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Kenneth ClarkKenneth Clark
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the inefficiency, and had not addressed itself to the basic issues that I was concerned with. I wasn't concerned with decentralization as an end. I was concerned with decentralization as something which would trigger, or, you know, stimulate changes in individual schools which would be beneficial to the children.

There was no evidence of this. And I therefore didn't see that I was enthusiastic about decentralization.

Well, to my surprise, about a month later -- I don't know how long later, but it certainly was more than a few weeks -- the NEW YORK TIMES reporter got hold of the transcript, and wrote a long story about my change. And then people started interviewing me, and I wasn't going to lie.

Then, of course, you know what happened. This was more grist for the mill of anti-Clark, anti-Kenneth. I could have tried to back out by saying I was misquoted or something of the sort, but I wasn't misquoted. When I get in trouble, in terms of things in the press, it's not because I'm being misquoted, it's because I'm being quoted correctly. I was quoted correctly, because they had the transcript, and that's what I believed.

People of the PEA, you know, and other defenders of decentralization to the bitter end, accused me of being treasonable and all that.

I don't have many loyalties to things in themselves. I'm concenned with things in terms of other things that seem to me to be the important objectives and ends.





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