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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
,May 2, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. David Packard
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Hewlett-Packard Co.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Palo Alto, Calif.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Packard:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Enclosed␈α
is␈α
a␈α
research␈α
proposal␈α
for␈α
which␈αI␈α
would␈α
like␈α
to␈α
get␈α
private␈α
support.␈α The␈α
National
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Science␈α
Foundation␈αhas␈α
seen␈αthe␈α
enclosed␈α
draft␈αand␈α
has␈αinformally␈α
reacted␈α
favorably.␈α However,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓they␈α∞want␈α∞to␈α∞submit␈α∞it␈α∞to␈α∞the␈α∞O≠ce␈α∞of␈α∞Telecommunications␈α∞Policy␈α∞to␈α∞see␈α∞how␈α∞OTP␈α∞likes␈α∞what
␈↓ ↓H␈↓might come out of the proposed development.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈αis␈αdescribed␈αat␈αlength␈αin␈αthe␈αproposal,␈αI␈αwant␈αto␈αdevelop␈αprotocols␈αso␈αthat␈αany␈αcomputer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓implementing␈αthem,␈αwill␈αbe␈αable␈αto␈αcall␈αany␈αother␈αon␈αthe␈αordinary␈αdial-up␈αnetwork,␈αand␈αusers␈αwill
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be␈αable␈αto␈αtransmit␈α
messages,␈αcopy␈α≡les,␈αand␈αlog␈α
in␈αjust␈αas␈αon␈αthe␈α
ARPAnet.␈α This␈αcan␈αall␈αbe␈α
done
␈↓ ↓H␈↓without␈α
any␈α
change␈α
in␈α
existing␈α
telephone␈α
facilities␈α
or␈α
tari≥s,␈α
but␈α
␈↓αif␈α
it␈α
becomes␈α
popular,␈α
it␈α
may
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αhave␈αa␈αprofound␈αe≥ect␈αon␈αsome␈αexisting␈αand␈αplanned␈αcommunications␈αbusinesses␈↓.␈α Speci≡cally,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓it␈α∞may␈α∞wipe␈α∞out␈α∞Western␈α∂Union,␈α∞and␈α∞it␈α∞will␈α∞contribute␈α∂-␈α∞through␈α∞the␈α∞home␈α∞computers␈α∂that␈α∞are
␈↓ ↓H␈↓becoming␈αincreasingly␈αpopular␈α-␈αto␈αthe␈αreplacement␈αof␈αletters␈αby␈αelectronic␈αcommunication.␈α In␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓current␈α⊂super-regulatory␈α⊂political␈α⊂climate,␈α∂the␈α⊂bureaucratic␈α⊂ethic␈α⊂is␈α∂likely␈α⊂to␈α⊂favor␈α⊂studying␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓matter␈α
to␈α
death␈α∞-␈α
postponing␈α
the␈α∞technical␈α
research␈α
until␈α∞twenty␈α
sociologists␈α
have␈α∞written␈α
twenty
␈↓ ↓H␈↓papers␈α∪about␈α∪its␈α∪potential␈α∪e≥ects.␈α∪ Indeed␈α∪most␈α∩NSF␈α∪support␈α∪in␈α∪related␈α∪areas␈α∪has␈α∪been␈α∩for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓technological␈α
assessment␈αrather␈α
than␈α
for␈αtechnological␈α
accomplishment,␈α
and␈αthey␈α
have␈α
told␈αme␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓they would prefer a substantial sociological component in this proposal.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        ␈↓αTherefore,␈αI␈αthink␈α
it␈αwould␈αbe␈α
better␈αto␈αconfront␈α
the␈αgovernment␈αand␈α
the␈αtechnological
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αassessors␈αwith␈αa␈α␈↓↓fait␈αaccompli␈↓.␈α If␈αthe␈αprotocols␈αare␈αdeveloped,␈αdebugged␈αand␈αpublished,␈αthey␈αwill
␈↓ ↓H␈↓go␈αinto␈αwidespread␈αuse,␈αbecause␈αthey␈αwill␈αgive␈αmost␈αof␈αthe␈αbene≡ts␈αof␈αthe␈αmuch␈αenvied␈αARPAnet
␈↓ ↓H␈↓without␈αthe␈αpolitics␈αand␈αhigh␈αcosts␈αthat␈αhave␈αproved␈αinsuperable␈αto␈αmany␈αpotential␈αusers.␈α I␈αthink
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αthe␈αregulatory␈α
attitude␈αtoward␈αsomething␈α
already␈αin␈αwidespread␈α
use␈αwould␈αbe␈α
di≥erent␈αthan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that toward something that might easily be choked o≥ by a regulation while the o≠cials ponder.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
am␈α
writing␈αto␈α
you,␈α
because␈αyour␈α
public␈α
statements␈α
have␈αled␈α
me␈α
to␈αhope␈α
that␈α
this␈αmight␈α
fall
␈↓ ↓H␈↓into the category for which you would recommend private support of universities.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. David Packard␈↓ ¬{May 2, 1976␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 












␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I would welcome an opportunity to discuss the matter.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈αThe␈αbudget␈αof␈αthe␈αproposal␈αre∨ects␈αwhat␈αNSF␈αsaid␈αthey␈αmight␈αgo␈αfor.␈α The␈αrelation␈αbetween
␈↓ ↓H␈↓what could be accomplished and money spent should be discussed.