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␈↓ α∧Do  you  agree  with  the  following:
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	TDecember 14, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. N.R. Klein≡eld
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓New York Times␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓229 West 43d St.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓N.Y. 10036

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Klein≡eld:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        This␈αis␈αto␈α
protest␈αyour␈αputting␈α
words␈αin␈αthe␈α
mouths␈αof␈αMarvin␈α
Minsky␈αand␈αmyself.␈α We␈α
are
␈↓ ↓H␈↓not␈α
complaining␈α
about␈α
the␈α
content␈α
of␈α
your␈α
quotation␈α
which␈α
fairly␈α
represents␈α
our␈α
sentiments,␈αbut
␈↓ ↓H␈↓simply␈αabout␈αyour␈αputting␈αquotes␈αaround␈αwords␈αwe␈αdidn't␈αactually␈αsay.␈α The␈αe≥ect␈αis␈αthat␈αwe,␈αand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓probably␈α
Mr.␈αReichelt␈α
as␈αwell,␈α
have␈α
become␈αcharacters␈α
in␈αa␈α
drama␈α
composed␈αby␈α
you.␈α It␈α
is␈αtoo␈α
bad
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈α∃we␈α∃apparently␈α∃didn't␈α∃say␈α∃anything␈α∃succinctly␈α∃quoteworthy,␈α∃but␈α∃it␈α∃doesn't␈α∃excuse␈α∃your
␈↓ ↓H␈↓inventing our personalities.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
do␈α
not␈αuse␈α
the␈α
word␈α
"preposterous"␈α(Did␈α
you␈α
get␈αthe␈α
scientist␈α
saying␈α
"preposterous"␈αfrom
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓The␈αAdventures␈αof␈αSherlock␈αHolmes"␈↓?),␈αand␈αMinsky␈αdoesn't␈αrefer␈αto␈α"mad␈αscientists".␈α Although␈αwe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓don't␈αknow␈αMr.␈αReichelt,␈αmost␈αlikely␈αhe␈αdoesn't␈αcall␈αpeople␈α"buddy"␈α-␈α which␈αis␈αsomewhat␈αobsolete
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as slang except perhaps in the CB locution "good buddy".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Actually␈αyour␈α"preposterous"␈αsuggests␈αthat␈αI␈αwould␈αmake␈αpublic␈αstatements␈αbased␈αmerely␈αon
␈↓ ↓H␈↓my␈αopinion␈αthat␈αhousehold␈αrobots␈αare␈αpresently␈αinfeasible.␈α As␈αyou␈αmust␈αrecall,␈αthe␈αStanford␈αpress
␈↓ ↓H␈↓release␈α
was␈α
issued␈α
only␈α
after␈α
the␈α
Carnegie-Mellon␈α
students␈α
had␈α
obtained␈α
concrete␈α
evidence␈α
that␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓demonstrations were faked.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α
e≥ect␈α
is␈α
to␈αturn␈α
all␈α
of␈α
us␈α
into␈αstage␈α
characters,␈α
and,␈α
while␈α
I␈αcan't␈α
see␈α
as␈α
how␈α
I␈αhave␈α
been
␈↓ ↓H␈↓greatly␈α
harmed␈α
by␈α
it,␈α
resent␈α
it␈α
enough␈α
so␈α
that,␈α
should␈α
the␈α
occasion␈α
arise␈α
in␈α
the␈α
future,␈α
I␈α
will␈α
decline
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to be interviewed by you again, unless you promise not to do it again.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Incidentally,␈α∞we␈α∞were␈α∞expecting␈α
better␈α∞of␈α∞the␈α∞␈↓↓New␈α
York␈α∞Times␈↓.␈α∞ Surely␈α∞the␈α∞newspaper␈α
can
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a≥ord an expedition to East Rutherford, New Jersey.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓cc: Science Editor, ␈↓↓New York Times␈↓