Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

about durq educaticnal directors. They seem to me to
- violate the spixit of the Holy Ghost most flagrantly,
In saying this I do not mean to overrate the funeelons of
the me~bers of the Bozrd of an organization like your Insti-
tute, for of course the essenrisl direction of the Institute
should be by its ner3ess -- e society of scholars must be
governed by scholars of that society; and yet, certainly at
the outset, there ray be 2 useful function for a Board -- a
terrporary period, zs it were, in the .stages of the ultimte
government of the Institute.
I wznted to be sure tkt 1 had the available t ime to dia-
charge such a concept ion as I have of the duties of a member
of your Board. On the uhole I do not feel justified fn re-
fusing on 3 speculstion in view of the special cese you made
to re for the enlistzent of the interest and experience of
ren like Stewart and ryself, nm that you are engeged in the
establishrent of rhzt roughly I shZI call a school of soci-
ology. 1 an prepared, therefore, to sccept membership an
your Soard if you and the Board are ready to have me, in the
light of the attituce a£ mine disclosed in this letter --
which, of course, is no news ta you -- BS well as upon the
2istinct understanding that if I find 1 cznnot responsibly
discharge the obligations of the office, you will release m, 7
The Director's response shoved no misgivings about the 1~wyer"s
reservations. Re knew hou able an advocate Frankfurter could be, and
perhaps relfed upon his help in converting Mr. Bsmberger to a rmre friend-
ly attitude toward faculty participation in academic decisions, as hia
answer indicted:
3 am sure that men like you and Stewart, looking at the prob-
lems of social life from samewhat different points of view,
will prove of inestimble value to those who are in the last
resort bound to do the job,
It Is one of my main ambitions to illustrate fn the conduct
of this Institute what under American conditions the relative
functions of,faculty, Director and Trustees are and should be. 8
Of Stevart's acceptance on the occasion of their second luncheon together
Ffexner wrote Nss. Fuld, paraphxasing the economist's response thus: