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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊗June 28, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Robert Kates
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dept. of Geography
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Clark University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Worcester, Massachusetts

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Kates:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊂am␈α⊂writing␈α⊂to␈α⊂you␈α∂because␈α⊂of␈α⊂your␈α⊂position␈α⊂as␈α∂chairman␈α⊂of␈α⊂the␈α⊂N.A.S.␈α⊂Committee␈α∂on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Human Rights at the suggestion of Charles Trumbull and Gerson Sher of the N.A.S. sta≥.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Dr.␈α∩Trumbull␈α⊃called␈α∩me␈α∩to␈α⊃ask␈α∩whether␈α∩we␈α⊃could␈α∩accept␈α∩Dr.␈α⊃Rybak␈α∩of␈α∩the␈α⊃Ukrainian
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Academy␈α
for␈αtwo␈α
weeks␈αmore␈α
than␈α
we␈αhad␈α
previously␈αagreed␈α
to␈α
accept␈αhim.␈α
 I␈αtold␈α
him␈α
that␈αwe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓would␈αaccept␈αhim␈αfor␈αthe␈αagreed␈αperiod,␈αbut␈αthat␈αI␈αwas␈αreluctant␈αto␈αcommit␈αmyself␈αnow␈αto␈αaccept
␈↓ ↓H␈↓him␈α⊂longer␈α∂because␈α⊂of␈α∂the␈α⊂Shcharansky␈α∂situation.␈α⊂ I␈α∂asked␈α⊂him␈α∂what␈α⊂the␈α∂Academy␈α⊂was␈α∂doing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓about␈αthe␈αSoviet␈αsituation␈α
and␈αhe␈αreferred␈αme␈α
to␈αDr.␈αSher␈αwho␈α
explained␈αto␈αme␈αabout␈αthe␈α
activity
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of your committee.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        What␈α∞he␈α∞told␈α∂me␈α∞disturbed␈α∞me␈α∂so␈α∞much␈α∞that␈α∞I␈α∂have␈α∞decided␈α∞not␈α∂to␈α∞accept␈α∞Rybak␈α∂at␈α∞all,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓partly␈αas␈αa␈αprotest␈α
about␈αShcharansky,␈αalthough␈αI␈αhad␈α
previously␈αdecided␈αto␈αlimit␈αthat␈α
protest␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓at most not extending the Rybak visit.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        My␈αdecision␈αnot␈αto␈αaccept␈αRybak␈αat␈αall␈αis␈αa␈αprotest␈αat␈αthe␈αAcademy's␈αtotal␈αfailure␈αto␈αuse␈αits
␈↓ ↓H␈↓power␈α∞to␈α∂promote␈α∞human␈α∂rights.␈α∞ Dr.␈α∞Sher␈α∂explained␈α∞to␈α∂me␈α∞that␈α∞you␈α∂have␈α∞decided␈α∂to␈α∞discover
␈↓ ↓H␈↓equal␈α∀violations␈α∀of␈α∀human␈α∀rights␈α∀in␈α∃the␈α∀Communist␈α∀countries␈α∀and␈α∀elsewhere␈α∀and␈α∃to␈α∀limit
␈↓ ↓H␈↓yourselves to generalized protest unlinked to anything the Communists want from us.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Our␈α↔experience␈α_at␈α↔the␈α↔meeting␈α_of␈α↔the␈α↔International␈α_Joint␈α↔Conference␈α_on␈α↔Arti≡cial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Intelligence␈α
meeting␈αat␈α
Tblisi␈αin␈α
