▁its ▁detection ▁was ▁published ▁a ▁few ▁months ▁after ▁the ▁story ▁first ▁appeared . ▁ ▁Canadian ▁Histor ian ▁Bernard ▁Whe at ley ▁referred ▁to ▁As im ov ' s ▁story ▁at ▁a ▁conference , ▁saying : ▁" As im ov ' s ▁story ▁assumes ▁that ▁the ▁government ▁could ▁keep ▁up ▁for ▁several ▁dec ades ▁the ▁ho ax ▁that ▁it ▁has ▁a ▁machine ▁capable ▁of ▁view ing ▁the ▁distant ▁past , ▁without ▁ever ▁producing ▁a ▁single ▁such ▁photo . ▁That ▁is ▁not ▁possible — histor ians ▁would ▁have ▁sm elled ▁a ▁rat ▁long ▁before ! ▁Med ieval ists , ▁Classic ists , ▁exper ts ▁on ▁each ▁and ▁every ▁period ▁of ▁history , ▁would ▁have ▁cl am ored ▁very ▁loud ly ▁for ▁a ▁photo , ▁any ▁genu ine ▁photo , ▁of ▁their ▁period . ▁How ▁much ▁we ▁could ▁have ▁learned ▁from ▁such ▁a ▁photo , ▁even ▁if ▁it ▁was ▁just ▁of ▁daily ▁life ▁on ▁an ▁ordinary ▁day ▁when ▁nothing ▁special ▁happened ! ▁There ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁no ▁possibility ▁for ▁the ▁government ▁to ▁fake ▁a ▁photo — the ▁best ▁exper ts ▁on ▁the ▁period ▁in ▁question ▁would ▁have ▁looked ▁min utely ▁at ▁the ▁smallest ▁detail . ▁No ▁fake ▁could ▁surv ive ▁such ▁scr ut iny . ▁And ▁if ▁the ▁government ▁pers isted ▁in ▁producing ▁no ▁photos , ▁the ▁histor ians ▁would ▁have ▁soon ▁enough ▁concluded ▁that ▁there ▁just ▁were ▁no ▁photos . ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁▁ ▁" E ▁for ▁E ff ort ", ▁a ▁ 1 9 4 7 ▁nov ella ▁by ▁T . ▁L . ▁Sher