“Even in the best of lives, mistakes are made,” said an abject Ellis. It turned out that while the eminent historian had served in the Army, he’d spent his war years not in the jungles of Southeast Asia, but teaching history at West Point. He’d also overstated his role in the antiwar movement and even his high-school athletic record. His admission shocked colleagues, fellow historians and students who wondered why someone so accomplished would embellish his past. But it seems that success and truthfulness don’t always go hand in hand. Even among the loftiest overachievers, security experts say, one in 10 is faking it–indulging in everything from braggadocio to more serious offenses such as plagiarism, fictionalizing military records, faking academic credentials or worse. And, oddly, prominent people who embroider the past often do so once they’re famous, says Ernest Brod of Kroll Associates, which has conducted thousands of background checks. Says Brod: “It’s not like they use these lies to climb the ladder.”

Among the Great Pretenders: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who falsely claimed credit for a front-page scoop at The Harvard Crimson; Ronald Reagan, who repeatedly claimed to have witnessed the liberation of German concentration camps, and Supreme Court nominee Douglas Ginsburg, who exaggerated his litigation experience on behalf of the Justice Department. In 1997 millionaire ambassador Larry Lawrence was disinterred from Arlington National Cemetery after it became clear he’d lied about serving in the Merchant Marine. Al Gore falsely claimed that he and his wife were the model for the hot romance in the best-selling 1970s novel “Love Story.” And in 1999 Toronto Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson was fired after it surfaced that his oft-told tales of combat in Vietnam were false. What makes them do it? Psychologists say some people succeed, at least in part, because they are uniquely attuned to the expectations of others. And no matter how celebrated, those people can be haunted by a sense of their own shortcomings. “From outside, these people look anything but fragile,” says Dennis Shulman, a New York psychoanalyst. “But inside, they feel hollow, empty.”

For many men, wartime experiences become a yardstick by which they are measured. “War represents a fierce test of a man’s mettle,” says William Pollack, a professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. “As Vietnam history is rewritten, the side you took has become a defining moment.”

For his part, Ellis is dropping one of his courses next year, and Holyoke administrators are investigating Ellis’s fabrications. While some scholars say he should resign, students are divided. “He’s a wonderful professor. These revelations don’t change that,” says recent grad Brooke Thomson. But others, like junior Jessica Giusti, say that since Holyoke students must adhere to an honor code, professors should, too. Painful disclosures for one and a painful lesson for many.

THE GREAT PRETENDERSEVEN THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED CAN SUCCUMB TO THE TEMPTATION TO FAKE IT. A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES

FDR For years, the colorful 32d president claimed credit for a front-page scoop at The Harvard Crimson–a story he was later forced to admit was written by another student.

Douglas Ginsburg The Supreme Court nominee said he’d taken 34 cases to court for the Justice Department, exaggerating by 33.

Larry Lawrence The ambassador to Switzerland said he had served in the Merchant Marine during WWII. In fact, he attended junior college during the war.

Tim Johnson The Blue Jays manager motivated his players with tales of his combat experiences in Vietnam. During the war, Johnson played ball and was stationed in California as part of the Reserves.

CORRECTION

In our July 2 story “Improving on History,” we mistakenly reported that Douglas Ginsburg, nominated by Ronald Reagan to the Supreme Court in 1987, had exaggerated his courtroom experience. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.