Arneson put R into RPGs (Cracked.com article)

[Havard]

Both men deserve credit for D&D. Dave Arneson for the innovate ideas and Gary Gygax for reorganizing Dave Arneson's material in a way that someone else could use to run or play the game. Gary Gygax even gave Dave Arneson credit in his interviews before 1976. I think greed, fame and poorly understood contracts got in the way of allowing appropriate recognition...

I agree. Consider Gygax' description of Dave in the introduction of Supplement II: Blackmoor

Although [Dave Arneson] is a man of many talents who has authored many historic rules sets and games (which TSR will be publishing periodically), Dave is also the innovator of the "dungeon adventure" concept, creator of ghastly monsters, and inscrutable dungeonmaster par excellence. He devises complex combat systems, inexplicable dungeon and wilderness areas, and traps of the most subtle fiendishness. Herein you will get a taste of these, but he never reveals all. This writer always looks forward with great anticipation to an adventure in the "BLACKMOOR" campaign, for despite the fact that I co-authored the original work with Dave, and have spent hundreds of hours creating and playing DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, it is always a fresh challenge to enter his "world". I can not recommend him more highly than simply saying that I would rather play in his campaign than any other — that other dungeonmasters who emulate Dave Arneson will indeed improve their games.

(underline emphasis, mine)
Bad blood lead to people at TSR to trying to discredit Dave. Fans later caught onto this and made old conflicts their own. Although most people have now put such foolishness behind them, I still see even serious researchers underestimating Dave's role. OTOH, giving Dave the credit he deserves should not in any way be seen as an attempt to discredit Gygax, which is my only issue with the article quoted in the first post.

Although we have not yet reached the point where the truth is fully accepted, at least we have come quite a way compared to just a decade ago.

-Havard