Scott Creighton wrote:

> MS: You’re lecturing someone who (a) spoke with Walter
> M. Allen, (b) exchanged letters with Walter M. Allen and (c)
> has seen much of Walter M. Allen’s material sent to a contact
> in this country, in connection with his genealogical
> research.
>
> SC: Lecturing? Do get over yourself, Stower.

Yes, Creighton, lecturing. It’s so much your habitual tone that doubtless you don’t notice yourself doing it. Usually on the wisdom accrued in your last five minutes’ Googling.

> You claim to have had some considerable contact with Walter
> M. Allen.

So you can read, when you try.

> Did he tell you Sitchin wrote the note?

Creighton,

Why would I ask him about a note which wasn’t released during his lifetime? Try to keep track of the sequence.

Doubtless your approach would be to steam in with a barrage of aggressive questions. It is not and was not mine.

> Did he tell you his ham-radio logbook note claiming the
> Howard-Vyse fraud was all made up?

Oh, so it’s only of relevance if Allen made a profoundly unlikely confession?

Is this a red herring or a straw man?

> No - didn't think so. How do I know this? Because if you did
> have such evidence in your possession from Walter Allen you
> would not have been so backward in coming forward with it. You
> would have posted such 'proof' all over this Board and probably
> all over the web if you ever had such in your possession.

And here you try to imagine what I would do, on the basis of what you would have done.

For your information, Creighton, dragging a frail old man into an acrimonious public debate is not in my line, much as it may be in yours.

That’s ethics in action: something very different from the moralistic posturing you go in for.

> Clearly you do not.

This being the extent of your curiosity about what he did tell me and what I’ve seen of his research material — all relevant, one might have thought, to assessing the authenticity of a document attributed to him.

I’m making a reasoned assessment based on a wider corpus of evidence. You’re still relying on Sitchin. Your procedure stinks, no matter how much you bluster.

> So, Stower - if ever I need any lessons in how to score an own
> goal, I will be sure to look you up.

Creighton,

It’s not a contest. The object is the truth — isn’t it? Or do you really just not care about that?

M.