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THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
18 May 1953
$
TRUMAN
ARCHIVESAND
U.S.
SERVICE"
LIBRARY
Dear Dean:
GOVERNMENT
Thank you for your note of May 11th and for the copy of your letter
to Mac. Mac has now sent me a copy of his answer to you. I have, not con-
flicting, but other, comments to make. Here they are:
First: to your alternatives between the chronological and systematic
approach on one hand and the episodic and less formal on the other, you were
right in thinking that my preferences would be for the latter; but I do not
think episodic or chronological is the right characterization of what I had
in mind, or what would most appeal to you. I think the word should be "thematic."
I believe that this will avoid the very real danger of giving a partial and
undocumented account of the history that you have lived and made. I am sure
that the danger is great. I think it should also help to give structure and
order to your recollections. Thus, it seems to me, not, perhaps, as a good
example, but as a possibility, you might wish to talk of incidents which threw
light on the relationship between the military departments on the one hand and
the other agencies, particularly the Department of State, on the other. No
such talk could possibly be exhaustive; but it can give a depth and vividness
and a sense of reality to the subject because you have lived with it as few
others have. Analogous examples come easily to my mind, but surely as easily
and far more relevantly to yours.
This brings me perhaps to my second point: I tried when I saw you at Sandy
Spring not to make this undertaking appear too formidable; but it would be futile
and perhaps a little wicked of me to suggest that it can be done without some
reflection and some effort on your part. I have tried to find a form in which
that effort would not be complicated by preoccupations of security, of discretion
and of expediency; but the effort of formulation and understanding is, I am
afraid, an integral part of any attempt to communicate even to an intimate and
a qualified audience. I am sure that many of those of whom we spoke as possible
auditors will be eager and often qualified to help you; but they can only help.
The third point perhaps is this: in thinking over our talk it seemed to
me that the number of people in the group that I first suggested--ten or twelve-
may be a little too small--even the list we wrote down suggests that. If we
agree that we need not reach all others and cannot reach all others who are con-
cerned with the understanding of public affairs, or teach about them or help
explain them, we ought to do a reasonably good job within the limits that we do
have. I have thus found myself thinking of a group of fifteen or twenty people;
that image may be helpful to you in finding your own way.
There is still another point. I suppose because it began that way during
our talk the time at the farm you will have been asking yourself whether this
Mr. Dean Acheson
-2-
18 May 1953
undertaking is primarily for your own sake, or for the sake of those who
will meet with you. Unless it is for the sake of those who will meet with
you, it cannot in any real sense be helpful to you. I am convinced that it
would be, and that it would make a profound change in the way in which those
who came to talk with you and to listen think about the realities of public
affairs and international relations. Because I am sure of this, I am confi-
dent that for you, too, it will be a rewarding, even if not effortless,
undertaking.
As one final point: I have myself no clear preference as to whether
there should be a recording or a written record prepared by members of the
group. If you would have no anxieties about the existence of a record, if its
existence were in no way to inhibit you in freedom and candor, then it would
surely be good. But like all the other judgments, this must be one which only
you can make.
It does seem to me that Mac's suggestion of a talk with a few of your
friends could be a helpful way of seeing whether these notions have substance and
value, or whether they will be dissipated by criticism. My own confidence can
surely be no substitute for yours, although it will, I hope, keep you from too
easily abandoning the undertaking.
My love to Alice, and my love to you,
Robert
MAREY U.S. ARCHIVES 5. SERVICE" RECORDS NATIONAL TRUMAH MENT AND LIBRARY
GOVERN
Robert Oppenheimer
Mr. Dean Acheson
2805 P Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
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"ocrText": "THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY\nPRINCETON, NEW JERSEY\nOFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR\n18 May 1953\n$\nTRUMAN\nARCHIVESAND\nU.S.\nSERVICE\"\nLIBRARY\nDear Dean:\nGOVERNMENT\nThank you for your note of May 11th and for the copy of your letter\nto Mac. Mac has now sent me a copy of his answer to you. I have, not con-\nflicting, but other, comments to make. Here they are:\nFirst: to your alternatives between the chronological and systematic\napproach on one hand and the episodic and less formal on the other, you were\nright in thinking that my preferences would be for the latter; but I do not\nthink episodic or chronological is the right characterization of what I had\nin mind, or what would most appeal to you. I think the word should be \"thematic.\"\nI believe that this will avoid the very real danger of giving a partial and\nundocumented account of the history that you have lived and made. I am sure\nthat the danger is great. I think it should also help to give structure and\norder to your recollections. Thus, it seems to me, not, perhaps, as a good\nexample, but as a possibility, you might wish to talk of incidents which threw\nlight on the relationship between the military departments on the one hand and\nthe other agencies, particularly the Department of State, on the other. No\nsuch talk could possibly be exhaustive; but it can give a depth and vividness\nand a sense of reality to the subject because you have lived with it as few\nothers have. Analogous examples come easily to my mind, but surely as easily\nand far more relevantly to yours.\nThis brings me perhaps to my second point: I tried when I saw you at Sandy\nSpring not to make this undertaking appear too formidable; but it would be futile\nand perhaps a little wicked of me to suggest that it can be done without some\nreflection and some effort on your part. I have tried to find a form in which\nthat effort would not be complicated by preoccupations of security, of discretion\nand of expediency; but the effort of formulation and understanding is, I am\nafraid, an integral part of any attempt to communicate even to an intimate and\na qualified audience. I am sure that many of those of whom we spoke as possible\nauditors will be eager and often qualified to help you; but they can only help.\nThe third point perhaps is this: in thinking over our talk it seemed to\nme that the number of people in the group that I first suggested--ten or twelve-\nmay be a little too small--even the list we wrote down suggests that. If we\nagree that we need not reach all others and cannot reach all others who are con-\ncerned with the understanding of public affairs, or teach about them or help\nexplain them, we ought to do a reasonably good job within the limits that we do\nhave. I have thus found myself thinking of a group of fifteen or twenty people;\nthat image may be helpful to you in finding your own way.\nThere is still another point. I suppose because it began that way during\nour talk the time at the farm you will have been asking yourself whether this\nMr. Dean Acheson\n-2-\n18 May 1953\nundertaking is primarily for your own sake, or for the sake of those who\nwill meet with you. Unless it is for the sake of those who will meet with\nyou, it cannot in any real sense be helpful to you. I am convinced that it\nwould be, and that it would make a profound change in the way in which those\nwho came to talk with you and to listen think about the realities of public\naffairs and international relations. Because I am sure of this, I am confi-\ndent that for you, too, it will be a rewarding, even if not effortless,\nundertaking.\nAs one final point: I have myself no clear preference as to whether\nthere should be a recording or a written record prepared by members of the\ngroup. If you would have no anxieties about the existence of a record, if its\nexistence were in no way to inhibit you in freedom and candor, then it would\nsurely be good. But like all the other judgments, this must be one which only\nyou can make.\nIt does seem to me that Mac's suggestion of a talk with a few of your\nfriends could be a helpful way of seeing whether these notions have substance and\nvalue, or whether they will be dissipated by criticism. My own confidence can\nsurely be no substitute for yours, although it will, I hope, keep you from too\neasily abandoning the undertaking.\nMy love to Alice, and my love to you,\nRobert\nMAREY U.S. ARCHIVES 5. SERVICE\" RECORDS NATIONAL TRUMAH MENT AND LIBRARY\nGOVERN\nRobert Oppenheimer\nMr. Dean Acheson\n2805 P Street, N. W.\nWashington, D. C."
}