March 31, 1995
On March 14, 1995, Michael Shermer, director of « Skeptics Society » and Skeptic Magazine, published « An Open Letter to Holocaust Revisionists » in which he devoted a more than 300-word section to a conversation we had together, in Los Angeles, in September 1994, on my invitation. He did not send me a copy of that open letter. Today, March 31, I received a copy from Dr. Toben (Australia). I thank him for publishing my comment.
I drew Mr Shermer's attention to the fact that, in accusing Germans of
1) having decided the construction of chemical slaughterhouses to kill the Jews systematically and in great quantities,
2) having built this « weapon of the crime », and
3) having used it for years with a special technique and a specific operation,
the onus of proof now rests with him.
I personally asked him for material or physical proof as is usual in any criminal matter. To begin with, I wish he would have answered my simple challenge : « Show me or draw me a Nazi gas chamber ! »
The words « Show me » mean that, if he believes that the Nazi gas chamber shown in Auschwitz or elsewhere were actually real Nazi gas chambers, then he only had to take a little responsibility and say : « This was a Nazi gas chamber ». We would then have a discussion together.
The words «or draw me » mean that, if he considered that « the Germans had destroyed all their execution gas chambers » or that « the Nazi gas chambers shown to tourists are incomplete, rebuilt or non-genuine », he only had to show me, by a drawing, what actually was a real Nazi gas chamber along, of course, with its technique and operation. We would then have a discussion together.
In his article, Mr Shermer has not shown or drawn anything of that kind. In our conversation he did not address the issue. He asked me what was a proof for me. But I had already answered his question - it was, as in a criminal case, a physical or material representation of the weapon of the crime. If he did not agree, he would have to tell me why and he would have to bring me what he called a proof, not in theory but in practice.
I kept repeating that he had to give just one proof of his own : After all, it was he who had made an accusation ; he had to prove ; it was up to him to decide what kind of proof he would bring. We would then discuss that proof. Unfortunately he never brought anything for us to consider.
He now says that he « thought that perhaps [my] mind might take a philosophical turn ». It is precisely because I am used to hear so many « intellectual » or « philosophical » considerations (French people love them), that I am very suspicious about them when the discussion is about a crime or the weapon of a crime, and I then insist on the importance of the material or physical evidence. Here I prefer Sherlock Holmes or Scotland Yard to Socrates or Pyrrhon (the skeptic).
Andrew Allen attended our conversation. I agree that I jabbed my finger at Mr Shermer's face. It was not a tactic. It was because I kept repeating : « You are the accuser. You and nobody else here. So, bring one proof, only one proof of your terrible accusation ».
What I am saying here to Mr Shermer is : « Don't escape your responsibility ! »
To sum up, we are still waiting today for Mr Shermer to show us what would look like a Nazi gas chamber (the weapon of the crime) along, of course, with its technique and operation.
I recall that, on August 30, 1994, in front of four witnesses, Michael Berenbaum, Research Director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, was lead to answer my challenge by saying : « The decision had been made not to give any physical representation of the Nazi gas chamber ». For this as well as for the preposterous model of Krematorium II and for my argument « No holes, no "Holocaust" », see Adelaide Institute, November 10, 1994, p. 4-5
P.S. Mr Shermer mocks my « inimitable French accent ».
I am afraid he is right on that very point.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First displayed on aaargh: 17 April 2001.
This text has been displayed on the Net, and forwarded to you
as a tool for educational purpose, further research, on a non
commercial and fair use basis, by the International Secretariat
of the Association des Anciens Amateurs de Recits de Guerres et
d'Holocaustes (AAARGH). The E-mail of the Secretariat is <[email protected].
Mail can be sent at PO Box 81475, Chicago, IL 60681-0475, USA..
We see the act of displaying a written document on Internet as
the equivalent to displaying it on the shelves of a public library.
It costs us a modicum of labor and money. The only benefit accrues
to the reader who, we surmise, thinks by himself. A reader looks
for a document on the Web at his or her own risks. As for the
author, there is no reason to suppose that he or she shares any
responsibilty for other writings displayed on this Site. Because
laws enforcing a specific censorship on some historical question
apply in various countries (Germany, France, Israel, Switzerland,
Canada, and others) we do not ask their permission from authors
living in thoses places: they wouldn't have the freedom to consent.
We believe we are protected by the Human Rights Charter:
ARTICLE 19. <Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.>The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, in Paris.