[Anguirel]

Ah, Aiwendil, you make an incisive point but one that I lack the philosophy to field properly.

I am a flawed and partial reader, and I accept what is most satisfying to me, regardless of veracity of accounts.

It's interesting to ponder, Macalaure, that, had Tolkien, in a hypothetical Letter #38000, clearly said "Without the treachery of Men, Maedhros would have won the Fifth Battle", or the reverse, you might be inclined to accept it; but here in a (fairly solidly) canonical passage you are able to claim that the information can be dismissed as mere Elf focalisation.

So in this case a bit of bleak factual marginalia apparently has more power than a dramatically powerful and moving tragic passage. Peculiar. Some would react by dismissing the letter too, as an author imposing rights of arbitration he does not have. I have sympathy for that view; by allowing his work to be read an author submits its interpretation into the hands of his readers. But it doesn't get us very far, producing an answer of "this might, or might not be the case."

Since I admire the portrayal of Maedhros' Union, therefore, I'm going to accept this information as being valid. Another might prefer to try and dismiss it.

As for the reasons which undermined the Union, and your citing of the Oath and poor innocent Celegorm and Curufin-nonsense! It was all the fault of those dratted love birds Beren and Luthien who thoroughly messed up Nargothrond-Himring-Doriath diplomatic relations...