To the Editor:
The most disingenuous aspect of the controversy surrounding Karl Furstenberg's letter to Alfred Bloom, President of Swarthmore College, is Dean Furstenberg's contention that his letter was a "private," "personal letter" to "a friend." Clearly, it was nothing of the kind.
The letter, a carefully crafted, closely argued missive on Dartmouth College letterhead paper, was not a confidential message between old friends. After all, where are the personal asides, the warm and supportive words of encouragement, the greetings to spouse and family? There are none.
I expect that the letter was purposely prepared by President Bloom and Dean Furstenberg together as a means for Dean Furstenberg to give political support to his friend's efforts to eradicate the Swarthmore football program.
The formal tone of the letter makes it evident that President Bloom intended from the start to share the letter with at least Swarthmore's Board of Trustees. He could point to Karl Furstenberg's words and say, "Look, it isn't just Swarthmore that wants to get rid of football; even an institution like Dartmouth, with the most glorious football history in the country, would get rid of their program, if they couldand I have an official letter to prove it."
The letter probably went through multiple iterations as President Bloom and Dean Furstenberg drafted and re-drafted in order to address the political points that President Bloom sought to make to Swarthmore Trustees and alumni.
And certainly President Bloom would have wanted the letter on Dartmouth College letterhead. This context would help to convince people skeptical of Bloom's kill-football initiative that Furstenberg's comments were the official position of Dartmouth College.
Come on, Dean Furstenberg, let's have direct answers to the following questions:
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Did you and President Bloom discuss this letter before you sent it to him?
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Did he participate in its drafting and editing?
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Did President Bloom, at any time before or after you sent the letter, tell you that it would be distributed to other people beyond his own family? Did you agree to this?
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Who at Swarthmore saw the letter other than President Bloom?
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Did you comment on your letter either in writing or verbally to anyone at Swarthmore during the period when Swarthmore was abolishing its football program?
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If this was a "private" letter, how is it that Jim Wright "became aware of the letter early in 2001?" Did you give it to him? Or did President Bloom? Or did it come from another person who had seen the letter?
Dean Furstenberg's letter shows a disloyalty to Dartmouth and a disrespect for a group of Dartmouth students that should lead to his dismissal.
Beyond that, in trying to cover up the letter by saying that it was "private," Dean Furstenberg shows a disrespect for us all.
