MICHAEL BELLESILES UPDATE: Historian Jerome Sternstein explores the various contradictory stories Bellesiles has told about the loss of his notes and the inconsistencies in his data. The gist of Sternstein’s piece: Bellesiles is guilty of fraud, but most historians are too polite to say so, even though they think so. Bellesiles responds, calling Sternstein’s piece a “relentless polemical attack” and “politically driven.” Sternstein responds to Bellesiles with more details.
Bellesiles is still trying to make a comeback, but without much success. Even his big boosters, like Garry Wills, admitted that he was a fraud.