THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST GEORGE SELDES WRITES TO EDUCATOR HAROLD RUGG CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF LECTURE.

Seldes answers a letter from Harold Rugg of Columbia University's Teacher's College inviting him to give a talk at one of Rugg's lunchtime forums. Seldes writes that his dread of public speaking is such that he never accepts such invitations, but he is reluctant to say no in this case. He would prefer just to answer questions, or alternatively, as a starting off point for discussion, he could prepare a 30-minute summary of his upcoming book on Europe, "giving my conclusions regarding the situation vis-a-vis American 'defense' plans; the new 'people's democracies'; the world turn to the left; the Cominform vs. Tito; the opposition to the Marshall Plan in Marshall Plan nations; and a score of subjects about which the American press misinforms the American people."

George Seldes [1890-1995] was an American investigative journalist, foreign correspondent, editor, author and media critic. He is best known for publishing the newsletter "In Fact" from 1940 to 1950. Seldes influenced and was greatly admired by a whole generation of journalists and activists such as Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy, Nat Hentoff and Ralph Nader.

One of the best-known educators during the Progressive era of education, Harold Rugg (1886-1960) was a professor of education at Teachers College of Columbia University. A Civil Engineer, he had become interested in how students learn and pursued a doctorate in education. He was responsible for producing the very first series of school textbooks from 1929 until the 1940s.