Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

71. Riefler to Flexner, 3/13/36. Aydelotte papers.
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72. Ibid.
73. w.
74. Minutes, Trustees' meeting, 4/13/36, pp. 2-3.
75. Flexner to Stevart, 9/3/36.
76. Riefler to Aydelotte, 12/13/39. Aydelotte papers. In his memo:to
Flexner, 9/24/36, Riefler reinforced his previous recornendations for
specidizing in research on finance, because of the virtue of concentration,
the favorable location of the Institute, and the fact that
nost universities were incapable of the kind and degree of specialization
required to do what he had contemplated. bnwhile, general
confusion still prevailed over what to do with the economy to prevent
future collapses, and to cure the present one. Then Riefler had formally
told Flexner he was taking the chairmanship of the Exploretory
Comittee for Financial Research of the National Bureau of Econmic
Research.
Dr. Joseph Willitts vas Director of the National Bureau of Economic
Research (1936-1939). He was also Director of the Wharton School of
Finance at Pennsylvania University (1933-1939). A close friend of
Mr. Stevart, Dr. Willitts succeeded Dr. E. E. Day as Director for tbe
Social Sciences of the Rockefeller Foundation in the fall of 1939. Dr.
Day had left to take the presidency of Cornell in 1937. Mr. Raymond
B. Fosdick vrote that the Rockefeller Foundation was tIie largest single
financial su~~orter of the National Bureau - ~ of - Econmic - - ~ -. ~ Research -- be- ~-
tween 1920 ahd 1951. (See Fosdick, The Story of the Rockefeller Foundation,
p. 213.
77. Yeblen to Flexner, 7/3/37. Plexner to Veblen, 7/9/37. See Plexner to
Secretary of the Treasury, 6/9/37, cautioning him against any publi-
city concerning Riefler's consultancy, and insisting that Riefler ,
should have no policy-forming responsibilities. This was a little
amusing, as it followed by only a feu months publication of a letter
by Flexner to the editor of the Herald Tribune, castigating President
Roosevelt for bad faith in proposing the "court-packing plan," and
suggesting that "if the President has his way, ve may as well go
further: abolish Congress and substitute for it a Hitler Reichstag
which, on occasions, will meet for a feu manents, listen to their
dictator's decrees, and adjourn." Dated 2/7/39. N. Y. Herald Tri-
bune for 2/9/39. Clipping, Aydelotte files.
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78. Hitrany to Plexner, 1/18/36. Plexner to Hitrany. 1/21/36.
79. Flexner to Earle. 2/28/38.