Once a liar?

Croce defined the task of the historian as making the past meaningful to the present. But not making it up.

Bellesiles does appear to be teaching where he claims. Well, that's something, I guess. With his history, you wouldn't think any publication would take him at his word about anything. He appears to specialize in telling tales that a certain audience badly wants to be true. That can lead them to make fools of themselves, as Garry Wills did in his NYT review of Bellesiles' fraudulent book, Arming America. Its story was just too, too good to be examined critically by Wills, or by academic historians, who awarded it the prestigious Bancroft Prize. (Amateur history buffs subsequently exposed the book as a fraud, it was withdrawn by its publisher, its Bancroft Prize was rescinded, and Bellesiles was fired from Emory.)

Bellesiles, having found a position as a lecturer at Central Connecticut State, has an Iraq story in the 6/27 Chronicle of Higher Education.

Here we go again?

Disgraced ‘Historian’ Michael Bellesiles’ Fishy War Story