Of course we had differences, and big ones, especially in the beginning... For
instance, in Section I you might think we were merely clarifying our
instructions. Not so; it took a long time before we all agreed to a strict
interpretation.... Roe and Taylor deserve most of the credit for this... There are
many things in the Report that look obvious now, but didn't seem so obvious
then. For instance, on the relationship of war to social systems. The original
premise was conventional, from Clausewitz. .... That war was an "instrument"
of broader political values. Able was the only one who challenged this, at first.
Fox called his position "perverse." Yet it was Fox who furnished most of the
data that led us all to agree with Able eventually. I mention this be- cause I
think it's a good example of the way we worked. A triumph of method over
cliché...... I certainly don't intend to go into details about who took what side
about what, and when. But I will say, to give credit where due, that only Roe,
Able, Hill and Taylor were able to see, at the beginning, where our method was
taking us.
BUT YOU ALWAYS REACHED AGREEMENT, EVENTUALLY?
Yes. It's a unanimous report... I don't mean that our sessions were always
harmonious. Some of them were rough. The last six months there was a lot of
quibbling about small points... We'd been under pressure for a long time, we'd
been working together too long. It was natural.....that we got on each other's
nerves. For a while Able and Taylor weren't speaking to each other. Miller
threatened to quit. But this all passed. There were no important differences...
HOW WAS THE REPORT ACTUALLY WRITTEN? WHO DID THE WRITING?
We all had a hand in the first draft. Jones and Able put it together, and then
mailed it around for review before working out a final version... The only
problems were the form it should take and whom we were writing it for. And, of
course, the question of disclosure.... [Doe's comments on this point are
summarized in the introduction.]
YOU MENTIONED A "PEACE GAMES" MANUAL. WHAT ARE
PEACE GAMES?
I wanted to say something about that. The Report barely mentions it. "Peace
games" is a method we developed during the course of the study. It's a
forecasting technique, an information system. I'm very excited about it. Even if
nothing is done about our recommendations--which is conceivable--this is
something that can't be ignored. It will revolutionize the study of social
instance, in Section I you might think we were merely clarifying our
instructions. Not so; it took a long time before we all agreed to a strict
interpretation.... Roe and Taylor deserve most of the credit for this... There are
many things in the Report that look obvious now, but didn't seem so obvious
then. For instance, on the relationship of war to social systems. The original
premise was conventional, from Clausewitz. .... That war was an "instrument"
of broader political values. Able was the only one who challenged this, at first.
Fox called his position "perverse." Yet it was Fox who furnished most of the
data that led us all to agree with Able eventually. I mention this be- cause I
think it's a good example of the way we worked. A triumph of method over
cliché...... I certainly don't intend to go into details about who took what side
about what, and when. But I will say, to give credit where due, that only Roe,
Able, Hill and Taylor were able to see, at the beginning, where our method was
taking us.
BUT YOU ALWAYS REACHED AGREEMENT, EVENTUALLY?
Yes. It's a unanimous report... I don't mean that our sessions were always
harmonious. Some of them were rough. The last six months there was a lot of
quibbling about small points... We'd been under pressure for a long time, we'd
been working together too long. It was natural.....that we got on each other's
nerves. For a while Able and Taylor weren't speaking to each other. Miller
threatened to quit. But this all passed. There were no important differences...
HOW WAS THE REPORT ACTUALLY WRITTEN? WHO DID THE WRITING?
We all had a hand in the first draft. Jones and Able put it together, and then
mailed it around for review before working out a final version... The only
problems were the form it should take and whom we were writing it for. And, of
course, the question of disclosure.... [Doe's comments on this point are
summarized in the introduction.]
YOU MENTIONED A "PEACE GAMES" MANUAL. WHAT ARE
PEACE GAMES?
I wanted to say something about that. The Report barely mentions it. "Peace
games" is a method we developed during the course of the study. It's a
forecasting technique, an information system. I'm very excited about it. Even if
nothing is done about our recommendations--which is conceivable--this is
something that can't be ignored. It will revolutionize the study of social
