Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2313

Correspondence regarding a gathering facilitated by the Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, at which Heath discussed his ideas on the possibility of free enterprise growing into the field of public community services. The four letters here are (1) Bradford B. Smith to Leonard E. Read, October 21, 1947; (2) W.M. Curtiss to Heath, November 15, 1947; (3) W.M. Curtiss to Fred R. Fairchild, November 15, 1947; and (4) W.M. Curtiss to Heath, January 19, 1948.

 

Dear Leonard:                         October 21, 1947

Your friend, Mr. Spencer Heath, came in to see me the the other day. We had a pleasant hour together finding a good deal of common ground. When I saw him I remembered that I had talked with him and liked him when I met him at one of your Irvington evenings.

 Mr. Heath did not undertake to express to me, on the occasion of his visit, the philosophy of a positive program of private enterprise which I understand he has developed over several years of investigation and cogitation. I suppose this was in natural response to the understandable reaction of those who, when possessed of important but revolutionary truth, fear that its too sudden exposition will only result in disbelief.

 Mr. Heath, however, did express a desire to have an evening with a few people interested in private enterprise, in the course of which he would undertake to set forth his views, not only because he would like others to be advantaged but also because he would welcome severe if sympathetic criticism. He would like to be host on such an occasion, but expressed inexperience in its organization. So, of course, I promptly nominated you who are the most expert person in that kind of thing (along with a number of other things, like cooking steaks) in America. How does the idea appeal to you?

With best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Bradford B. Smith

cc – Mr. Spencer Heath

__________________________________

 

Dear Mr. Heath:                       November 15, 1947

Enclosed is a copy of the letter I have just sent out to the following people:

Dr. Fred Fairchild, Yale University

Mr. Henry Hazlitt, New York City

Dr. Ray Westerfield, Yale University

Dr. Willford I. King, New York

Dr. Rufus S. Tucker, General Motors Corporation

Dr. Leo Wolman, New York

Dr. Ludwig von Mises, New York

Mr. Bradford B. Smith, United States Steel Corporation

 In addition to the above, the following persons here at the Foundation have been extended a similar invitation

  H. C. Cornuelle     L. E. Read
 W. M. Curtiss       Dean Russell

 F. A. Harper        V. Orville Watts

 I’ll keep in touch with you as December 3rd approaches and let you know the developments.

 This morning’s mail brought your manuscript. I shall be interested in reading it.

Sincerely yours,

 

(signed) W. H. Curtiss

 Executive Secretary

enclosure

__________________________________

Dear Dr. Fairchild:                         November 15, 1947

Mr. Spencer Heath has been known to us here at the Foundation for over a year, and has visited us several times. He is an engineer by training, and of the highly intellectual type. In recent years he has given considerable attention to economic and philosophical problems.

 

 He is the author of a number of pamphlets and has prepared the manuscript for a book entitled Citadel, Market and Altar. He calls it “The Outline of a New Science, Socionomy, the Science of Society.” It is a scholarly piece of work, although very heavy going for a lay reader.

 

 John Chamberlain wrote of Heath’s book: “…after all these centuries, I believe that someone has at last discovered and formulated the true function of private property in land. Mr. Heath’s general philosophy is a widely creative one. A lot of people will disagree with him but he’ll catch most of them off base, for his arguments are not in the least conventional.”

 

 One of the functions of this Foundation is to encourage basic research in the field of the social sciences. We feel that Mr. Heath’s work may deserve some critical attention by thoughtful persons interested in such matters, without thereby either endorsing or condemning his conclusions.

 

 Mr. Heath has asked me, on his behalf, to extend to you an invitation to be one of his guests at dinner at The Town Hall Club, 123 West 43^rd Street, on Wednesday evening, December 3^rd at 5:30 P.M. He will discuss the possibilities of free enterprise re-entering fields of activities now occupied by government. He would like to have his views freely challenged.

 

 Will you please let me know whether or not you can attend?

 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

(signed) W. M. Curtiss

Executive Secretary

 

______________________________

 

 

Dear Mr. Heath:                   January 19, 1948

I hope you enjoyed the dinner and discussions Friday evening as much as I did. Names and addresses of those who attended follow:

Dr. Bradford B. Smith, Economist

United States Steel Corporation

71 Broadway New York 6, New York

 

Dr. Willford I. King

President, Committee for Constitutional Government

28 Shore Road, Douglaston, L. I.

 

Dr. Ray B. Westerfield

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

 

Dr. Ludwig von Mises

777 West End Avenue, New York City

 

Dr. Rufus Tucker, Economist

General Motors Corporation

1775 Broadway New York City

The Foundation for Economic Education:

H. C. Cornuelle

W. M. Curtiss

F. A. Harper

Dean Russell

V. Orval Watts

William Johnson

 

 Under separate cover I am returning a number of your manuscripts which you were kind enough to loan us. I fear we have kept them much too long.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

(signed) W. M. Curtiss