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C00002 00002	Dear Academician Keldysh:
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Dear Academician Keldysh:

	We were distressed to read in the New York Times that Dr.
Alexander Lerner, who had been invited to participate in a panel
on artificial intelligence and cybernetics at the International
Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Tblisi September 1-3
would not be allowed to participate or even to coee to Tblisi.  We
were glad when Professor Winston, the Program Chairman of the meeting,
was reassured by Dr. Briabrin that the New York Times story was erroneous.

	However, many scientists in the artificial intelligence field
remained unconvinced by the reassurance and urged the program committee
to change the location of the meeting.  This was not agreed to, but the
worry about whether Lerner will be able to make his contribution to the
work of the meeting remains, and we have committed ourselves
to treat this issue very seriously.  We would like additional reassurance
on this point, but we recognize time and politics may not permit it.
However, in response to this concern, we have agreed that if Lerner
is not present to make his contribution, there will have to be a public
protest at the meeting.

	In order to avoid a build-up of tension, the day of the protest
would be known by Soviet scientists only on its morning.  (Notre Dame
Journal of Formal Logic, vol. 1 (1960), pp. 79-90).

			John McCarthy, Stanford University (member of
program committee)
			(signers listed alphabetically with relation
to conference listed with each name for identification).