Given that ELIZA doesn't really work outside its supposed social setup, which makes some of its behavior acceptable and/or intelligible, it would be hard to bel

Given that ELIZA doesn't really work outside its supposed social setup, which makes some of its behavior acceptable and/or intelligible, it would be hard to believe that anyone would have been actually fooled by this. (Still, the performance of ELIZA in the bounds of its intended setup is remarkable, especially for its small rule set. But there is little doubt that this is insufficient for a sustained free conversation.) – Let's call it a "parasitic win". ;-)