MODERN DOCUMENTS
WASHINGTON B.
C.
The Bureau of Misplaced Persons
Our new intellectual adviser to the White House had the
following things to say about intellectuals when interviewed in a na–
tionally syndicated column. We offer it as his introduction to our readers:
" 'Now as for "intellectuals," , he said, 'the term intellectual has been
batted about too loosely. When you mention intellectuals today, who do
you mean? There is a broad group. The ones we talk about when we
mention the President's relations with them are only a small body of
self-appointed people who live in affluent alienation on Cape Cod and
fire off salvos against the vulgarity of the masses.
"'But this is a well-orchestrated outfit with fine Madison Avenue
techniques. Their way of criticizing makes the group seem bigger than
it is. The main problem is that an awful lot of these guys prefer style to
performance.'
" 'The strange thing about it,' his wife said, 'is that the ones who are
criticizing so much are the ones whose sons will go to graduate school
and have no worries about being drafted and sent to Vietnam.'
"'Are you supposed to build a bridge from the White House to
these people?' he was asked.
" 'That can't be done. It's just a small group of people and it won't
change. Besides I don't think the President needs a full-time pleni–
potentiary to the intellectuals. The function I'll have
in
Washington
is
up to
him,
anyway. Let the President give the job description. I can
interpret certain kinds of opinion for him. Beyond that, I'm under no
illusion I'll step in and begin advising an entire government.'
"'These alienated intellectuals,' he was asked, 'who are they?'
"'Mainly the New York artsy-craftsy set. They're in the Partisan
Review and the New York Review of Books and publications like
that.
The West Side jackal bins, I call them. They intend to launch a
revolution from Riverside Drive. Names, there are plenty of names who
write for them. Alfred Kazin writes, then Irving Howe, Dr. Spock,
Norman Mailer.'''
