Sentence:  His denials of extensive reading notwithstanding , it is no doubt safe to <WSD>assume</WSD> that he has spent time schooling himself in Southern history and that he has gained some acquaintance with the chief literary authors who have lived in the South or have written about the South . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof