extracted text

Prof. Dr.J. TINBERGEN
,

The Hague, 2 January 1953
Sijzenlaan ^-1

:Prof, Dr Arthur jÉdlTHIES,
Department of Economics,
Harvard University,
M-8 Littauer Center,
Cambridge ?8.(Mass)
Dear Smithies,
Thank you very much for your letter of
December 17» It was indeed a great pleasure to receive
it and I feel honored by the idea to be a possible candidate,
I don't think', however, that I can accept to be available.
A Professor of Statistics at Harvard should, I think, be
well acquainted with modern development in mathematical
statistics and should himself have contributed to that
field. Actually I am only a consumer of some of these
methods, and my own work developed more and more into the
direction of mathematical economics and economic policy
than of mathematical statistics. I hope you understand my
point of view.
May I take this opportunity, however, to
bring another question before you ? I have been invited
to spend about 3 months (from October 1 till Xmas 1953)
in the USA as an exchange professor at Haverford College,
Haverford, Pa. I accepted and it was understood that I
would be free to accept possible offers to give some
separate lectures at universities in the neighbourhood. If
there would be a chance in the frame of existing regulations
to pay a visit also to Harvard, you can imagine that I
would be delighted. I hope our personal relations excuse
me in putting this question rather bluntly and I hope too
that you will be kind enough to say frankly what you think
of it.
With best personal wishes,
I am,
yours very sincerely.