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.cb COMMENTS ON GILPIN'S PAPER


p.7 - potential reduction in transaction costs

Can you explain that Marco Polo and others visited China, but
no Chinese visited Europe as due to commercial structure of Italy.

p. 15 a rather special definition of economic power

p. 16 the oil boycott depended on the computer

p.24 was Hitler really motivated by such abstruse considerations?

p.26 if it is true that Israel has nuclear weapons, then the policies
of both sides take this into account.

p.26 the basic reason for the Western ground weakness in Europe is
that the Soviet Union can draft all young men for three years
and the West won't.

p.28 It has rarely been advantageous to protect overseas private
property by military action.  In 18.. the East India Company went
broke.

	Professor Gilpin has done his best to be kind to us
computer enthusiasts by telling us that our toy is important
in world affairs.  I fear the case isn't very convincing that
the computer is playing a role beyond any other technology.

	The most interesting theme of the paper is the role of
the computer in reducing transaction costs.  Unfortunately,
what these costs amount to and how much the computer is and
can help in reducing them is not known.  I think Gilpin is
right, but it is up to the technologist to develop the point
further.