Letter from Dean Acheson to George Perkins

COPY OF HANDWRITTEN LETTER September 16, 1953. S. Dear George: Parkins U.S AND In July, at Oppenheimer's request I began an experiment at the Institute of Advanced Study at Prince- ton. The idea was to get down through the method of a seminar, composed partly of colleagues of mine and partly of academic people, my chief impressions and conclusions before memory faded. Oppie believes the results so far are useful. We have dealt with, aside from some general ideas and personal notations, the negotiation of NAT, the formation of the Bonn Government, the CFM of 1949 and lifting of the Berlin blockade. On Sat. afternoon Oct 10 & Sunday morning Oct 11, we begin on matters which you dealt with. I am enclosing a rough outline which may take more than these two meetings. We should greatly hope that you will join us. We hope to have there - Oppie, Mac Bundy, Herbert Feis, Profs. Graham and Sprout of Princeton, Ed Earl (if well enough) of the School for Adv. Study, Averell, Rusk, Jessup, Fisher, Nitze, Barrett, Joe Johnson. Our plan of procedure is for me to tell a portion of the story as I recall it with interruptions for correction and clarity. Then to have the participants tell what happened from their angle and to bring out the significant aspects, review decisions and possible alternatives, and draw any con- clusions possible. The idea is not to write history but to aid those who may some day 20 so. We would like very much to have you. You could attend any or all meetings which interested you. I will soon have a revised outline of future topics. The plan is to meet the second Saturday afternoon and evening and the next Sunday morning of each month through May. In Nov. (because of the Yale-Princeton game, we propose to meet on Thurs. afternoon Nov. 12 and riday morning Nov. 13. The Institute pays our traveling expenses and puts us up at the Princeton Inn. Such is the story. Please join us if you can and brush up your memory At any rate it is a pleasant company. My love to Linn and my respects to your Mother. I shall hope to see you. With warmest regards. /s/ Dean