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    "title": "Meier, Norman C.",
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        "Pre-Presidential Papers of Richard M. Nixon",
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    "ocrText": "July 5, 1961\nDear Professor Meier:\nThis is just a note to thank you\nfor sending me your early statement on\nEncl. Sheaf of Correspondence\nMeier, Prof. Norman C.\nexpert policy formation and some of your\npersonal correspondence regarding this\nprovocative idea. I am returning the cor-\nrespondence, as you requested - I know\nhow often such pieces of paper go astray,\neven in the best-kept of files.\nYou are right: your proposal will'\ntake some careful studying, and then much\nreflection. And that is what I intend to give\nit just as soon as my schedule permits. I\nwant to ask your indulgence, therefore, and\nassure you that I shall be in touch with you\nagain in the very near future.\nX - X copy\nFolder\nWith every good wish,\nSincerely,\non\nProfessor Norman C. Meier\nProfessor of Psychology\nCML:bp\nState University of Iowa\nIowa City, Iowa\nLgg\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nSTATE\nUNIVERSITY OF IOWA\nIOWA CITY, IOWA\nDepartment of Psychology\nJune 29, 1961\nMr. Richard M. Nixon\nP. O. Box 6539\nLos Angeles 55\nDear Mr. Nixon:\nWith reference to your letter of June 15, 1961\nin which you expressed interest in learning more about\nthe procedure for marshalling, processing, and evaluating\nexpert opinion toward policy clarification, I am pleased\nto forward you an early statement entitled \"A Plan for the\nObjective Study\nI am also enclosing some carbons from my files\nof 1952 correspondence with Sherman Adams, Arthur Summer-\nfield and the late Senator Vandenberg. I direct your at-\ntention to the last paragraph of the Vandenberg letter,\nin which reference is made to two publications (not mine)\nin which the plan is outlined or commented on. George\nGalloway was Executive Director of the Joint Committee\non the Organization of the Congress (LaFollete-Monroney\nCommittee).\nIt is regretted that I do not have at hand a\ncopy of the final plan as set up for the complete proced-\nure, which specifies how the experts are identified, rated,\nselected; how the issue in the form of a general statement\nwith propositions formulated for the experts' reactions,\nand how these reactions are analyzed, with a tentative consensus\nderived which is then resubmitted for more study and subse-\nquent reactions; this procedure continues until there is derived\nan impasses in further progress or a general consensus attained.\nAt the conclusion of the series of re-submissions, in which\nany expert can contribute critical thought, enlisting com-\npetitive and creative thinking of a high order, it is expected\nthat the end-product will in most cases be the best distilla-\ntion of the best wisdom the democracy can at the time produce.\nThe experts are themselves rated for competence, bias, and\ncogency of their respective contributions.\nThis may all sound quite involved, even formidable,\nbut it was considered feasible by the dozen or so prominent\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nBureau of Audience Research\nDept of Psychology\nTHE STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 1 SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM 1 IOWA CITY\nR. M. Nixon ---- 2\npersons who gave me opportunity to review with them all\nfacets of the procedure.\nPerhaps going through this would demand too much\nof your time but you are welcome to it as you may find some\nspare intervals when you can. You need not return the\nmimeo statement, but at your convenience I would appreciate\nbut keep it as long/\nat some time the retirn to my files of the correspondence.\nis you like\nShould any question arise that I might attempt to answer\nplease drop me a line.\nWith highest regards and best wishes,\nSincerely yours\nNorman Meire Norman C. Meier\nProfessor of Psychology\nP. S. The new state chairman for Iowa, George Nagle, is a\nclose and long-time friend of mine. It was he who suggested\nI write you when you were to be in Des Moines recently.\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nJune 15, 1961\nDear Professor Meier:\nYour letter of May 2 addressed to Des Moines\nhas only just caught up with me, and I want you to know how\ngrateful I am for your continued interest in our Party's\nMeier, Prof. Norman C.\naffairs and prospects.\nsuppose there would be\nAs a Republican partisan, I must confess to a\nbit of satisfaction over the early showing of the Kennedy\nindulge\nAdministration after its brave promises of \"instant\"\npolicy-making the but distressed as an American, I am appalled and,\nfrankly, greatly frightened. So inviting a partisan\ntarget is, itseems to me, a luxury we can ill-afford.\nI am most interested in the study you mention --\nyour collaborative work with Justice Rutledge on the\ndecision-making process -- and I wonder if you can lete\nme know more about it. Is there a book or article I might\n- X copy\nX - Scholar\nFolder\nrefer to? Or do you perhaps have some personal manu-\nscripts you might lend me? I will be in yourdebt for any\nfurther information.