3-DEC-74 07:29:13-PST,3658;000000000000
Date:  3 DEC 1974 0721-PST
From: LICKLIDER
Subject: A Visit from Me to You
To:   McCarthy, Feigenbaum, Cerf
cc:   Licklider

	It looks as though I shall be in the Palo Alto area
Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 10 and 11, and I feel a need to visit
you.  The main need is to visit McCarthy and shape up my
understanding of the program of his lab.  My understanding of what
Feigenbaum is doing under ARPA support is in better shape, but I
need to run over it once more and talk with Ed about the SCI work.
With Cerf, I need only a short while to discuss internetting
further.

	Let me propose a schedule and see whether or not it is
convenient for you.  Tentatively, I am going to be at SRI
until 12:00 noon on the 10th.  I would get to the AI lab by 1:00 and
go at once into a 4-hr binge with John and his colleagues.  Then I
would talk with Vint from 5:00 to 6:00 and then have dinner with Ed
(and Penny if she is available and if Ed thinks she should participate
in the discussion of the SCI work), finishing up by 8:30 or even
8:00 or earlier if Ed has commitments for the evening.

	I realize that it is unlikely that this schedule, proposed at 
this late date, will suit you all, but I guess something definite has to 
be proposed.  Please counterpropose if this is not convenient.

The following, which is a <control-B cliche> is pertinent only to the
discussion with John and his colleagues, and perhpaps only marginally
so, but here it is for what it may be worth:

	In the interest of having an efficient transfer of
information to me, I would like to suggest some guidelines
for the discussion of the research program.  First, I would
like a top-down, breadth-first presentation of the objectives,
associating with each top-level objective the
approach to achievement, the identification of the people
working on it, and an estimate of the cost (per year and
over-all).  Each objective should be broken down into
a tree of subobjectives, set against a time scale.  For the
past, accomplishments should be summarized, and, for the future,
milestones should be laid out.  Having this information prepared
ahead of time and in form that will let me take a copy with me
would speed up the discussion and save me from taking notes.

	In the foregoing, objectives, accomplishments, and the
like should be definite.  It is not a valid objective 'to explore
x'.  If 'x' is a new continent, gold may be an objective, or
reaching the peak of the highest mountain, or establishing
trade with the natives at a given profit level and in a given amount.
The same general semantics appears to apply equally to scientific
and technical exploration.  In any event, in order to use the
information I am going to have to get it into definite-objective,
definite-cost, definite-accomplishment form, and it will help me
if you will do some of the packaging for me.

	After the over-all shape of the program is defined,
the discussion should subdivide itself into N subdiscussions,
one for each main subproject, and each of these should start out
with a very short top-down, breadth-first introduction---but then go
into informal mode with interaction predominating.  I would like,
in the subdiscussions, to get acquainted with the people doing
the work---not everyone, of course, but one, two, or three people
per subproject, depending on its size and importance.

	At the end of the visit, I would like to have at least half
an hour with the Principal Investigator and any of his right-hand
people he thinks appropriate.  This would be a kind of executive
session.


				Regards

				Lick
				Lick
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 5-DEC-74 01:30:13-PST,1170;000000000000
Date:  5 DEC 1974 0123-PST
From: LICKLIDER
Subject: My Visits to You
To:   Nilsson at SRI-AI, McCarthy, JMC at SU-AI, Green,
To:   Feigenbaum, Pirtle at I4-TENEX, Ron at I4-TENEX,
To:   Elkind at PARC-MAXC, Taylor at PARC-MAXC
cc:   Licklider

	The schedule has shaped up as follows:

		SRI-AI	Dec. 10, 9:00-12:45
		SU-AI
		  JMC	Not arranged
		  Cerf	Dec. 10, 5:00-6:00
		  EF	Dec. 10, 6:00-unspecified
		Ames	Dec. 11, 9:00-12:00
		Xerox	Dec. 11, 1:00-4:00

[Wednesday evening, Dec. 11, I'll be leaving for LA.]

	If anything about the schedule is inconvenient
for any of you, please let me know asap.  

	John McCarthy, please let me know whether it will be possible
for me to see you and your colleagues in the slot, 1:30-5:00
Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 10.  If John is out of town, Cordell, would you
indicate whether or not a visit to SU-AI can be arranged for that time?
I'll send you a copy of the message I sent John.  Please check the
matter with Les Ernest, whose network address I do not have here now.

	Thank you all very much for helping me set up the visits.  I
look forward to seeing you.

				Regards

				Lick
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