From Rosemary Arnold (25 August 1953) - Revision history

Santiago Pinault: /* Correspondence */

2018-04-09T05:43:29Z

Correspondence

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:43, 9 April 2018
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	== Correspondence ==		== Correspondence ==
	[[To Rosemary Arnold (21 August 1953)\|< Karl Polanyi's Letter: 21 August 1953]] \|\| [[From Rosemary Arnold (5 September 1953)\|Rosemary Arnold's Letter: 5 September 1953 >]]		[[To Rosemary Arnold (21 August 1953)\|< Karl Polanyi's Letter: 21 August 1953]] \| [[From Rosemary Arnold (5 September 1953)\|Rosemary Arnold's Letter: 5 September 1953 >]]

	== Letter Informations ==		== Letter Informations ==
	'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54		'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54

Santiago Pinault: /* Correspondence */

2018-04-09T05:43:15Z

Correspondence

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:43, 9 April 2018
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	== Correspondence ==		== Correspondence ==
	[[To Rosemary Arnold (21 August 1953)\|< Rosemary Arnold's Letter: ~~21 August~~ 1953]]		[[To Rosemary Arnold (21 August 1953)\|< Karl Polanyi's Letter: 21 August 1953]] \|\| [[From Rosemary Arnold (5 September 1953)\|Rosemary Arnold's Letter: 5 September 1953 >]]

	== Letter Informations ==		== Letter Informations ==
	'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54		'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54

Santiago Pinault at 05:36, 9 April 2018

2018-04-09T05:36:53Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:36, 9 April 2018
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	<span class="hand-written">R.</span>		<span class="hand-written">R.</span>

			== Correspondence ==
			[[To Rosemary Arnold (21 August 1953)\|< Rosemary Arnold's Letter: 21 August 1953]]

	== Letter Informations ==		== Letter Informations ==
	'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54		'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54

Santiago Pinault at 05:24, 9 April 2018

2018-04-09T05:24:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:24, 9 April 2018
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	I will have to be somewhat tedious and remind you of our agreements, in sequence. You will recall the <u>last</u> summer, in 1952, and under great stress, I completed my work on Dahomey. Our understanding at that time could not have been more explicit: you state then that I had fully discharged my responsibilities to Project 190 and in more than good measure. If you were more than generous in your estimate of my work, I must be forgiven for taking your word at face value. In May of <u>this</u> year, 1953, when you were preparing to submit sections of the Ms. to the publisher, I expressed my dissatisfactions with the chapters being submitted and <u>offered</u> to rewrite those to which I could bring the benefit of some second thoughts. I promised to devote the month of June to these revisions, on the understanding that I would have to limit myself to that amount of time, to which you agreed. As a matter of fact, I spent half of May as well as the whole of June in revising the chapters, as you know. This was the plan to which I had “so enthusiastically subscribed”, and to the best of my ability, I have completely fulfilled it. If you ask me then to explain the reasons “which, as it appears, sometime at the end of June made you completely change your mind on a matter of such gravity”, I can only say that there was absolutely no change of mind on my part. To be sure, I realize that misunderstandings are always possible when agreement are not committed to writing, as between, friends, and I can well understand that your recollection of the position may not coincide with mine. However, you will surely appreciate why it is that your present stand appears to me as a complete and unilateral reversal of our previous agreements.		I will have to be somewhat tedious and remind you of our agreements, in sequence. You will recall the <u>last</u> summer, in 1952, and under great stress, I completed my work on Dahomey. Our understanding at that time could not have been more explicit: you state then that I had fully discharged my responsibilities to Project 190 and in more than good measure. If you were more than generous in your estimate of my work, I must be forgiven for taking your word at face value. In May of <u>this</u> year, 1953, when you were preparing to submit sections of the Ms. to the publisher, I expressed my dissatisfactions with the chapters being submitted and <u>offered</u> to rewrite those to which I could bring the benefit of some second thoughts. I promised to devote the month of June to these revisions, on the understanding that I would have to limit myself to that amount of time, to which you agreed. As a matter of fact, I spent half of May as well as the whole of June in revising the chapters, as you know. This was the plan to which I had “so enthusiastically subscribed”, and to the best of my ability, I have completely fulfilled it. If you ask me then to explain the reasons “which, as it appears, sometime at the end of June made you completely change your mind on a matter of such gravity”, I can only say that there was absolutely no change of mind on my part. To be sure, I realize that misunderstandings are always possible when agreement are not committed to writing, as between, friends, and I can well understand that your recollection of the position may not coincide with mine. However, you will surely appreciate why it is that your present stand appears to me as a complete and unilateral reversal of our previous agreements.

	As for the Interdisciplinary Project, there seems to be, again, a most unfortunate misunderstanding. It should not be necessary to assure you that I am more than willing to carry out my responsibilities as Executive Secretary for 1953/54 on the terms which I had understood as agreed upon with you and with Professor Arensberg. At no time have I raised any question about continuing in this post. However, if the terms of my appointment have been altered, I am forced to reconsider my position. You will {{Page \|n°=55}} recall that I was extremely careful to obtain from you and from Professor Arensberg a precise definition of my responsibilities, insofar as this was possible in advance, since it was understood by all of us that mine would have to be a limited participation. Insofar as my research responsibilities to the Project were in question, in addition to administrative duties, it was clearly understood that these would be confined to the American study. If you wish to make it a condition for my continued employment on the Project that I undertake further work on the Dahomey Ms., this would involve an unlimited participation which I would find it impossible to maintain. While I should be happy indeed to be free to give unstintingly of my time and effort to the furtherance of this work, it should be obvious that such a course is out of the question for me at this juncture. You must be aware that my dissertation has already been postponed beyond any reasonable or tolerable limits, and for the calculable future I am physically incapable of carrying any additional commitments beyond those which I have already undertaken. I am sure that you prefer me to be quite frank. Whatever generous promises I might be moved to make would prove to be “wholly out of touch ~~will~~ reality” and surely would not advance your interests. If you choose to terminate my appointment on the Project, I can only say that I shall be sincerely sorry to lose the opportunity to help in bridging your work to its deserved conclusion.		As for the Interdisciplinary Project, there seems to be, again, a most unfortunate misunderstanding. It should not be necessary to assure you that I am more than willing to carry out my responsibilities as Executive Secretary for 1953/54 on the terms which I had understood as agreed upon with you and with Professor Arensberg. At no time have I raised any question about continuing in this post. However, if the terms of my appointment have been altered, I am forced to reconsider my position. You will {{Page \|n°=55}} recall that I was extremely careful to obtain from you and from Professor Arensberg a precise definition of my responsibilities, insofar as this was possible in advance, since it was understood by all of us that mine would have to be a limited participation. Insofar as my research responsibilities to the Project were in question, in addition to administrative duties, it was clearly understood that these would be confined to the American study. If you wish to make it a condition for my continued employment on the Project that I undertake further work on the Dahomey Ms., this would involve an unlimited participation which I would find it impossible to maintain. While I should be happy indeed to be free to give unstintingly of my time and effort to the furtherance of this work, it should be obvious that such a course is out of the question for me at this juncture. You must be aware that my dissertation has already been postponed beyond any reasonable or tolerable limits, and for the calculable future I am physically incapable of carrying any additional commitments beyond those which I have already undertaken. I am sure that you prefer me to be quite frank. Whatever generous promises I might be moved to make would prove to be “wholly out of touch with reality” and surely would not advance your interests. If you choose to terminate my appointment on the Project, I can only say that I shall be sincerely sorry to lose the opportunity to help in bridging your work to its deserved conclusion.

