Calling Bullshit Bullshit

[KENNETH HOUGHTON]

     I dunno, John.  The Esteemed and Diligent reference librarian has 
     discovered that the author of _The Godfather_ (whose veracity has been 
     worse than dubious before) has claimed (this week's version) that he 
     wrote the book from 1964 to 1968.  And has used this to cast 
     aspersions--all, of course, in the name of research.
     
     He hasn't checked with either of the sources Jules suggested--clearly, 
     doing real research is less important than being anecdotal--yet he 
     declares nobly his "finding."
     
     Looking, however, at the original statements, the Noble Finding is 
     rather weak as a refutation.  To wit:
     
     BEGIN QUOTE
     
     In 1964 or 65 I gave Mario a book called The Honored Society by Norman 
     Lewis and some excerpts from Congressional hearings that I came across 
     while I was free-lancing for North American Newspaper Alliance. I 
     suggested he write an adventure story on the Mafia.
     
     Mario used these as the inspiration for a completely made-up adventure 
     story presented as fact about the Mafia in Sicily. It was a great 
     piece and it went through the ceiling on all the topics in the monthly 
     market research surveys.
     
     At the time, I was living with Nina Watkins, who was a reader in a 
     $230,000 novel contest sponsored by McCall's Magazine, Joe Levine and 
     Putnam. Nina came home and told me that they were unable to find a 
     book that would satisfy all the sponsors. She thought that Mario could 
     come up with something. I told Mario that he should do something on 
     the Mafia. She mentioned this to Saul Braun, the contest editor, and 
     Saul told Mario that they would hold the contest open another year if 
     he felt he could produce a novel.
     
     Mario wrote a 5,000-word outline, which Saul showed to William Targ, 
     then Putnam editor-in-chief. They decided to skip the contest and they 
     commissioned The Godfather. I think they gave him a $5,000 advance and 
     then William Morris sold the screen rights for another $12,000 on the 
     basis of the first 100 pages.
     
     END QUOTE
     
     Mr. G.--who assumes his "source" is telling the truth and really spent 
     four years writing the book--has simply established that "In 1964 or 
     65" should just be "In 1964" (still assuming Puzo's current claim is 
     true).
     
     You're welcome to call what Mr. G. has done "diligent research," but 
     it certainly looks like bullshit. An ineffectual bullshit at that.