Petition demands review of errors in The Black Book of Communism

When MIM reviewed The Black Book of Communism last year,(1) we found that besides the expected ideological and methodological differences it contained numerous boneheaded mathematical errors that over-estimated death rates in communist-led countries by at least a factor of ten. We won a small victory after we sent a letter to the book's publisher, Harvard University Press, asking for a public correction of these errors as a matter of academic integrity and intellectual honesty. Editor Mark Kramer conceded that the death rates were erroneously multiplied by ten.(2)

However, numerous other errors of a factual nature persist. For example, the authors underestimate the current imprisonment rate in the United $tates when comparing it to China's. One chapter also makes the sweeping claim that land reform was carried out in Taiwan, south Korea, and Japan without loss of life and adequate compensation. This claim is horribly misinformed and contradicts numerous academic accounts without reference.(2,3)

MIM still demands that Harvard University Press print an erratum to the first edition. We recently gathered over three dozen signatures on a petition demanding that an academic committee be appointed to review these errors (see letter below). We seek tenured faculty, student organizations and others to sign on to this call. For more information, contact mim3@mim.org.

April 3, 2002

Dear Harvard University Press and Mark Kramer:

We have not heard from you in a while about the "Black Book of Communism." Through the regular mail we are sending you 35 signatures on a petition concerning that book asking you to appoint an academic committee to review it. Another three people wrote us by email to be included on the petition. Also, in casual review, we would point out another error: on page 492 you say Anhui is in north-central China. Actually, it should be counted as southeastern China.

Sincerely, The Maoist Internationalist Movement

Notes:

  1. http://www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/bookstore/commie.html
  2. MIM Notes 230, 15 Mar 2001.
  3. MIM Notes 229, 1 Mar 2001.

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