\nAt some not too distant time, perhaps we will\nindeed find ourselves in the same place with a few free\nmoments to spend together. I will look forward to it.\nWith every good wish,\nSincerely,\nDn\nProfessor Norman C. Meier\nProfessor of Psychology\nState University of Iowa\nCML:bp plus plus RN Change RN\nIowa City, Iowa\n11\nNo\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nRICHARD NIXON\nJune 15, 1961\nDear Professor Meier:\nYour letter of May 2 addressed to Des Moines\nhas only just caught up with me, and I want you to know how\ngrateful I am for your continued interest in our Party's\naffairs and prospects.\nsuppose there would be\nnatural\nAs a Republican partisan, I must confess to a\nto\nbit of satisfaction over the early showing of the Kennedy\nAdministration after its brave promises of \"instant\"\nfor\nEndulge\npolicy-making -- but as an American, I am appalled and,\na\nfrankly, somewhat distressed frightened. So inviting a partisan\nin\ntarget is, it seems to me, a luxury we can ill-afford.\nI am most interested in the study you mention --\nyour collaborative work with Justice Rutledge on the\ndecision-making process -- and I wonder if you can let\nme know more about it. Is there a book or article I might\nrefer to? Or do you perhaps have some personal manu-\nscripts you might lend me ? I will be in your debt for any\nfurther information.\nAt some not too distant time, perhaps we will\nindeed find ourselves in the same place with a few free\nmoments to spend together. I will look forward to it.\nWith every good wish,\nSincerely,\nProfessor Norman C. Meier\nProfessor of Psychology\nState University of Iowa\nIowa City, Iowa\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nSTATE\nUNIVERSITY OF IOWA\nIOWA CITY, IOWA\nDepartment of Psychology\nMay 2nd 1961\nHon. Richard M. Nixon\nChick\nSavery Hotel\nDes Moines\nDear Dick:\nI am the person whose Letter to the Editor in\nthe Des Moines Register taking issue with Walter Lippman in\nregard to his commendation of Kennedy as man of action who\nwould make quick decisions, reached your attention during the\nlatter part of October.\nWe now see how right my misgivings were.\nShortly after the election you invited me as one\nof the Scholars for Nixon group to write you with suggestions.\nHad I written then I would have said that nothing appeared to\nme to be immediately in order: that in our Democracy we expect\nthe declared winner to show what he can or cannot do, and it was\nmy personal feeling that there was nothing to be done but ob-\nserve. In time, I felt, the frenetic activity of Bobby and\nJack would run its course. Perhaps the public will in no\ndistant time become satiated with the day-by day, moment-by-\nmoment doings of the Kennedy clan and in 1964 will turn to a\nRepublican leadership.\nEven though Mr. K. has now become aware of the\ninadequacy of his do-it-yourself decision-making (as perhaps\nLippman is also) his understanding of good decision-making\nprocedures are, I fear, such as to leave much to be desired.\nIn writing the National Committee earlier in the\ncampaign, I suggested that some day it may wont to consider\nthe procedure of polocy formulation preparatory to decision-\nmaking which I formulated in collaboration with the late U.S.\nJustice Wiley B. Rutledge when he was Law Dean here in 1938.\nSince my early training in social science at the University\nof Chicago followed by teaching and research here (also at\nBerkeley, Oregon, etc.) I have been able to acquire a perspective\nbased on the development of public opinion and attitude measurement,\nvoter motivation, appeals, and other aspects of political psychology,\nwhich has been deependd by close association with George Gallup\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nBureau of Audience Research\nTHE STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 1 SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM , IOWA CITY\nRichard Nixon--2\nsince he was a student here.\nShould there be interest at any time, I would be\nbold enough to suggest that if the procedure referred to--\nof policy clarification procedure through appraisal of\nviews of informed persons-be considered, I would be most\nconfident that the Republican Party would or could profit\ngreatly from use of it. This procedure was seriously\nconsidered for use by the Congress (Joint Committee on\nthe Organization of Congress--LaFollette, Monroney)\nbut not accepted by the narrow margin of belief that\nit might conceivably be partisan in its operation,\ndespite the assurance of Luther Evans (then Librarian\nof Congress) that the requisite objectivity would be\nfound in some persons.\nWith highest regards and best wishes\nSincerely yours\nNorman Cmeier Norman C. Meier\nProfessor of Psychology\nP.S. I regret that my presence in Chicago Friday and\nmost of Saturday prevents my attendance at the Des Moines\nmeeting. I did hear you at the 1952 one; I was in\nParis at the time of the 1956 campaign.\nwas % are me has an Des stant jur Main in our\nwith your - your and carnime come\nParty's\nas absaire for requestion are in is its the nut brave early but punin -\n2:9\nn\npur has paper - der\nKnung\nthe\nIs\n\\\n&\nà\npull\nthe\n}\n-\nsen\nst\nat\ni\n-\nthem\nand\nis\nan\n1\narticly\nof\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum"
}