I will never forget that telephone call to Hugh Trevor-Roper.
It was 8am on Saturday 23rd April 1983, almost exactly 40 years ago. The great historian came to the phone at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he was Master.
‘I'm sorry to call you at this hour, Lord Dacre,’ I said, ‘but we've been working on these Hitler Diaries, and we find them a bit, er, troubling. I wondered if you could give me your personal assurance that they are genuine.’
There was the briefest of pauses. Then he said, ‘Oh yes, I'm 100-per-cent certain … well, let's say 99 per cent.’
Perhaps I should have questioned that 99 per cent. But here I was, talking to. What's more, he had actually the diaries – unlike me. I turned to my colleague, Paul Eddy, and said, ‘Well, that's a relief.’
