GuardianDiary200701 - Focal Point Publications

DAVID IRVING’S

Churchill’s War, vol. ii

I REGRET the slight delay in presenting these morsels from The Guardian; I missed these items, as no doubt did most readers of far greater intelligence than mine. The Guardian is loyal to its deathwish (Guardian Newspapers Ltd are co- defendant in Mr Irving’s next libel action, and seem keen to display their continuing objectivity).

Diary

by Matthew NormanThursday, July 19, 2001

FROM the world of vanity publishing comes worrying news. David Irving has been forced to delay publication of his latest opus, Churchill’s War: Triumph in Adversity. The book sounds marvellous (an ad features a life-size image of Hitler in a Waterstone’s bookstore), but a press release from his Focal Point Publications refers to it being “delayed by last minute problems”. Ah, but isn’t that the danger when you rush something out (David did not start work on it until 1972)? We wish him well and congratulate him for showing what he himself would describe as chutzpah in using a publicity quote (“His knowledge of World War Two is unparalleled”, Mr Justice Gray) from the libel trial that destroyed whatever reputation as a proper historian he may have had left.

Friday July 20, 2001

A DAY after regretting the delay in publication of David Irving’s Churchill’s War: Triumph In Adversity, we sense how frustrating the wait will be.

According to fellow rightwing historian, Andrew Roberts, among other things David will reveal are that Winston was a flasher who liked exposing himself to foreign statesmen; that he tipped off the Nazis that Britain had cracked their secret codes; and that he asked MI6 to assassinate General de Gaulle (rather than merely suppress him, as previously believed).

The sooner the book is published, and begins restoring Mr Irving’s reputation as a serious historian, the better for us all.

Thurday July 26, 2001

SURVEILANCE: David Irving, in East Grinstead’s cleverly named The Bookshop, signing copies of his remarkable new Churchill book last Thursday. He arrived in a van, and gave free copies of the book to two women who professed to be interested in history.