The Nature of these Web Pages

Please note that just because something appears in these web pages doesn't mean it is or is not true. There is a lot of speculation in these web pages. Where possible, I try to present both sides of any controversial issue. Except in occasional interjections such as this one, I prefer to present topics in the original words of those who have posted messages about them.

Everyone please remember that history is largely a matter of opinion. I do try to select texts that are coherent and make sense, but that does not mean that they are necessarily true. Where there is some clear consensus that I can detect as to the historical facts, I do try to present that consensus. But remember, I am just a scribe; I do not claim to be a historian, and I am certainly not an expert in all (if any) of the topic areas covered in these web pages. Some of the people quoted in these web pages are experts in their subject areas; some of them are the foremost such experts in the world. But even they can have differences of opinion.

For that matter, many of these texts are questions, not assertions. Even the texts that are not phrased as questions often have value in being treated as questions. Sometimes this method results in significant new research that changes some people's opinions, as in the Argyll page.

That said, I strongly urge everyone to cite their sources, and I include sources wherever possible.

—jsq