AG Diary
March 4, 1949
President Herman B. Wells, Indiana University--phone
Asks me to give a talk at the celebration of the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital in Indianapolis in behalf of that institution. Declined.
I told W. that I thought that the large income that K.* had received from his book would be almost certain to raise the question among our trustees as to whether there was a clear case for the Foundation's supplying the main funds for K's studies while K. was banking as much as $200,000 for future costs of maintaining his work. Told W. I had expressed this uncertainty to K. and that I thought that it would be highly intelligent of K. to make no request of the NRC for aid in the immediate future but to use his accumulated funds until such time as he needed support for further work. Said I realized that discontinuance of appropriations from the Foundation to the NRC for this purpose could be interpreted as a disavowal of K. and that I thought the best way to avoid that impasse would be for K. to take the initiative in the move suggested. W. thinks it is best for him to talk to K. before I write K. in this sense. Agreed I would wait until K's return from the west coast.
*Kinsey