Diary 1963 - Murshid Sam's Living Stream

Diaries 1963-2Scientific Ventures. All my reports to whomsoever in Washington have been shelved but I didgot a cryptic letter from the White House, of all places, telling me about how we are feeding backwardpeople, something I know lots more about than the writer because I have seen it in East Pakistanand Egypt. The general who was in charge of the feeding in East Pakistan became a close friendand we are more than ever associated in this Islamabad University.I then received a restricted letter from AID which is in charge of some types of foreign aid—socalled.It corroborates my findings in every country excepting Egypt which was not visited, down tothe smallest details. The suggestions on every point are the same—drainage, engineering, soil management,crops, etc. If there is any doubt about veracity one has only to contact Mr. Hass, technicalassistant to Senator Kuchel, and I can name others, all others.For it has been strange—that in the face of so-called “Foreign Aid” I have been asked to submitmy own plans to the official who is now head of one of the governmental sub-divisions in the lowerpart of the Indus Valley. Why should he write me, an unknown individual, if things were so lovely?In the meanwhile I have received an opposite report from a group of food specialists. And ontop of that they have sent me reports on some of the latest developments in certain sciences, verytechnical and still more important than technical.And on top of that Dr. Robert Miller, Director of the Academy of Sciences, has nominated mefor the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which will enable me to represent theUniversity of Islamabad. This alone has been a terrible trial for every university in the country whichhas foreigners in charge of Islamics has turned me down and it is only fortunate that Princeton hasAmericans and the sheer weight of my contacts abroad has caused them to revise the book they wereplanning for the instruction of the Peace Corps.Persons. I never told my parents—they would not have believed me anyhow, and certainlyElliott never, that I have been on very close terms with two local big shots. One is Lucretia Del ValleGrady who is a scion of big California families and the #1 women of the Democratic Party. But thereason for our association is our close connection with an institution in New Delhi, which is exceedinglyimportant there (you can consult the Prime Minister, President and Vice President of India forthat) and not because of anything here.The other one is Russell Smith Sr. who was a close associate of the Gianninis, connected withthe world Bank and International Monetary Commission and now head of Asia Foundation—theone place I can go and report. When I said I met the President of India or anybody else they believedit but not so the press, universities, the “experts,” etc. and I am not going into that.But I never got one introduction from these people. I earn my way. I visited the World Bankwhen I was in Washington without introduction and the UN the same. People don’t know me andperhaps that is my salvation.