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STANFORD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
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␈↓ ∧αDEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
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␈↓ ¬	STANFORD UNIVERSITY
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␈↓ ∧;STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSeptember 19, 1974
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Editor
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␈↓↓The New York Times␈↓
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229 West 43rd Street
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New York, New York 10036
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Dear Sir:
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␈↓ α_Your␈α
September␈α
17␈α
editorial␈α
assumes␈α
that␈α
the␈α
United␈α
States␈α
is␈α
responsible␈α
for␈α
the␈α
success␈αor
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␈↓ ↓Hfailure␈α∞of␈α∞the␈α∞Rome␈α∞conference␈α∞on␈α∞food␈α∞and␈α∞implicitly␈α∞assumes␈α∞U.S.␈α∞responsibility␈α∞for␈α∞solving␈α∞the
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␈↓ ↓Hfood␈α∪problems␈α∪of␈α∪the␈α∪backward␈α∪countries.␈α∪The␈α∪U.S.␈α∪is␈α∩no␈α∩more␈α∩responsible␈α∩for␈α∩solving␈α∩other
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␈↓ ↓Hcountries'␈αfood␈αproblems␈αthan␈αit␈αis␈αfor␈α
policing␈α
the␈α
world␈α
or␈α
solving␈α
its␈α
population␈α
problems.␈α
Solving
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␈↓ ↓Hthese␈αproblems␈αrequires␈αauthority␈αover␈αthe␈αpolicies␈αof␈αsovereign␈αcountries␈αthat␈αisn't␈αoffered␈αand␈αthat
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␈↓ ↓Hwe␈α
won't␈α
try␈α
to␈α
get.
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␈↓ α_However,␈αthe␈αillusion␈αthat␈αthe␈αUnited␈α
States␈α
is␈α
responsible␈α
for␈α
solving␈α
the␈α
food␈α
problem␈α
allows
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␈↓ ↓Hpoliticians␈αin␈αthese␈αcountries␈αto␈αput␈αtheir␈αpriorities␈αelsewhere.␈α
Specifically,␈α
some␈α
of␈α
the␈α
poor␈α
countries
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␈↓ ↓Hin␈α
the␈α
World␈α
Population␈α
Conference␈α
advanced␈α
the␈α
convenient␈α
idea␈α
that␈α
the␈α
advanced␈α
countries␈α
were
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␈↓ ↓Hresponsible␈αfor␈αtheir␈αlack␈αof␈αdevelopment,␈αand␈αnothing␈αspecifically␈αhad␈αto␈α
be␈α
done␈α
about␈α
population,
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␈↓ ↓Hbecause␈α⊗population␈α⊗growth␈α⊗would␈α⊗stop␈α⊗with␈α⊗development,␈α⊗and␈α⊗the␈α⊗advanced␈α⊗countries␈α∃were
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␈↓ ↓Hresponsible␈α⊃for␈α⊃that.␈α⊃This␈α⊃allows␈α⊃the␈α⊃Indian␈α⊂government␈α⊂to␈α⊂put␈α⊂its␈α⊂organizational␈α⊂and␈α⊂scientific
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␈↓ ↓Hcapabilities␈α∃into␈α∃wars␈α∃with␈α∃Pakistan,␈α∃taking␈α∃over␈α∃neighboring␈α∃states,␈α∃and␈α∀developing␈α∀nuclear
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␈↓ ↓Hweapons.
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␈↓ α_In␈α
my␈α
opinion,␈α
the␈αU.S.␈αis␈αnot␈αmorally␈αresponsible␈αfor␈αpreventing␈αfamine␈αin␈αIndia.␈αFurther,␈αI
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␈↓ ↓Hdon't␈αthink␈αthe␈α
U.S.␈α
public␈α
will␈α
make␈α
prolonged␈α
sacrifices␈α
in␈α
an␈α
attempt␈α
to␈α
do␈α
so.␈α
Still␈α
further,␈α
setting
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␈↓ ↓Ha␈αclear␈αlimit␈αon␈αwhat␈αthey␈αcan␈αexpect␈αfrom␈α
us␈α
is␈α
necessary␈α
to␈α
make␈α
solving␈α
their␈α
own␈α
population␈α
and
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␈↓ ↓Hfood␈α
problems␈α
dominant␈α
in␈α
the␈α
politics␈α
of␈α
the␈α
backward␈α
countries.
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␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_The␈α
only␈αcondition␈αunder␈αwhich␈αthe␈αU.S.␈αcould␈αever␈αtake␈αresponsibility␈αfor␈αanother␈αcountry's
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␈↓ ↓Hproblems␈α∞would␈α
be␈α
if␈α
that␈α
country␈α
declared␈α
itself␈α
␈↓↓governmentally␈α
bankrupt␈↓␈α
and␈α
the␈α
U.S.␈α
was␈α
given
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␈↓ ↓Hauthority␈αto␈αenforce␈αwhatever␈αmeasures␈αit␈αthought␈αwould␈αsolve␈αthe␈αproblem.␈αWe␈αare␈αfar␈αfrom␈αbeing
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␈↓ ↓Hwilling␈α∩to␈α∩undertake␈α∩any␈α∩such␈α∩thing,␈α∩and␈α∩no␈α⊃country's␈α⊃leaders␈α⊃are␈α⊃about␈α⊃to␈α⊃declare␈α⊃themselves
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␈↓ ↓Hbankrupt,␈α
but␈α
it␈α
may␈α
eventually␈α
come␈α
to␈α
that.
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␈↓ α_In␈α∂short,␈α∂the␈α∂only␈α∂way␈α∂to␈α∂do␈α∂good␈α∂these␈α∂days␈α∂may␈α∂be␈α∂to␈α∂take␈α∂the␈α∂onus␈α∂of␈α∂being␈α∂bad␈α∂guys
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␈↓ ↓Hunwilling␈α∃to␈α∃buy␈α∃one␈α∃more␈α∃respite␈α∃for␈α∃the␈α∃backward␈α∃countries.␈α∀Of␈α∀course,␈α∀the␈α∀World␈α∀Food
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␈↓ ↓HConference␈α
may␈α
come␈α
up␈α
with␈α
a␈α
practical␈α
proposal␈α
that␈α
will␈α
convince␈α
us␈α
that␈α
just␈α
one␈α
more␈αeffort
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␈↓ ↓Hwill␈α⊂do␈α⊂the␈α⊂trick,␈α⊂but␈α⊂it␈α⊂is␈α⊂much␈α⊂more␈α⊂likely␈α⊂that␈α⊂we␈α⊂will␈α⊂get␈α⊂just␈α⊂one␈α∂more␈α∂moralistic␈α∂effort␈α∂to
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hconvince␈α
us␈α
that␈α
the␈α
problem␈α
is␈α
ours␈α
rather␈α
than␈α
theirs.
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSincerely yours,
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xJohn McCarthy
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xDirector, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xProfessor of Computer Science
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