Jan Velterop exchange

From: Richard Poynder <aotg20_at_dsl.pipex.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 06:37:24 -0000

 FYI this is how Jan responded to my enquires. It remains an unsubstantiated
claim but it fits with what publishers have said to me about Vitek's
behind-the-scenes activities, and with what Vitek himself told me about his
role in the creation of PubMed Central. Given Jan's sensitivities over your
recent interchange with him (and his apparent remorse at having released the
information only because you "provoked" him) it may perhaps be better to
assume he would not want me to share this conversation with you. (Better to
avoid a flame war?) Anyway, well done for flushing it out!

-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Velterop [mailto:velterop_at_biomedcentral.com]
Sent: 13 December 2004 13:56
To: 'Richard Poynder'
Subject: RE: The Green and Gold Roads to Open Access

Well, we don't shout about it too much, but Harnad sort of provoked me by
what I saw as an allegation that questioning him on his logic was coming
dangerously close to undermining OA. The context is that he questioned the
honesty of our motives to go into OA at the Cologne Summit last week. Maybe
knowing that makes our spat easier to understand. I shouldn't allow
provocation to make me respond, of course.

Best,

Jan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Poynder [mailto:aotg20_at_dsl.pipex.com]
> Sent: 13 December 2004 13:43
> To: 'Jan Velterop'
> Subject: RE: The Green and Gold Roads to Open Access
>
>
> Thanks Jan. History still being written I guess!
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jan Velterop [mailto:velterop_at_biomedcentral.com]
> > Sent: 13 December 2004 13:39
> > To: 'Richard Poynder'
> > Subject: RE: The Green and Gold Roads to Open Access
> >
> > Hi Richard,
> >
> > Very simple, it was us who first approached Ian Gibson with the
> > question whether OA was worth looking into for politicians. We first
> > had a lunch with him, then we organised a dinner, endorsed by
> > Gibson, with a few more people, such as David King and some other
> > scientific 'mandarins' in the HoC, and the rest is history, as they
> > say.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Jan
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Richard Poynder [mailto:aotg20_at_dsl.pipex.com]
> > > Sent: 13 December 2004 13:20
> > > To: velterop_at_biomedcentral.com
> > > Subject: FW: The Green and Gold Roads to Open Access
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi Jan,
> > >
> > > I'm very interested in this statement below. Can you
> > clarify what you
> > > mean when you say that BMC "instigated the political
> > discussion in the
> > > UK Parliament, et cetera."
> > >
> > > Best wishes,
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Richard Poynder
Received on Sat Dec 18 2004 - 06:37:24 GMT