A clarification about one of my postings

One of the commenters on my article Some very good articles on Marc Garlasco, the Human Rights Watch member who obsessively collects Nazi memorabilia, questioned the accuracy of the article by NGO Monitor.

Because the person who questioned the accuracy is a friend who I respect I sent an e-mail to the organization asking for clarification.

I have just received their e-mail with the answer which includes some links. The concern about the article was whether Hermann Göring received the Iron Cross in World War I or II. It seems according to the links sent me that he received one during WWI but later in WW II received the Grand Cross version of the Iron Cross. And it was given by Hitler.

The two links are Reddick Militaria and Trial.

I have had so many disagreeing comments on an article that I still feel is very good that I felt this clarification should be a post as well as a comment.

Some very good articles on Marc Garlasco, the Human Rights Watch member who obsessively collects Nazi memorabilia

I have seen two very coherent and reasonable articles about Marc Garlasco, the military analyst for Human Rights Watch, who is on leave from that organization due to his obsessive collecting of Nazi memorabilia.

The first is a three part posting by an “Advisory Committee member with HRW for some 17 years,” Helena Cobban. She was bothered enough by Garlasco’s activities to write about it and defend her feelings against some rather insistent detractors. (Picture of book, The Flak Badges of the Luftwaffe and Heer by Garlasco)

Here is part of her third posting:

“ I do not claim to know what Garlasco's attitude is toward the Nazi-era military memorabilia that he so obsessively collects. He clearly seems to have a collector's zeal, or obsession, and to spend a lot of time pursuing this hobby. 7,734 posts on Wehrmacht Awards since March 2004, and compiling a 450-page guide to one small sub-branch of Nazi-era badges are not the signs of a casual collector. The comment shown above, made on Wehrmacht Awards in 2005, indicates some open-ness, at the very least, to the idea that one could entertain and express fondness for specifically SS memorabilia.

Also, using 'Flak88' seems like a signal of possible pro-Hitler proclivities to others in that part of the collecting world, who would be quite aware that '88' is their insiders' code for Heil Hitler.”

Here are her three statements.

Marc Garlasco's little "hobby"
Garlasco, part 2
Garlasco, part 3

NGO Monitor also has a complete article with many links. (I should state at this point that Helena Cobban and the editors of NGO Monitor are far apart on their views about Middle East issues, while fairly much in agreement on Garlasco’s hobby.) But in reading this as well as the above postings the reader can understand why I will continue to view Garlasco’s collecting as obsessive and focused on ‘Nazi’ memorabilia.

Here is part of that article:

"According to HRW’s response, “Garlasco’s own family’s experience on both sides of the Second World War has led him to collect military items related to both sides . . .” While Garlasco’s interest may have been a result of his family history, his hobby borders on the obsessive and is one-sided. He has posted thousands of comments on Nazi memorabilia sites including German combatawards (981 posts) and Wehrmacht-awards (7735 posts). In one post, he notes that he takes his collection of medals (many of which are swastika-adorned) out on a yearly basis to admire and photograph. He has even gone so far as to say he would “kill” to obtain a piece. HRW claims Garlasco also collects US Airforce memorabilia. Research conducted by NGO Monitor could not find any evidence that Garlasco’s interest in US military memorabilia approaches the level to which he is devoted to Nazi paraphernalia.”

You can read the article here: Expert or Ideologues?: HRW’s Defense of Marc Garlasco’s Nazi Fetish