General Introduction

...large. This confidential character of the book—confirmed, if proof were needed, by its history as a manuscript and by the fact that later writers show no knowledge of it⁴⁶—enhances its value. It is not a biased document of propaganda, fabricated The original uses the phrase "fudged up," meaning clumsily manufactured or adjusted to present a specific narrative. to impress domestic or foreign audiences. Much of it is an honest assessment of the political situation of that time, compiled from the very information upon which the government based its day-to-day foreign policy. As such, it is unique.

⁴⁶ See below, p. 32.