Even by the standards of Mr. Horowitz the chapter about me is a model of misinformation.

First of all, the long quote "I write this ..." is from a contribution to the London Review of Books by Paul Foot, not me. (It was the next one after mine in the issue but this is nonetheless a rather egregious error).

It is true that I participated in a teachin against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. I quoted Paul Robeson. I wonder how Mr. Horowitz explains that if Robeson is an enemy of America, the postal service recently issued a stamp in his honor.

I was indeed preceded on the podium by Nicholas DeGenova, who made the quoted remark. But as was widely reported in the press, I condemned his remark, saying that we did not desire the death of any American soldiers, and was quoted the next day in the newspapers as saying the remark was "idiotic." I therefore fail to see how I can be blamed for that remark or how it makes me "dangerous."

The quotes from negative reviews of my writings by Diggins and Draper are accurate. It might be worth noting that in the very piece, Diggins also explains that I have not allowed my political views to shape my actions in the academy and have promoted conservative scholars for professorial appointments. He calls me a "gentleman scholar" -- I wonder why Horowitz didn't quote that. A fuller account would also mention that I have won numerous prizes for my work -- Bancroft, Parkman, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, etc, including the Owsley Prize from the Southern History Association, not normally considered a hotbed of anti-American radicalism.

However, arguing with Horowitz is pointless because it dignifies his fulminations.

Eric Foner