Yeah, I mean we all hear about “ghost writers.” The cults (lds, Bible Watchtower & Tract Society, etc.) has “ghost editors” who’ve been good at hitting the “delete” button for years!
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That is very true. As a professional Historian, I really admire the Tanners work. I never read them when I was LDS. After I left, I vetted several of their works (checked sources and the like for context and accuracy).
I was amazed at the amount of work they had to go through to get some of those sources. Most historians (me included) do not have an entire organization fighting them on getting access to sources. You locate the source, get the proper paperwork for authorization (if needed) and have access to the source either in person or by copy (depending on source location).
Jerald Tanner is one of the best historians I ever met. Whether a person agrees with his conclusions or not does not affect the quality of his work. Most historians disagree with each other on a regular basis.
FWIW, I have found his arguments to be VERY convincing on a professional level as well as a personal one.
I read somewhere that even Fawn Brodie had trouble getting to see actual documents in the vaults back when she was reseaching No man knows my History...
And she was TBM !!!!