The problem with pure research and study is that if you do not also fight for the true interpretation of history and condeam these political agendas your "pure research and study" becomes useless, because those with agendas will have rewritten their own revisionist history to fit their needs, and you will lose the lessons of history, and be doomed to repeat them.
Historians can not stand silently by and hide themselves in their books and papers. We have already lost this fight in our Schools and Colleges who presently do not teach a true history. Places like this board are some of the last battlegrounds.
If you are charged with knowing the truth, then, in my opinion, you are responcible for protecting that truth. Yes, the fight for a correct interpretation of history is political and dirty and full of pitfalls and thornes and all the others dangers. Is that any reason not to fight the fight, not to discuss the problems? Would our Grandfathers have shirked their duty because the enemy were behind strong defences?
I base my reaction to all of this by asking myself a simple question, 'What would my Grandfathers do?' Would they be opposed to the payment of reperations or would they have supported them? What do you think they would say?
Your answer to that question can answer whether reparation are a legitimate subject of discussion, or not.