The CIA and the Universities

The limiting case of the President’s generalization is the CIA’s enrollment in—or, perhaps, enrollment of—Michigan State University’s Vietnam project. In this extreme instance the university was used as a tool, though as a rule the academic community is handled more delicately. For many years now the military services have poured millions of dollars for research into the universities. In many instances scholars have deserted the campus for organizations like RAND whose existence is directly related to the needs of “national security.” Presumably, the university has thereby become an effective instrument; but can an instrument remain a university?

A university may still be thought of with some just...