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<DIV><FONT size=4>I understand that Chris Phelps's piece in the Chronicle of
Higher Ed was posted here earlier. Below is a letter I have sent to Chris, with
his original piece deleted to fit LBO length limits.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jesse Lemisch</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT
size=4>===============================================================</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Good for you, Chris, and good for Bettina. This is an awful
and amazing story, reading like something in Doctorow's Ragtime. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>As you know, I have always said that the left should speak
uncomortable truths, even if they please Ron Radosh (see below, including Ron's
questioning of the truth of Bettina's reminiscence.). This material certainly
sheds light on Aptheker, and by extension on the gap or connection between the
personal and the political in the US CP (of which we have much evidence). It's
full of irony that this comes out at the time of the delayed Foley
revelations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>But. I think you are a little too agnostic in your rhetorical
question, "To what extent should disheartening revelations about a scholar's
conduct be held against his oeuvre?"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Without positing a major disconnect between the personal and
the public, I can't see how these revelations of despicable sexual behavior
make American Negro Slave Revolts or the horrifying Truth about Hungary any
more true or false. But I am interested in seeing what connections people might
be able to sketch in. There might be some.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Best.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jesse</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=rradosh@adelphia.net href="mailto:rradosh@adelphia.net">ron radosh</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=rradosh@adelphia.net
href="mailto:rradosh@adelphia.net">ron radosh</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, October 03, 2006 11:51 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Another side of Comrade Aptheker</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=937564515-03102006><FONT face=Arial size=2>Of course, she
should have done this when he was alive, so he could answer. Who knows if it's
true. But what a shock! Ron Radosh </FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>