Tismăneanu replied to some of Gallagher's accusations in a manner described by "Cotidianul"'s Cristian Pătrășconiu as "discreet". In an interview with "Jurnalul Național", arguing that "Marele șoc" largely reflected Iliescu's own beliefs, which he had wanted to render accurately, and stating that "all I could do was to obtain the maximum of what can be obtained through dialog with name="tismgalla1"> Monica Iordache, [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/70146/a%E2%82%AC%C5%BEnu-cred-ca-gasim-in-aceasta-carte-adevarul "Nu cred că găsim în această carte adevărul" , in "Jurnalul Naţional", April 16, 2004</ref> He depicted Gallagher's attitude as "an outbreak of resentments", and indicated that "the only praise I could offer was in regard to the latter's respect for pluralism in front of authoritarianism. In later statements on the issue, he argued that Gallagher concerns about a supposed change in political views had been unfounded, while expressing regret over the fact that "I had not highlighted ... in those sections I authored, certain elements that would have made it clear for the reader where I stand". Elsewhere, he responded to claims made about his contacts with Becali by admitting that the visit was inappropriate. Cristian Vasile, who notes that concerns similar to those of Gallagher were expressed by historian Șerban Papacostea and by himself, argues that Tismăneanu effectively dissuaded fears of a "moral resignation" by not accepting any form of "privilege or public post" from the political sides he was alleged to favor.