LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200120002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 24, 1999
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 15, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

ti MAY 1 51966
Sanitized - Appk>ved For Release : CIA-RDP75-0014
Letters ' ~
to the Editor of The Times
C.I.A. in Academic
To the Editor:
S It is fashionable at the me-
n, ment in some of the very best,
quarters to regard the C.I.A. as
ran untouchable, unclean thing
(with which no self -respecting,
r and ethically pure academic
In- stitution should have . any con
tact: I submit that, on the .
contrary, for these institutions;
?,to refuse C.I.A. research con- ,
tracts is self-defeating nonsense
tthatis disadvantageous both to;
the academic .world and to the
C.I.A.
f If the C.I.A. were to contro
`'the academic curricula or to,
f report on the private lives and;
opinions of the students, or even
'the professors, one can see cer
tain unpleasant and 'harmful
consequences. But if the C.I.A.'
?contracts to have a university
report with complete Independ-.
ence on a question requiring,
research,~ we should welcome
and encourage, not deny, the
'C.I.A.'s access to the source of
objective information.
GUse of Experts
~..'
We should 1Skewise welcome,
tj .rather than discourage, the op-;
kporturilty offered to universities'
of applying to serious public
lquestions - which presumably
the C.LA. staff cannot answer
i--the specialized talents of their
available experts. In most aca-
demic areas experts become ex-
:! ? perts by working in their fields
'>with, real life problems; they,
rarely become experts solely'
through study and reflection.
Indeed, we have only to read
,,the headlines-whether they in-'
!;Voive automotive safety or for-.
reign affairs-to realize that
!often only the practical result
C,will tell us. which Is the duffer,
sand which the expert.
What we need is more, not,
fewer, tests of academic theory,1
%And the C.I.A. (or any others
source ) does the universities a i
service-as well as vice versa-r,
An arranging for, research ors;
ALn1EU X. DAVI1 ON
~iCw.sf.i,',~ a;w~ParisiXay,20, 4961:.
Sanitized - Approved' For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200120002-8
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