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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
≤May 29, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Serge Lang
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Department of Mathematics
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Yale University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New Haven, Connecticut

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Serge:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
have␈α
recently␈α∞received␈α
Lipset's␈α
new␈α∞questionnaire,␈α
and␈α
I␈α
am␈α∞interested␈α
in␈α
your␈α∞views␈α
on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓two issues.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α⊂Are␈α⊂questionnaires␈α∂hopeless␈α⊂as␈α⊂a␈α∂way␈α⊂of␈α⊂getting␈α∂information?␈α⊂ If␈α⊂not,␈α⊂what␈α∂principles
␈↓ ↓H␈↓should␈α⊂be␈α⊃adopted?␈α⊂ Can␈α⊃general␈α⊂political␈α⊃attitudes␈α⊂be␈α⊃obtained␈α⊂by␈α⊃improved␈α⊂versions␈α⊃of␈α⊂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓question␈αyou␈αcriticized␈αabout␈αwhether␈αgrowth␈αof␈αgovernment␈αharmed␈αindividual␈αinitiative?␈α What
␈↓ ↓H␈↓method would you propose for obtaining information about views on this particular question?

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α∩What␈α∩would␈α∩you␈α∪consider␈α∩sound␈α∩practice␈α∩to␈α∪avoid␈α∩political␈α∩bias,␈α∩given␈α∪that␈α∩survey
␈↓ ↓H␈↓researchers␈α∂often␈α∂have␈α∂their␈α∞own␈α∂political␈α∂views?␈α∂ Do␈α∞you␈α∂consider␈α∂it␈α∂speci≡cally␈α∂worthwhile␈α∞to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓attempt to put survey researchers with right wing views out of business?

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αread␈αyour␈α␈↓↓New␈αYork␈αReview␈αof␈αBooks␈↓␈αarticle,␈αalthough␈αI␈αdon't␈αhave␈αit␈αwith␈αme␈αnow,␈αbut␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓must␈α⊂confess␈α∂that␈α⊂it␈α⊂impressed␈α∂me␈α⊂as␈α∂too␈α⊂much␈α⊂of␈α∂an␈α⊂attack␈α∂on␈α⊂the␈α⊂right␈α∂by␈α⊂the␈α⊂left␈α∂without
␈↓ ↓H␈↓advancing any general principles applicable to all political tendencies.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊂have␈α∂been␈α⊂working␈α∂on␈α⊂arti≡cial␈α⊂intelligence␈α∂and␈α⊂the␈α∂mathematics␈α⊂of␈α⊂proving␈α∂computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓programs correct.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



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