CALENDAR     

May 2, 1967 New York City 9 A.M.

Politics and War are twins of hopeless evil. There is no such thing as reasonably conducted politics and war. One does in each what one can, hoping only that he is good and does a little of that good when he is engaged in either. We worm our way through.

Jill just called as I was about to phone her in Princeton. She believes these coincidences are explainable by some ultimate telepathy. I am lucky to have her. She does as well as anybody in the world in not being a damned fool a large part of the time, at least as much as I for instance and if she can't explain me at all times well, it's better than one should expect and better than I deserve.

Last evening should have been pleasant. I was meeting with Ed. Greenfield for the first time since I went to Vietnam. But it turned out poorly, for he was somewhat drunk and surly and I lost patience with him, letting myself feel for the first time an open dislike of his boorishness and ways of doing business. He called Ithiel to change arrangements for this evening (Ithiel is coming down from Cambridge) and raised a quite unnecessary row, attempting all the while to enlist me against Pool and resenting my attempts at pacification. I doubt that Ed can be trusted in the clutch. I must reconsider my plans in relation to Simulmatics Corporation. I achieved a great deal in my three weeks abroad. I will not cast that aside but I will not permit a continuous spoiling of human relations around me.

May 4, 1967

Ed Greenfield called to apologize yesterday, saying also that Naomi Spatz had awakened him after I left in order to scold him. He was quite sober and contrite when he appeared at my office suite on Washington Square at 8:00 in the evening and for the most part listening wordlessly to Ithiel and me rearranging the Vietnamese personnel roster and calendar. This went on for four hours. I then introduced the extremely sensitive subject of distribution of administrative responsibility between Cambridge and New York. I succeeded in holding Ithiel at bay just long enough to paint him a picture ("Let me just conjecture for a moment, please, Ithiel, would you not be happier if you do only pure research at Cambridge, and have a devoted personal staff, leaving her the personal details to New York?" Ithiel flushed in anger, looking at Ed directly (he rarely flushes). "I would, but would never trust the New York office to do anything at all for my projects." Ed fortunately was so low from the night before that he did not object but feebly. I immediately interposed, saying sharply to him. "There you are, Ed, all you have to do is build a better mouse trap in New York. Provide Ithiel with the absolute assurance of administrative efficiency that he needs, and your problem of the two offices is solves!" Ed appeared slightly stunned. We passed onto other subjects, I feeling that the signal achievement should be registered forcibly but the means should not be touched upon. We drank a little sherry and went out for a sandwich at the Cookery a little before 1 A.M.. The next day I told Schlomo Hagai of the formula and he said I had done a great favor to Simulmatics. We also adopted in the course of the evening the plan for the new facility in Saigon. I put both plans into brief memoranda.

May 5, 1967

Up early (430) sorting my expense records of the last month, and finishing the two memoranda. Hagai called me to say that Greenfield had not at all agreed that a principle had been set on the move of administration out of Cambridge. I replied that if he didn't think so he was insane and brought both memos in before lunch.

I then went over to ITT where I was to have lunch with Hart Perry and a Mr. Rogoff.

May 15, 1967

To do

May 19, 1967

En route to Philadelphia to discuss whether I should join the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Points to raise or learn of:

1. Calendar

2. Salary

3. Life Insurance

4. Children's tuition

5. Number of sources

6. Medical plan

7. Annuity system (TIAA?)

8. Secretary (pay)

9. Kramer

10. Fellows

11. [Helm] clearance

12. Title of course

13. When course meets

14. Number of meetings to attend

15. Travel funds

16. Tenure

17. Free research?