“An individualist of the old-fashioned American type”: The informal scientific diplomacy of Oswald Veblen

It is easy to think of Oswald Veblen as the consummate institutionalist. And yet, in a statement written on May 25, 1953, Veblen writes of himself: "The fact is that I am the opposite of a communist, namely, an individualist of the old-fashioned American type that grew up in the 19th century". Expressions of political positions from Veblen are rare, we are left trying to understand his core beliefs by observing his actions. This statement is the most explicit statement of his political philosophy of which we are aware. It is worthwhile to examine the, not yet completely understood, circumstances that elicited this statement.