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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
&June 9, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Irving Kristol
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓The Public Interest␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓10 East 53 St.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New York, N.Y. 10022

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Kristol:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Enclosed␈α
is␈α
a␈α
paper␈α
I␈α
gave␈α
at␈α
the␈α
AAAS␈α
meeting␈α
in␈α
Boston␈α
in␈α
February.␈α
 I␈α
would␈α
like␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓publish␈α∞a␈α∞version␈α∞of␈α∞it␈α∞in␈α∞␈↓↓Public␈α∞Interest␈↓,␈α
because␈α∞there␈α∞is␈α∞a␈α∞danger␈α∞that␈α∞the␈α∞social␈α
opportunity
␈↓ ↓H␈↓o≥ered␈αby␈αhome␈αcomputer␈αterminals␈αwill␈αbe␈αmissed,␈αbecause␈αour␈αalways␈αwell-meaning␈αgovernment
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈αinadvertently␈αcreate␈αmonopolies␈αby␈αregulation,␈αnone␈αof␈αwhich␈αwill␈αbe␈αallowed␈αto␈αo≥er␈αthe␈αfull
␈↓ ↓H␈↓range of services required.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        For␈αexample,␈αa␈α␈↓↓New␈αYork␈αTimes␈↓␈α
editorial␈αrecently␈αproposed␈αthat␈αelectronic␈αmail␈αbe␈α
made␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Postal␈α
Service␈α
monopoly␈α
so␈α
as␈α
to␈αsubsidize␈α
ordinary␈α
mail.␈α
 However,␈α
as␈α
my␈α
article␈αshows,␈α
electronic
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mail␈αis␈αbest␈αpart␈αof␈αa␈αwhole␈αweb␈αof␈αservices␈αo≥ered␈αthrough␈αhome␈αcomputer␈αterminals.␈α A␈αsecond
␈↓ ↓H␈↓example␈α
is␈α
the␈α∞proposal␈α
to␈α
o≥er␈α∞home␈α
information␈α
services␈α
through␈α∞cable␈α
TV.␈α
 This␈α∞will␈α
create
␈↓ ↓H␈↓local monopolies as a sideline to another business and will lead to very slow development.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αdon't␈αsuggest␈αthat␈αmy␈αvision␈αof␈αhow␈αhome␈αinformation␈αterminals␈αshould␈αdevelop␈αbe␈αgiven
␈↓ ↓H␈↓monopoly␈α
status,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
think␈α
policy␈α
makers␈α
need␈α
a␈α
broad␈α
picture␈α
in␈α
order␈α
to␈α
avoid␈α
doing␈αactual
␈↓ ↓H␈↓harm.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If␈α∞the␈α∞idea␈α∞of␈α∞such␈α∞an␈α∞article␈α∞seems␈α∞reasonable␈α∞to␈α∞you,␈α∞I␈α∞would␈α∞submit␈α∞a␈α∞revised␈α
version,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓reducing the technical content and increasing the public policy content.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        ␈↓↓The␈αFuturist␈↓,␈αcirculation␈α17,000,␈αhas␈αasked␈αto␈αpublish␈αthe␈αpresent␈αversion␈αof␈αthe␈αarticle,␈αbut
␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈αwould␈αnot␈α
want␈αto␈αdo␈αthat␈α
if␈αit␈αwould␈α
prevent␈αpublication␈αin␈α␈↓↓The␈α
Public␈αInterest␈↓,␈αbecause␈αin␈α
␈↓↓The
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓Futurist␈↓,␈αit␈αwould␈αbe␈αlost␈αamong␈αmuch␈αmore␈αdistant␈αpossibilities,␈αand␈αthe␈αimmediate␈αpublic␈αpolicy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓issues would not be presented to the right readers.  Is this a consideration?


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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