00100	Dear President Lyman:
00200	
00300		This  is  to  recommend  the  retention  of Bruce Franklin on
00400	grounds of expediency.
00500	
00600		I consider correct the decision of the  Advisory  Board  that
00700	Franklin's actions relieve the University of its obligation to retain
00800	him out of fairness or on the basis  of  the  meaning  of  Stanford's
00900	tenure policy. Therefore, the University has the right to fire him if
01000	this is expedient, but it also has the right to retain him.
01100	
01200		The advantages of firing him are as follows:
01300	
01400		1. He will be unable to use his position carry out acts  like
01500	those  the advisory board has judged harmful to Stanford and contrary
01600	to his obligations as a faculty member.
01700	
01800		2. He will be unable to use a faculty position to  carry  out
01900	acts  the  Administration  judges  harmful but did not include in the
02000	charges either because of lack of evidence or because the act was not
02100	a basis for punishment even if harmful.
02200	
02300		3.   Potential  committers  of  similar  violations  will  be
02400	deterred by the knowledge that retribution is at least possible,  and
02500	those  who  fear  improper behavior such as coercion of various kinds
02600	will have their fears relieved.
02700	
02800		4.  Potential  donors  to  Stanford  offended  by  Franklin's
02900	presence will no longer be offended.
03000	
03100		5.  The  Administration's reputation for resoluteness will be
03200	enhanced.
03300	
03400		On the other hand, the  advantages  of  keeping  him  are  as
03500	follows:
03600	
03700		1.  Liberals  who  oppose  his  firing  will be mollified.  I
03800	presume it is neither possible nor desirable to mollify Venceremos by
03900	making concessions to its point of view.
04000	
04100		2.   Stanford   will  continue  to  have  on  its  faculty  a
04200	representative of the revolutionary wing of the left.   Students  and
04300	faculty  will  be  able to observe his behavior and hear his point of
04400	view.  If this be regarded as worthwhile, and I think it is, Franklin
04500	is  irreplacable.   None  of  the  other  candidates for the position
04600	remotely approach his prominence or achievements in  the  field.   If
04700	Stanford  is  to  have a revolutionary on its faculty, let's have the
04800	best.   This  is  certainly  Stanford's  policy  in  other  lines  of
04900	endeavor.
05000	
05100		3. By retaining Franklin under the conditions I will suggest,
05200	the University  will  demonstrate  its  coolness  and  its  strength.
05300	Namely,  it  will  demonstrate  its  confidence that radicalism is no
05400	longer capable of disrupting the University and  that  considerations
05500	of   survival  can  be  replaced  by  conditions  of  maintaining  an
05600	interesting professor with an interesting if difficult point of view.
05700	
05800		The problem is whether Stanford can afford to keep  Franklin.
05900	Might  not  the  cost  in  broken  windows,  riots, and disruption of
06000	University activities be too great?   Might  not  retaining  Franklin
06100	leave the impression that no disruptive action is really punished and
06200	that disruption is a cost-effective way of getting one's way  in  the
06300	University?
06400	
06500		In  my  opinion,  the University can afford to keep Franklin.
06600	The time of riots has passed, and the present danger is a  return  to
06700	stodginess   and   complacency.   The  personal  cost  to  disrupters
06800	including Franklin has already been high  enough  so  that  they  are
06900	inclined  to concentrate on alternate ways of expressing their points
07000	of view.
07100	
07200		Admittedly, this prognosis is not certain.  Keeping  Franklin
07300	might   subject   the   University  to  more  disruption  after  all.
07400	Therefore, it is possible to copper the bet by suspending  Franklin's
07500	tenure  for  (say)  three  years  and  firing  him  later  if this is
07600	expedient.  I would offer good odds, however, that if the  University
07700	retains  Franklin,  it will not be sorry.  Its political life will be
07800	enriched by it.
07900	
08000