Offhand there appear to be two methods in which folklore
can be taught; namely by the "doctrinaire" or Method A or the
"libertarian or Method B.

A would consist in the instructor clearly defining HIS
definition of folklore and warning the students of the dire
consequences of the use of any other definition. Thus having
established a neat framework he can then fill in the picture
by readings from Grimms Märchen, Greek Mythology or other Folk-
tales and Legends. The examinations could then take the form of
relating a synopsis of certain tales or even better a multiple
choice questionnaire.

This method would no doubt be extremely comfortable to an
instructor who wants to expend as little cerebral energy as
possible and a great boon to the student whose thought processes
have not advanced beyond the highschool level. It has the
added advantage that the final grade will be in direct propor-
tion to the total time spent in front of the book containing
the assigned tales, learning them by rote. In order to accom-
plish this laudable purpose the use of the "Nümberger Trichter"
must be highly recommended. This device consists of a special
funnel inserted into the skull through a burrhole, through
which the wisdom of the ages is then painlessly and without
effort poured into the students brain. In Germany this tale is
told to school children who want their mental fare served to
them premasticated and predigested.

Obviously Method A has no place in an academic setting
where original thought should be more important than the storage
of bits and pieces of unconnected knowledge. Method B should
appeal to this group for many different reasons which I shall

2

attempt to discuss after explaining what the libertarian system of teaching should consist of and why it requires considerable cognitive effort.

When one reads through the sampling list of items provided by Dundes as introduction to his book on the study of folklore one begins to wonder what is not included and finally one must develop one's own definition and establishment of boundaries.

In each and every case we must use our own discriminatory judgment which may not agree with someone else's views. For instance we probably will all agree that certain gestures even through their meaning may change diachronically ( V for victory - V for peace ) are of folkloric importance and productive of emotional responses far in excess of what rational thinking would lead us to expect. How about the "distance of comfort" described in the book by E.T.Hall "The Silent Language"? Can we call the fact that different cultural backgrounds have different "comfort distances" between persons a folkloric trait or can we argue that subliminal acts and gestures are part of cultural psychology and not of folklore? I am sure that our opinions will probably be divided on this issue without reaching any conclusions, overlooking the fact that we are just trying to hang different labels on an extremely interesting phenomenon the understanding of which is more important than its classification.

In our class the question of what does and what does not constitute folklore has been repetitiously the subject of debate which frequently became acrimonious out of all proportion to the importance of the subject. Was this just an expression of hysteria or could a deeper meaning be attached to this "gut

reaction" ? I submit that we all know conciously or subconciou-
sly that the folklore we have absorbed in the course of our
lives is the very core of our personal being and that further-
more the folklore of the sociological group or groups to which
we belong deep down is sacrosanct to us. Sir John Davies
probably was wrong when he stated that "no man is an island,
entire of itself". The very opposite is probably true: We all
carry our individual or collective carapaces around with us to
protect us from the threat of a hostile world in which like the
Navajos we fear all outsiders and unlike the Navajos we keep up
our guard against kinfolk because being closer to us, they might
penetrate our defenses more readily. The Navajo has his folk-
loric chants and curing rites which give him protection against
the enemy while we have sacrificed essential parts of our folk-
lore on the altar of "pure science" only to find out now that
science will not help us while our western world is going up in
flames.

We have strengthened the carapace to hide our internal
turmoil and react strongly when we detect a probing finger
between the different parts of our shell. In Northern Ireland
Catholics and Protestants are manning the barricades because
both feel their beliefs threatened. Jews and Arabs are fighting
over a "Homeland", Communist and Capitalist societies are at each
others throats although no pure capitalist or Communist country
or for that matter can exist.
exists, Black power advocates hate whites and vice versa, Labor
and Management seem to be separated by a widening gulf of hate
and misunderstanding.

I could cite many more examples of Schismogenetic import in
our society were it not for the fear of being redundant. I
might state that the violent reactions both individual and

4

collective may be due to a paranoia consecutive to the devaluation of our normative postulates, in other words our folklore, or as I stated in the first part; "the disease of the connective tissue of our culture".

What might be the cure? Changing from a snail to a slug! Getting rid of our hard shell and exposing our innermost thoughts and feelings to the inspection of the world giving t testimony to our common humanity.

This chain of thoughts occured to me when observing the class reaction to the presentation of the subject. The reaction of the class and my thoughts about it would have been impossible had type A of instruction been used.

