Robert KC Johnson discusses his views on the the Watergate Tapes controversy which reached a new level earlier this week when it graced the front page of the New York Times.
While the whole post is worth reading my favorite part, a good mantra for any up and coming historian (one day I'll be 'up and coming') seems to be:
Historians using the tapes should always go back to the source—especially since the tapes now are all available, in digitized form, on the Miller Center website—rather than rely on published transcripts. Kutler's book definitely shouldn't be considered an "official transcript" in that respect.
It seems like a statement that almost requires a "well duh" reply. Sadly it's apparently not as obvious to the general reader that a historian should go to the source when available not a edited copy. You read, hear and smell (don't ask for an example) for yourself; you don't have another do it for you. If historians are using Kutler's version as a primary source then their book should be about Kutler, if not they're being lazy.
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