The position of the historian in the Soviet Union
Closing remarks before the court
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The restrictive system of archive access limits historical research. The restraints on access to authentic sources creates the basis for untruthful or intentionally falsified interpretations of history. The accusation made by the Soviet authorities and before the court, that the purpose of my archive research is to provide material for a publication abroad, fails to take into account the professional self-concept of a historian. A document that is precisely reproduced and discussed in a dispassionate way remains a document, regardless of whether or not it is published. Only the free study of the archives and free publication can help us learn the truth about the past.
(Osteuropa 11-12/2017, pp. 37–44)