The legend of the "Stolen Generation" of Aborigines always seemed a little over the top. It looks like it was actually a lie. Not an accidental "I don't have all the facts" error, but a misrepresentation of the contents of the files in Read's possession.
This sort of thing seems to turn up on a regular basis (Bellesiles was in the news recently, but he's hardly alone). Why would Read lie? Fame? He got fame. His claim was one people were afraid to challenge for fear of being deemed racist, so his reputation wasn't as insecure as it might have seemed. Hatred? He succeeded in "sticking it to the man." Fell in love with a thesis and twisted the evidence to support it? Maybe.
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