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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	ISeptember 21, 1978 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. Herbert Stoyan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓DDR 806 Dresden
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Togliattistr. 40
␈↓ ↓H␈↓East Germany

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Dr. Stoyan:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Your␈α∂interpretation␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂early␈α∂LISP␈α∂memos␈α∞seems␈α∂correct␈α∂to␈α∂me,␈α∂but␈α∂I␈α∂haven't␈α∂time␈α∞to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓study␈α⊃the␈α∩matter␈α⊃carefully.␈α∩ I␈α⊃guess␈α⊃you␈α∩are␈α⊃right␈α∩about␈α⊃Dan␈α⊃Edwards,␈α∩although␈α⊃I␈α∩have␈α⊃the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓impression␈α∞that␈α
he␈α∞did␈α∞some␈α
work,␈α∞possibly␈α
with␈α∞Rochester,␈α∞before␈α
he␈α∞graduated.␈α∞ Klim␈α
Maling
␈↓ ↓H␈↓was␈α⊂the␈α∂other␈α⊂programmer,␈α⊂and␈α∂I␈α⊂think␈α⊂that␈α∂Edwards␈α⊂replaced␈α⊂him,␈α∂although␈α⊂they␈α⊂may␈α∂have
␈↓ ↓H␈↓overlapped.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Jean␈α
Sammet␈α
found␈α
the␈α
English␈α
of␈α
your␈α
paper␈α
unsatisfactory,␈α
and␈α
I'm␈α
afraid␈α
she␈α
is␈α
right.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Patte␈αWood,␈αmy␈αsecretary,␈αis␈αrevising␈αthe␈αEnglish,␈αand␈αwe'll␈αsend␈αyou␈αa␈αcorrected␈αversion␈αas␈αsoon
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as it is done.  I hope the revisions will be in time.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Dr.␈αPhyllis␈αFox␈αworked␈αfor␈αthe␈αComputation␈αCenter.␈α As␈αI␈αrecall,␈αher␈αonly␈αconnection␈αwith
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∩project␈α∩was␈α∩to␈α⊃write␈α∩the␈α∩LISP␈α∩I␈α∩manual.␈α⊃ Professor␈α∩Shannon␈α∩was␈α∩interested␈α∩in␈α⊃arti≡cial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓intelligence␈α⊃since␈α⊃long␈α⊃before␈α⊃the␈α⊃project␈α∩was␈α⊃started,␈α⊃but␈α⊃he␈α⊃never␈α⊃brought␈α⊃himself␈α∩to␈α⊃write
␈↓ ↓H␈↓programs␈α⊃or␈α⊃to␈α⊂closely␈α⊃supervise␈α⊃student␈α⊂work.␈α⊃ He␈α⊃had␈α⊂no␈α⊃connection␈α⊃with␈α⊃LISP.␈α⊂ Professor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Rogers,␈α
a␈α
well␈αknown␈α
recursive␈α
function␈α
theorist,␈αwas␈α
one␈α
of␈α
the␈αfaculty␈α
members␈α
who␈α
took␈αpart␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓advising␈αthe␈αComputation␈αCenter␈αat␈α
the␈αtime␈αit␈αwas␈αbeing␈α
formed.␈α He␈αalso␈αdid␈αnot␈α
develop␈αany
␈↓ ↓H␈↓close␈α
interest␈αin␈α
real␈αcomputing␈α
and␈αwas␈α
never␈αinterested␈α
in␈αarti≡cial␈α
intelligence␈αor␈α
LISP.␈α Some
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈α
the␈α
students␈α
in␈α
the␈α
AI␈α
Project␈α
wrote␈αtheir␈α
PhD␈α
theses␈α
in␈α
recursive␈α
function␈α
theory␈α
under␈αhis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓direction, but this did not overlap their work for the project.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Both␈αDavid␈αLuckham␈αand␈αDavid␈αPark␈αmade␈αlittle␈αconnection␈αbetween␈αtheir␈αwork␈αon␈αLISP
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α∂their␈α∂work␈α∂in␈α⊂mathematical␈α∂logic␈α∂until␈α∂some␈α∂years␈α⊂later␈α∂when␈α∂they␈α∂both␈α∂became␈α⊂active␈α∂in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mathematical␈α∃theory␈α∃of␈α∃computation.␈α∃ I␈α∃suppose␈α∃it␈α∃didn't␈α∃seem␈α∃to␈α∃them␈α∃like␈α∃a␈α∀respectable
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mathematical␈α
topic␈α
at␈α∞the␈α
time,␈α
and␈α
my␈α∞≡rst␈α
work␈α
on␈α
proving␈α∞programs␈α
correct␈α
was␈α
a␈α∞few␈α
years
␈↓ ↓H␈↓later.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



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