A Tall Man

Among those superlatives descriptive of Harvard faculty members "tallest" is the uncontested property of John Kenneth Galbraith, professor, Democrat, world traveler--in all a very busy man. But most of all an economist whose concern with economics finds a great many outlets. For "like theology, and unlike mathematics, economics deals with matters which men consider very close to their lives."

He's a writer whose books on economic theory

--The Theory of Price Controls, Economics and the Art of Controversy, American Capitalism, and The Great Crash 1929--reveal a broad interest in current social and economic issues and a highly imaginative approach. The Affluent Society, his latest, has been an amazing success since its publication in May. He finished this book last September and embodied the data in his Soc Sci 134 lectures. This year Galbraith is interested in the theory of organization, is exploring the subject in his Soc Sci lectures, and may eventually come up with another book, but "a technical book, definitely not a best-seller."

Galbraith also contributes frequently to Atlantic, The Reporter, and Harper's--book reviews, light off-beat articles, discussions with roots in economics but branches in all corners of the contemporary scene. His fluent presentation combines charm and wit, and as he remarks in the foreword to one book, "I think the reader will find this a good-humored book. There is a place, no doubt, for the great polemic.... I would like to suppose I do not take myself so seriously." He laments the set-up in economics wherein "an economist who uses math and can't add is excluded from the field, while one who uses oral expression and can't write may be considered a competent scholar."

Along with many other economists Galbraith is active in politics--indeed, extremely active. He serves as chairman to the Advisory Committee on Economics of the Advisory Council of the Democratic National Committee, worked quite closely with Stevenson during the past two presidential campaigns, and stands an ardent critic of Administration policies. "A professor's activity in public affairs is generally a matter of taste. I feel that politics brings some reality and balance into my world. I teach agricultural economics, and political interests form my bridge with the Middle West. I enjoy my occasional lectures there. Sometimes I have to see an angry farmer, an angry man without a job, or even an irate Democrat, to realize the full impact of an economic situation."

These speeches on farm policy are extensively quoted by farm groups and Democratic congressmen. In addition Galbraith often testifies in Washington on economic issues such as the present recession. And he travels--perhaps as widely, though not so often, as our Secretary of State. In May, for instance, he began a six week trip through Poland and Yugoslavia as part of a cultural exchange program, returned to the U.S. in June, and spent the remainder of the summer in South America. (A journal which he kept on this trip to Europe will be published next month by the University Press.) And just Tuesday he returned from a five day trip to Rhodes and some talks with leaders of the British Labor Party and economists from various underdeveloped countries.

During the early war years Galbraith took charge of price controls for OPA, and later became director of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey and of economic affairs in the former enemy countries for the State Department. He then spent several years with Fortune magazine and in 1949 came to Harvard.

"As I remember, someone told me at the time that this was a very wise decision. Maybe it was Henry Luce, though I might have made it up myself. In any event, I still feel no regrets. There's an advantage in the captive audience that I can't overstress. And so much of value goes on here completely divorced from the classroom. For instance, I thoroughly enjoy those lively discussions in the Winthrop House dining room."

These "discussions" take place each Thursday at Winthrop's "Economics Table," where a shifting line-up always features Galbraith at the head of the table and such pinch hitters as Lady Jackson (Barbard Ward) and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., with as many tutors and undergrads as can find room.

The tone here varies from sobriety to total jest, while wit serves as condiment to an otherwise dull meal. Talk jumps from underdeveloped countries to outer space, and "How do we know we're the most developed country, anyway?" Then back to slave trade and the Barbary Pirates. Or a doubleedged solution to both farm surplus and foreign aid problems might be presented. "Just give the farmers a sabbatical every other year on the condition that they spend this time abroad." A neat panacea, but impossible. Or is it?

Everything gets a hearing at the Ec table. Anything goes, from the simplest to the most fantastic, including those radical notions expressed solely for argument's sake which crop up at these gatherings with such devastating consequences. Yet Galbraith was heard to close one particularly gay luncheon with the happy thought that "It is generally understood that the topics raised around this table one year will be on everybody's lips during the next."

Who knows, this may not all be jest.