The participation in the discussions produced insight into the thought processes and the folkloric background of different age sets, nationalities, sexes and racial origins and I believe that in the microcosmos of the class we began to head in the direction of coming out of our shell even though at times we pulled our horns back in fright. I am sure we still have a long way to go before we learn enough about each other to really become curious about each others thoughts and feelings, in one word to become concerned about each other and to enjoy diversity rather than seeking consensus by all available means.

Conversely it is high time that we do away with the great American dream of the latter part of the last century and the beginning of the 20th century about the Melting Pot into which all different races are thrown and lo and behold a new race - the American - is created. In folklore just as in culture in general traits which are irrelevant or contrary to a taboo are rejected and this should definitely be done with the myth of

the Melting Pot. It should be replaced with an acceptance of
the diversities in the American Society which hopefully will
eventually lead to Xenophilia which will replace our present
Xenophobia. Then and only then will our society become a cohesive
body and the United States of America by the mere fact of
containing a multiplicity of races, nationalities, religions,
and political ideas, able to live in harmony with each other
will by its example truly become the leader of the world.

OFFICIAL

Type of Request & Date

Name: Dr. Fletcher, NASA

FLETCHER, NASA

(Last name and pending date)

EXECUTIVE

Request: Would like to have a follow-up meeting on Post-Apollo International Cooperation Program. He is now ready with the information Mr. Kissinger requested at their last meeting. (He will be gone from Wednesday, May 26 through May 31).

Contact his secretary, Betty Covert, 13 x 36931

DRH's Recommendation:

HAK's Answer:

Date and Time:

Party Contacted:

Additional Information:

Resolution:

MEMORANDUM

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

ACTION

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

May 10, 1971

MEMORANDUM FOR: DAVID HALPERIN

FROM: ROBERT M. BEHR

SUBJECT: Post-Apollo Space Cooperation

At his meeting on 23 April 1971 with Drs. Fletcher, Low, David and Peter Flanigan, Dr. Kissinger asked that a paper be prepared covering (1) technology transfer and (2) alternative possibilities for space co-operation with the Europeans. A two week deadline was set, after which the group would reconvene to consider the paper. Under Secretary Johnson is to be invited.

NASA is now prepared to brief the results of their investigations. I believe that you should try to schedule a meeting for this purpose at an early date.

For your planning purposes, Dr. Fletcher will be out of the city on 13 - 14 May and 20 - 21 May.

Please give me some idea of when this meeting is likely to be scheduled.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

KISSINGER, HENRY A.

Dear Jim:

Many thanks for your kind invitation to me to
join you in attending the launch of Apollo 15
on Monday, July 26. I am sure you know how
much I have enjoyed attending past launches
and I have made every effort to free myself
for this one.

I regret that the many demands of my job at
this time make it impossible for me to be with
you. Please accept my personal good wishes
for the success of Apollo 15 and my best re-
gards to Astronauts Scott, Worden and Irwin.

Honorable James C. Fletcher
Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
Washington, D.C. 20546

jlp:7/21/71

RECEIVED

JUL 23 1971

CENTRAL FILES

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546

OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR

JUL 7 1971

Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Assistant to the President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Dr. Kissinger,

The Apollo 15 mission, which is to make this nation's fourth manned landing on the Moon, is scheduled to be launched at 9:34 a.m. (EDT), Monday, July 26, 1971, from NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

I would like to extend a cordial invitation to you to attend the Apollo 15 launch.

Piloting Apollo 15 will be Astronauts David R. Scott, Spacecraft Commander; Alfred M. Worden, Command Module Pilot; and James R. Irwin, Lunar Module Pilot. This mission is to land in the mountainous Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon. It will feature for the first time use of a lunar roving vehicle that will greatly increase the exploratory range of the astronauts on the Moon's surface, many important scientific experiments and three periods of exploration on the lunar surface.

NASA will furnish aircraft transportation from Washington, D. C., and return. We will also be happy to reserve accommodations for you with the party in Orlando, if you desire. Plans are to depart Andrews Air Force Base at 12 noon on Sunday, July 25, with lunch served on board. Following a special briefing and tour of the Kennedy Space Center, the group will be transported to Orlando for dinner that evening. On Monday morning, the party will return to the Kennedy Space Center to view the launch, departing for Washington immediately thereafter. Estimated time of arrival will be early afternoon at Andrews Air Force Base.

I hope your schedule will permit you to accept this opportunity to view the launch of a manned lunar landing flight. It will be most