation.”–these wizards of modern history scoffed that probably Molotov’s son was believed to be aboard a trainload of Jews from Berlin concealed as “Dr. Jakelius” and was on no account to be liquidated. In fact Molotov had no son; Dr. Jakelius was a Viennese neurologist involved in the Euthanasia program; and the consignment of Jews from Berlin had that morning arrived at Riga and had already been liquidated by the local SS commander by the time that Himmler scribbled down Hitler’s injunction.”

Let the record also show that Dawidowicz and the ADL’s hired hacks, who appear to have had trouble even reading Himmler’s (old-German) handwriting, have ignored (or are ignorant of) a further entry in Himmler’s telephone log, recording another call to Heydrich on April 20, 1942, after visiting Hitler yet again (it was of course Hitler’s Birthday):

“Keine Vernichtung der Zigeuner.”

The Gypsies were not to be liquidated either: yet they were, in large numbers. I see the Internet controversy also mentions my best-selling work The Destruction of Dresden (London & Boston, 1963). Since that book appeared other documents have become available; I already published a letter summarising two of these in The Times in London in 1966; this modified the estimates I had given of the death-roll. More documents, particularly from ULTRA (intercept) sources have also emerged, and I have incorporated these in a revised edition of the book entitled Apocalypse which is to appear next year (I was going to call it Holocaust but I understand that that word has been hijacked by other vested interests).
It is totally untrue that my book Accident: The Death of General Sikorski prompted any legal action, apart from a libel writ which I myself issued against Carlos Thompson, the late deranged husband of actress Lili Palmer.
It is true that my book The Destruction of Convoy PQ.17 attracted a libel suit by one Royal Navy officer against my respected publisher Cassell & Co and myself in 1970; having studied the then secret documents which I had used in writing the book, both Cassell’s insurers and my barrister concluded that I had written the truth and had not libelled the captain. A jury found differently and awarded him £40,000 damages. We appealed the verdict to the House of Lords, unsuccessfully.
In the intervening quarter century nobody has sued me, although I have written thirty books. Not many newspapers can boast of such a record.

Dear Mr Vicksell, please do not post on the Internet any indication of my location in the United States. I am deeply conscious of security threats. You can mention that people can reach me c/o the David Irving Legal fighting Fund, PO Box 1707, Key West, FL 33041 – 1707, and that all letters will be answered.

Yours faithfully,
David Irving

©Focal Point 1998    write to David Irving