September␈α1975␈α
shows␈αthat␈α
generalized␈αprotest␈α
is␈α
almost␈αuseless,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓but␈α∞speci≡c␈α∞threats␈α∞and␈α∞promises␈α∞can␈α∞accomplish␈α∞a␈α∞lot.␈α∞ As␈α∞the␈α∞enclosed␈α∞writeup␈α∞(which␈α∞␈↓↓Science␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓declined)␈α∀recounts,␈α∀we␈α∀were␈α∀able␈α∀to␈α∀obtain␈α∀the␈α∀participation␈α∀of␈α∀a␈α∀prominent␈α∀dissident␈α∀and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓refusenik,␈α∩Alexander␈α∩Lerner,␈α∩in␈α∩our␈α∩meeting␈α∩by␈α∩threatening␈α∩to␈α∩hold␈α∩a␈α∩demonstration␈α∩at␈α∩the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓meeting.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α
Soviets␈α
had␈αplenty␈α
of␈α
time␈α
to␈αcontemplate␈α
the␈α
threat,␈α
and␈αall␈α
the␈α
Soviet␈αdecision␈α
makers
␈↓ ↓H␈↓journeyed␈α∞to␈α∞Tblisi␈α∞a␈α∞day␈α∞early␈α∞in␈α∞order␈α∞to␈α∞decide␈α∞on␈α∞a␈α∞response␈α∞in␈α∞conjunction␈α∞with␈α∂the␈α∞local
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Party␈α
and␈αKGB␈α
authorities.␈α I␈α
am␈α
convinced␈αthat␈α
they␈αdecided␈α
to␈α
give␈αin,␈α
because␈αSoviet␈α
scientists
␈↓ ↓H␈↓who␈α⊂didn't␈α⊂dare␈α⊂say␈α⊂that␈α⊂Lerner␈α⊂was␈α∂being␈α⊂wrongly␈α⊂excluded␈α⊂from␈α⊂the␈α⊂meeting,␈α⊂were␈α⊂able␈α∂to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓emphasize,␈αeven␈αto␈αthe␈αpoint␈αof␈αexaggeration,␈α
the␈αbene≡ts␈αthat␈αwould␈αaccrue␈αto␈αthe␈α
Soviet␈αUnion
␈↓ ↓H␈↓from␈α
giving␈α
in␈α
and␈α
the␈α
harm␈α
to␈α
Soviet␈α
interests␈α
that␈α
would␈α
result␈α
from␈α
a␈α
confrontation.␈α
 No␈α
Soviet
␈↓ ↓H␈↓scientist␈α∞would␈α
admit␈α∞any␈α
personal␈α∞objection␈α
to␈α∞Lerner,␈α
but␈α∞none␈α
would␈α∞stand␈α
up␈α∞for␈α∞his␈α
rights
␈↓ ↓H␈↓except when there was some external pressure.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αProfessor Robert Kates␈↓ ¬rJune 28, 1977␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        My␈α∂protest␈α∂is␈α∂against␈α∂the␈α∂Academy's␈α∂decision␈α∂to␈α∂exert␈α∂no␈α∂actual␈α∂pressure␈α∂on␈α∂the␈α∂Soviets.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Therefore,␈α∩since␈α∪the␈α∩Academy␈α∩is␈α∪useless␈α∩on␈α∪this␈α∩issue,␈α∩individuals␈α∪and␈α∩groups␈α∪of␈α∩American
␈↓ ↓H␈↓scientists have to protest against the Academy as well as against the Soviet behavior.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈αMy␈αposition␈αis␈αbased␈αon␈αconsiderable␈αcontact␈αwith␈αthe␈αSoviet␈αUnion.␈α I␈αhave␈αbeen␈αthere␈α
more
␈↓ ↓H␈↓than␈αten␈αtimes.␈α I␈αdon't␈αlike␈αhaving␈αto␈αexpress␈αthis␈αprotest␈αat␈αthe␈αexpense␈αof␈αRybak,␈αwhom␈αI␈αhave
␈↓ ↓H␈↓met␈α
and␈α
who␈α
seems␈α
harmless␈α
enough,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
see␈α
no␈α
other␈α
avenue␈α
at␈α
present,␈α
and␈α
something␈αmust␈α
be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓done about the Shcharansky case.