George Behe's Credibility
Susan L. Romanyuk
Hi List,
I have been reading all of the *cross-posts* to the various forums concerning
the Dalbeattie website and George Behe. I think that there is another way to
settle this than the personal attacks that are happening now. Mudslinging
never settled anything.
I am sure that the webmaster for the Dalbeattie site has Mr. Murdoch's and the
Titanic communities best interest in mind when the site was developed. What I
did notice is there is absolutely no give on the *Murdoch* side of this
argument. Their opinion is simply *Murdoch would not, nor could not* have ever
committed suicide. A large part of a historian's job is to look at all sides
of an argument. That and always allow for the possibility, in this case it IS
possible (IMHO) that Murdoch did take his own life.
Now on to this *character assassination* of George Behe. Out of all of the
Titanic historians I have met, George Behe has always come across a very
knowledgeable and fair minded. I have read some of his books, and I find that
his conclusions are concise and well researched. I have also found out about
George is if he is wrong, he is the first to admit it. He strives for balance,
tries to remain neutral in discussion and can always produce evidence if the
discussion requires it. Now I am not a published author, I am just someone who
has studied Titanic for over 33 years.
I have read both websites in question. I did not find anything in George's
website that was detrimental to Mr. Murdoch's reputation. All this site does
is bring about the possibility that Murdoch could have taken his life. The
Dalbeattie website is a good site too, but the webmaster does not even allow
for the possibility that Murdoch could have been anything other than *heroic*.
Now I do feel that the portrayal of Murdoch in *that movie* was grossly unfair,
borderlining on a negligent lack of research.
But the possibility has to exist that *someone* committed suicide in those last
terrible moments. And unless some absolute proof is discovered, the likely
candidate for this suicide is William Murdoch.
SusanR.
Newberg, Oregon
Susan R.
Newberg, Oregon
Former US Air Force/SAC........and damn proud of it!
Berg1912Ti
>did notice is there is absolutely no give on the *Murdoch* side of this
>argument. Their opinion is simply *Murdoch would not, nor could not* have
>ever
> A large part of a historian's job is to look at all sides
>of an argument.... (I so agree!!!).Then in speaking of George Behe, you say--
>his conclusions are concise and well researched. I have also found out about
>George is if he is wrong, he is the first to admit it. He strives for
>balance,
>tries to remain neutral in discussion and can always produce evidence if the
>discussion requires it.(All the elements of a great historian!!!!)
Then you say--
>Dalbeattie website is a good site too, but the webmaster does not even allow
>for the possibility that Murdoch could have been anything other than
>*heroic*.
>But the possibility has to exist that *someone* committed suicide in those
>last
>terrible moments. And unless some absolute proof is discovered, the likely
>candidate for this suicide is William Murdoch.
I think your points are fair and worth further discussion!!!
Most Sincerely,
Bruce M. Caplan
Editor of "The Sinking of the Titanic"
Originally by Logan Marshall 1912
www.sinkingtitanic.com
WLambrukos
>website that was detrimental to Mr. Murdoch's reputation. <<
Having nothing but great respect for George, the only item I took exception
with on his web page about Murdoch was in the area of "thoughts" running
through Murdoch's mind that may have led him to commit suicide. I was a little
bothered that George put in there a comment about seeing other icebergs. I've
read George's book, but candidly walked away far from convinced. Even so,
there simply is not evidence enough (IMHO) to warrant putting in this statement
when, in fact, the evidence to date would tend to support there were no
additional sightings. It would be better to err on the side of caution and not
included it when attempting to put forth the possible thoughts of a man who
died 80+ years ago.
Beyond that section, and in particular that comment, I thought George's web
site and rebuttal was well presented and, as has come to be expected from
George, first rate !
Bill
Acolyte of Glorious La Parka
While I'm not going to get into the debate on credibility beyond this,
I wanted to voice my input on the matter. I first became aware of George's
work from his COMMUTATOR piece on the CELTIC class in '84, so I've had some
familiarity with some of his work for 15 years. During that time, I have
always considered him to be a credible historian, and my opinion has not
been changed by this whole debate. As far as this goes, I believe George's
credibility is a non-issue.
Personally, I think we should put this whole silliness behind us.
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>. As far as this goes, I believe George's
>credibility is a non-issue.
>
> Personally, I think we should put this whole silliness behind us.
I heartily agree.
I have only come back after a long trip and haven't had a chance to look into
this as closely as I should (that's what weekends are for) but even after a
cursory look at both sites, it is apparent that George's contentions are only
speculations. Indeed, a case could also be made for Chief Officer Wilde as the
"officer" who killed himself, as has earlier been hashed out on this NG. In
fact, depending on the source, the "officer" could have been almost anyone in
uniform--a purser or a steward.
I'm sorry to add to the bandwidth wasted on this strand, but I just wanted to
put in my nickel supporting George's credibility on this particular subject.
Reg Pitts
KDA...@aol.com