LETTERS Ungermans?
Sir: I read and reread Anne McElvoy's arti- cle (`Throwing the book at Germany', 4 May) with a mounting sense of conviction that Gentiles lose all sense of proportion, objectivity and accuracy when discussing Jews and the Holocaust.
In the first place Goldhagen is not assis- tant professor of history. He is in fact assis- tant professor of government and social studies. That fact was levelled as a criticism by one reviewer who found him wanting in historical judgment.
Second, he does not imply collective sin. He does, however, argue with great convic- tion that the feigned ignorance of very many Germans was a sham. Most people familiar with the subject know that despite the fact that over 30 per cent of the elec- torate voted for the Nazi Party scarcely anyone could be found who admitted hav- ing supported it. Moreover, nothing in the book could remotely be described as per- taining to this generation of Germans.
As to her comments about Klemperer's diary it should be remembered that less than ten per cent of the victims were Ger- man Jews. Far more representative and cer- tainly less self-contradictory is the evidence of the Jews of Eastern Europe whose com- munities were subjected to the terror of those vandals. Ask those who survived about how `un-German' their tormentors were. Even Klemperer was reduced to find- ing some positive human quality in not being reported for being out at a prohibited time. Would that merit comment in a civilised society?
Finally, on this matter, it is quite inane and pointless, if not insulting, to denigrate Goldhagen for writing his work in the safe- ty of a Harvard study. Would it be prefer- able for him to have compiled it in a camp and to have expired before its publication?
M.S. King
20 Bancroft Avenue, London N2
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