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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
∃March 5, 1981 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr.Laurie R. Abramson
␈↓ ↓H␈↓342 East 13th Street
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New York, NY 10003

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Abramson:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thanks␈αfor␈αyour␈αnote␈αof␈αFebruary␈α28.␈α You␈αare␈αright␈αthat␈αmy␈αletter␈αadmits␈αa␈αcomparison␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓genocides, and I'm sorry about that.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Schanberg␈α∞still␈α
doesn't␈α∞make␈α
the␈α∞connection␈α
that␈α∞his␈α
bribery␈α∞helped␈α
in␈α∞some␈α
small␈α∞way␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓convince␈αCambodians␈αnot␈αto␈αtake␈αtheir␈αdefense␈αagainst␈αthe␈αKhmer␈αRouge␈αseriously␈αand␈αtherefore
␈↓ ↓H␈↓helped␈α∞bring␈α
about␈α∞the␈α
situation␈α∞from␈α
which␈α∞he␈α∞helped␈α
rescue␈α∞his␈α
friend.␈α∞ I␈α
suppose␈α∞that␈α∞if␈α
an
␈↓ ↓H␈↓American␈α∂defensive␈α∂war␈α∂against␈α∂a␈α∂communist␈α∂takeover␈α∂were␈α∂involved,␈α∂he␈α∂would␈α∂have␈α∂thought
␈↓ ↓H␈↓harder about the consequences of a communist victory.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α⊂someone␈α⊂said,␈α⊂there␈α⊂is␈α⊂nothing␈α⊂like␈α∂the␈α⊂prospect␈α⊂of␈α⊂being␈α⊂hanged␈α⊂to␈α⊂concentrate␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mind,␈αand␈αthe␈αprospect␈αof␈αbeing␈αhanged␈αoneself␈αconcentrates␈αthe␈αmind␈αbetter␈αthan␈αthe␈αprospect␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓someone else being hanged.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,


␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈αIt␈αwould␈αbe␈αnice␈αto␈αhave␈αMr.␈αSa≡re's␈αthoughts␈αon␈α≡nding␈αa␈αbetter␈αname␈αfor␈αthe␈αstudy␈αof␈αhow
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to make computers behave intelligently.