ABSTRACT
Most political leaders have considerable powers and resources to target unruly historians discreetly and indirectly through legal means and through the state apparatus. Another tool is the memory law, the definition of which can be adapted (and narrowed) for present purposes as a law that prescribes or prohibits certain views of deceased political leaders -often those leaders considered as founders, heroes, or guardians of the nation. When the courts and the state apparatus react promptly, public attacks from political leaders against historians are unnecessary. Another area of considerable concern was the conduct of political leaders earlier in their career, as instances from France, Austria, and Namibia demonstrate. Political leaders who target historians for their allegedly dissident or defamatory views do not really need the tool of the public attack. In general, it is plausible to assume that the high visibility of clashes between political leaders and historians drastically increased people's curiosity for the latter's opinions.