	As ever,		As ever,

Santiago Pinault: Created page with "{{Page |n°=54}} My dear Karl: I have refrained until now from writing at length on this matter, taking it for granted that the premises for our co-operation were mutually un..."

2018-04-09T05:22:02Z

Created page with "{{Page |n°=54}} My dear Karl: I have refrained until now from writing at length on this matter, taking it for granted that the premises for our co-operation were mutually un..."

New page

{{Page |n°=54}} My dear Karl:

I have refrained until now from writing at length on this matter, taking it for granted that the premises for our co-operation were mutually understood. You ask me for an explanation however, and indeed it seems that a colossal misunderstanding has arisen which must be cleared up.

I am utterly astounded at the charge that I have failed to complete the work which, as you say, I “[[To_Rosemary_Arnold_(21_August_1953)|so enthusiastically subscribed to in May]]”; that I have changed my mind “sometime at the end of June”; and most outrageous of all, that I must expect to shoulder the responsibility “should the intended institutional co-operation in the new phase of my work come to nought even before it is really started, and that on account of your incomprehensible decision”!

I will have to be somewhat tedious and remind you of our agreements, in sequence. You will recall the last summer, in 1952, and under great stress, I completed my work on Dahomey. Our understanding at that time could not have been more explicit: you state then that I had fully discharged my responsibilities to Project 190 and in more than good measure. If you were more than generous in your estimate of my work, I must be forgiven for taking your word at face value. In May of this year, 1953, when you were preparing to submit sections of the Ms. to the publisher, I expressed my dissatisfactions with the chapters being submitted and offered to rewrite those to which I could bring the benefit of some second thoughts. I promised to devote the month of June to these revisions, on the understanding that I would have to limit myself to that amount of time, to which you agreed. As a matter of fact, I spent half of May as well as the whole of June in revising the chapters, as you know. This was the plan to which I had “so enthusiastically subscribed”, and to the best of my ability, I have completely fulfilled it. If you ask me then to explain the reasons “which, as it appears, sometime at the end of June made you completely change your mind on a matter of such gravity”, I can only say that there was absolutely no change of mind on my part. To be sure, I realize that misunderstandings are always possible when agreement are not committed to writing, as between, friends, and I can well understand that your recollection of the position may not coincide with mine. However, you will surely appreciate why it is that your present stand appears to me as a complete and unilateral reversal of our previous agreements.

As for the Interdisciplinary Project, there seems to be, again, a most unfortunate misunderstanding. It should not be necessary to assure you that I am more than willing to carry out my responsibilities as Executive Secretary for 1953/54 on the terms which I had understood as agreed upon with you and with Professor Arensberg. At no time have I raised any question about continuing in this post. However, if the terms of my appointment have been altered, I am forced to reconsider my position. You will {{Page |n°=55}} recall that I was extremely careful to obtain from you and from Professor Arensberg a precise definition of my responsibilities, insofar as this was possible in advance, since it was understood by all of us that mine would have to be a limited participation. Insofar as my research responsibilities to the Project were in question, in addition to administrative duties, it was clearly understood that these would be confined to the American study. If you wish to make it a condition for my continued employment on the Project that I undertake further work on the Dahomey Ms., this would involve an unlimited participation which I would find it impossible to maintain. While I should be happy indeed to be free to give unstintingly of my time and effort to the furtherance of this work, it should be obvious that such a course is out of the question for me at this juncture. You must be aware that my dissertation has already been postponed beyond any reasonable or tolerable limits, and for the calculable future I am physically incapable of carrying any additional commitments beyond those which I have already undertaken. I am sure that you prefer me to be quite frank. Whatever generous promises I might be moved to make would prove to be “wholly out of touch will reality” and surely would not advance your interests. If you choose to terminate my appointment on the Project, I can only say that I shall be sincerely sorry to lose the opportunity to help in bridging your work to its deserved conclusion.

As ever,

R.

== Letter Informations ==
'''KPA''': [[49/02]], 53-54