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Last Wednesday, April 6th, Instapundit posted an item about the Bellesiles affair, James Lindgren, the Chronicle of Higher Education's coverage of the affair, and Wonkette (I am not making that up), with an update from a former CHE employee disputing the story. Reynolds also received a link from the CHE where you could see all their coverage and judge for yourself. That's just the kind of geeky think I like to do, and besides, it put off finishing the yearly Ides of April ceremony of getting anally raped with a red hot poker. I haven't finished all the CHE articles...

<p>Military techno-hype, reflecting a long-standing Anglo-American faith in technological quick fixes, has frequently fed expectations of a "clean" victory. But we have found that the latest technology does not always shorten wars.</p> <p>As early as 1609, John Smith, a leader of colonial Virginia, told his troops that if they just discharged their muskets at the Indians, "the very smoake will bee sufficient to affright them." Unfortunately, Smith was wrong. Virginia's Indians developed tactics to circumvent the colonists' technological advantages. Smith returned to England, proclaiming his mission accomplished, but the Virginia Indian wars lasted for decades.</p>

What do you do when you are about to lose a tenured job, your employer is investigating your fraudulent research and you've alienated a small cadre of supporters in an academic scandal over the explosive topic of guns? Readers might remember Emory investigated former history professor Michael Bellesiles (pronounced bell-EEL) for his 2000 book Arming America, which argued that guns were rarer in early America than previously imagined and that frontier America wasn't violent. Only the book was wrong, and when reputable academics criticized it, Bellesiles couldn't verify many of the records he'd cited. Emory's investigators, charged with finding research...

There were several of the hardcover books "Arming America, The Origins of a National Gun Culture" By MICHAEL A. BELLESILES at a small local bookstore (not a chain store). They were marked down from $30 to $7.50. I was not tempted. I wonder if the publisher is taking it in the shorts on this or if the bookstore is. No, it wasn't in the "fiction" part of the store. It was on the markdown table.

2. A-76 UPDATE -- CENTER FOR MILITARY HISTORY TARGETED -- IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED! Some weeks ago, we reported on the A-76 effort to contract out archeological research within the National Park Service ("NPS and Interior Agency Professionals Subjected to A-76 Outsourcing Assessments;" NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 9 #4; 30 January 2003). Now we have information on a history office being targeted for outsourcing -- the Department of the Army's Center for Military History (CMH). The Department of Army has 154,910 positions held by civilian employees and some 58,727 held by soldiers who hold what are considered "non-core" positions. Because these...

For those who might have an opinion on whether Knopf should continue to publish Michael Bellesiles' fradulent book, "Arming America," the History News Network is having an UNSCIENTIFIC online poll. There appears to have been an organized effort to keep "Arming America" on the shelves. There is also a comment area below the poll. To vote, go here: http://hnn.us/articles/1171.html To read a comment on Knopf's role by historian Jerome Sternstein, read here: http://hnn.us/articles/1158.html

Columbia Rescinds History Prize for Book By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) -- Severe doubts about a book on guns in the United States has led Columbia University to rescind the prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. ``Arming America,'' by Michael Bellesiles, had received the award in 2001. In a statement released Friday, Columbia said that the school's trustees had concluded ``his book had not and does not meet the standards ... established for the Bancroft Prize.'' Columbia has asked Bellesiles to return the prize money, $4,000. It was the first time in the 54-year history of the Bancroft award...

The whole sordid affair has finally come to an end. Professor of History Michael Bellesiles will no longer be part of this university. Following a lengthy investigation into the research he did for his book, Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture, Bellesiles resigned from his post as a tenured professor last week. Bellesiles had come under fire for allegedly falsifying data he used for his book, and last spring Emory formed an external committee to look into these accusations. The committee, in its report submitted to Emory July 10 and released last week, found that Bellesiles had in...

Professor of History Michael Bellesiles resigned from the University Friday, bringing an end to an unprecedented eight-month investigation into an Emory professor's research. The resignation was announced along with a damning report from an outside investigative committee charged with evaluating Bellesiles' scholarship. Bellesiles is the author of Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture, which challenges the long-held belief that early Americans depended heavily on guns. Bellesiles argues that guns were more rare in early America than previously thought, basing his claim on thousands of probate records, militia role lists and other evidence. The 2000 book was initially received...

<p>Michael Bellesiles, the history professor who wrote that firearms were rare in early America, has resigned from Atlanta's Emory University after an investigation found he "willingly misrepresented the evidence"in his award-winning book.</p> <p>The three-person committee — composed of scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago — found that Mr. Bellesiles' work showed "evidence of falsification," "egregious misrepresentation" and "exaggeration of data."</p>

<p>Michael Bellesiles, the history professor who wrote that firearms were rare in early America, has resigned from Atlanta's Emory University after an investigation found he "willingly misrepresented the evidence" in his award-winning book.</p> <p>The three-person committee — composed of scholars from Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago — found that Mr. Bellesiles' work showed "evidence of falsification," "egregious misrepresentation" and "exaggeration of data."</p>

"Although we would not normally release any of the materials connected with a case involving the investigation of faculty misconduct in research, in light of the intense scholarly interest in the matter I have decided, with the assent of Professor Bellesiles as well as of the members of the Investigative Committee, to make public the report of the Investigative Committee appointed by me to evaluate the allegations made against Professor Bellesiles (none of the supporting documents, however, are being made public). The text of the report is now available online at www.emory.edu/central/NEWS/"

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - The author of a controversial book, which claims there was no widespread ownership of firearms by U.S. citizens prior to the Civil War, has been removed from his teaching position at Emory University, the school announced Thursday. "Professor Michael Bellesiles will be on paid leave from his teaching duties at Emory University during the fall semester," Emory said in a written statement acknowledging that a six-month investigation into allegations of research fraud "is continuing." Bellesiles has been under fire almost since the first copy of his book "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture,"...

5-20-02 HISTORIAN ON THE HOT SEAT Could Bellesiles's Problems Undermine Gun Control? By Don Williams Mr. Williams lives near the Valley Forge Encampment and has a Masters in Computer Science. He frequently posts comments on H-OIEAHC. Emory University recently announced that an outside panel of scholars will examine Michael Bellesiles’s Arming America—with results to be announced this summer. If the investigation discredits Bellesiles then it could hurt the arguments filed by gun-control advocates in a major Second Amendment case ( US vs Emerson) that is coming before the Supreme Court.If the Supreme Court hears US vs Emerson, the Justices...