Evening star., 1952-12-30
Army Emp|Oye Here
Receives Award for
Historical Paper

torical writing last night brought
the Carnegie Revolving Fund for
Publications award to a Washing
ton area man. at the annual BAN
Quet of the American Historical
Association.
de was Byron Fairchild, 40.
civilian employe of the Army His
torlcal Section here. and resi-
dent of 2S13 Central avenue,
Alexandria, Va.
Mr.. Fairchild authored a paper
on New England merchants. The
award carries with it the publica =
ton of the paper by the Cornell
Press.
Another award at the function
in the Mayflower Hotel, part of
the associations 9th annual
meeting, went to DR.. Clarence Yer
Steeg. assistant professor of his
tory at Northwestern University,
Evanston. Ill. He won the groups
top historical award, the $1,000
Beveridge prize.
Warnings From Randall.
The principal speaker was to
have been j. G. Randall. professor
emeritus OF history at the Univer-
sity of Illinois. at Urbana. He was
unable to attend the dinner be-
cause of illness, and his address
was read by DR.. Arthur E. BeStor,
jr., professor of history at that
university. In his address, stress
ing the need for reliable history,
Dr.. Randall stated that no one
has fully measured the misleading
effect of unhistorical notions in
the international field. He said
causes of wars have often been
represented as broadly based.
elemental, cosmic and hence SEEM
inely justified.
He cautioned particularly
against the unfounded dogma as
to the inevitability of war, to-
gether with its log jam" COR
Rotary or the accompanying and
self-contradictory notion of pre-
VentlVe war"
DR.. Luther H. Evans, Librarian
OF Congress, was POSTMASTER.
Gottschalk Elected.
During yesterday afternoons
business session Louis R. Gott-
schalk of the University of Chi
caeo was elected president of the
association, succeeding DR.. Ran
dali
Other principal officers chosen
were Merle Curti of the University
of Wisconsin, vice president. and
Scion j. Buck. assistant librarian
OF Congress, treasurer.
In other business Arthur w.
Page was named as chairman of
the Board of Trustees to replace
w. Randolph Burgess, who re-
signed. Also disclosed was the
reelection of Thomas I. Parkinson
as member of the board.
Gordon A. Craig of Princeton
University was elected delegate
on the Social Science Research
Council. Prof. Charles Taylor of
Harvard was named delegate to
the American Council of Learned
Societies.
Meet Next in Chicago.
Next years meeting of the
association will be held in Chi
cago. it was disclosed. In 1854
it will be in New York and the
ASSOCIATION will convene again in
Washington in 1855.
The association was to continue
its meeting today with several
Joint sessions, at which varied
topics were to be discussed.
Earlier yesterday Arthur NJ.
6chleslnger, jr., of Harvard Uni
versity told the group that COM
plete and immediate disclosures
of historical papers may have a
marked effect on history in the
future
The noted historian and author
said immediate disclosures would
discourage public officials from
putting valuable information in
writing.
Handicaps Future.
IF persons feel confidential
memos are to be made public
they will not write them" he said.
This will reduce the amount of
material for historians in the fu-
ture"
DIR. Schlesinger said the writing
Of contemporary history is being
made increasingly difficult dur
Ing this electronic age.
Important basic discussions
are being held over the telephone, ,"
he asserted.
Another speaker, S. Everett
Gleason, jr. of the National Sc
curity Council, told the session
the historian can render many
services to the Government, par
ticularly in these harsh times.
He said that, in certain aca-
demic quarters, there is a great
concern over the depredations
committed by the Government in
the shape of raids which capture
promising young historians and
'consign them to the grim battle
of bureaucracy"
Certain Type Needed.
There they are bribed with
higher salaries. or tempted by the
prospect of using their talents tt
gain power. or merely to live ir
an atmosphere surcharged with
excitement" he said. THUS, they
become irrevocably lost to the his.
torical profession.
Mr. Gleason said in his expe.
rience this problem is not present
The Government has alway.
needed wise and competent gen.
araliSts--individua whose mind.
have been disciplined, with the
range of whose outlook is broac
and deep" This combination, HI
ADDED. is one which the training
of historians is particularly de.
signed to foster and develop i
the native quality is present.