Gerard Henderson's Speeches, Essays and Correspondence
CORRESPONDENCE – THE MONTHLY (SALLY WARHAFT, ROBERT MANNE) & GERARD HENDERSON - Part 2
29th August 2008
Email from Robert Manne to Gerard Henderson – 25 August 2008
Dear Gerard,
Could you please discuss this par?
I'm also intrigued to see your response to the Knopfelmacher quote. As you must be aware, this controversy turns on the definition of the word "support" Let's take your answer apart. If an Australian Communist had written shortly after the Great Terror of the "kulak-Trotsky-German fascist racket (now thankfully over)" that presumably would not count for you as "support" for Stalin's mass murder. Similarly, if an Australian Nazi sympathiser had written after the Holocaust of "the Judeo-Bolshevik racket (now thankfully over)" that also would not count as "support" for the mass murder of the Jews of Europe.
Best wishes, Robert Manne
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Email from Gerard Henderson to Robert Manne – 26 August 2008
Dear Robert
You seem to conduct correspondence like an academic setting an examination paper - with questions to be answered and points to be discussed. Your so-called historical analogies - invented as a means to defame the late Frank Knopfelmacher as a supporter of mass murder - are seriously flawed. As a historian, you should know this.
By the way, since you are so keen on posing questions why not answer the following ones, viz:
Why does The Monthly refuse to publish a Letters-to-the-Editor section in its print edition? Is the sole reason for this censorship an attempt to protect its contributors (including yourself) from criticism or correction?
I look forward to your answers to your answers when I return from interstate later in the week.
Best wishes
Gerard Henderson
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Email from Gerard Henderson to Sally Warhaft and Phillip Adams – 28 August 2008
Sally
I am advised that on Late Night Live last Tuesday evening Phillip Adams said that my correspondence with Robert Manne has been placed on The Monthly’s website and that his listeners would be advised to read this.
Having just looked at the website I note that the final three emails have been excluded from The Monthly’s website – all of which were written before Phillip Adams made his announcement.
Since you have expressed a wish to place all this correspondence on The Monthly’s website – I do not know why you have excluded the final emails. As you will note, in my final email I went back to my original point and asked Robert Manne why I (and others) are denied any right of reply in the print edition of The Monthly. I assume that you will fulfill Mr Adams’ prophesy and place all the correspondence on The Monthly’s website including my last two emails. As explained, The Sydney Institute Quarterly did not publish correspondence after 9 July because the magazine was already type-set and, in any event, the SIQ had no space for a 3500 word letter from Robert Manne including my response to that particular letter. As you are aware, there are no space limitations on-line.
For my part, I will put the entire correspondence on The Sydney Institute website. As you will be aware, in Issue 33 of the SIQ I indicated that readers who wanted the rest of the correspondence could approach me to obtain it. Some did so.
Gerard Henderson