--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I conduct very few interviews with…" description: "\"I conduct very few interviews with veterans. The contemporaneous, or near-contemporaneous, record for WWII is so spectacularly deep that latter-day rec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/rick-atkinson-7144_account_i-conduct-very-few-interviews-with-veter_3147628.jpg" --- # I conduct very few interviews with veterans. The… ![“I conduct very few interviews with veterans. The contemporaneous, or near-contemporaneous, record for WWII is so spectacularly deep that latter-day recollections are largely unnecessary for a historian. Of course, in considering any account, I'm looking for additional sources that can confirm or…” quote by Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/rick-atkinson-7144_account_i-conduct-very-few-interviews-with-veter_3147628.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/rick-atkinson-7144_account_i-conduct-very-few-interviews-with-veter_3147628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/rick-atkinson-7144_account_i-conduct-very-few-interviews-with-veter_3147628.jpg) > “I conduct very few interviews with veterans. The contemporaneous, or near-contemporaneous, record for WWII is so spectacularly deep that latter-day recollections are largely unnecessary for a historian. Of course, in considering any account, I'm looking for additional sources that can confirm or enlarge that version of events.” [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Primary WWII records are so detailed that later personal recollections add little, though historians still seek corroborating sources. **In simple terms:** WWII docs are comprehensive; interviews are secondary. Key Takeaway Use primary sources first, then verify with other evidence. Themes history research WWII source criticism methodology Mood analytical inquisitive Type academic methodological When to use this quote - archival research - documentary projects - educational curricula Key Concepts primary evidence corroboration historical methodology Questions to Reflect On - How can historians balance official records with personal narratives? - What value do veteran interviews add? A Different Perspective Personal stories can provide unique perspectives absent in records. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/account/) [Additional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/additional/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Conduct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conduct/) [Confirm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confirm/) [Considering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considering/) [Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course/) [Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Few](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/few/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Interviews Veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews-veterans-5636641/) [Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/largely/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Recollections Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recollections-largely-5636642/) [Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record/) [Record Wwii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-wwii-5636640/) [Sources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sources/) [Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary/) [Unnecessary Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary-historian-5636643/) [Version](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/version/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans/) [Veterans Contemporaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans-contemporaneous-5636639/) [Wwii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wwii/) ## Related quotes > [“For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/for-by-this-very-fact-individuals-confirm-the-system-fulfill-the/) [Václav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [“He smiled. 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