The quote that you mention--the one about being a "friend"--is actually the one to which I was alluding. I needn't elaborate very much to give you an idea of how the NY Times twisted that. But the NY Times book review is notoriously biased, so what can one expect?

What the more moderate revolutionaries found out is proving true for the more reasonable historians: being the voice of reason in the middle of a controversy is often the most dangerous position to take.