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MEMORANDUM ON YALE INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RELATIONS - MARCH 1938

In April the officers will bring before t.he Board recomr,lendctions

regarding the Yale Institute of Human Relctions.
sent support from the Foundation is large, its past history confused, and
its future uncertain it may be in order to offer ad interim an account of
the Institute for the information of the Trustees,
narrates the story of the Institute from beginnings thet antedate Rockefeller
Foundation connection, down to the present and then presents a brie:f descrip-
tion of the Institute as now consti-luted,
the Foundation Board Eince the date of its grant establishing the Institute that
it seems best to describe the whole undertaking afresh.

Since the Institute's pre-

The eccounl given below

So many of the Truvtees have joined

General&rAentetion:
of its own, a research personnel of its own, an objective different from that
of any Faculty in the University, and a budget of $258,000 supplied annudly
from $2,500,000 appropristed in 1929 by the Rockefeller Foundation,
building was designed to hospitalize 50 individuals for observation and study
and to provide laboratory and office space for research workers,
and equipped in 1929 and 1930 at a cost of $2,000,000, provided by a Foundation
grmt of' $1,500,000 on January 3, 1929 end of $500,000 appropriated by the
General Education Board on May 23, 1929.
all floors the building of the Sterling Hall of Medicine of the Yale Medical
School.  Although the Institute has a personnel of its own, i. e. not having
status in or salary from any other department of Yale University, it provides
space and funds for research undertakings in which men from various departments
and feculties participate, and is of considerable influence upon these men
and lthe University as a whole, in its emphasis upon research, especially re-
search which is not restricted to the methods and horizons of any = disci-
pline such as sociology or psychology or psychiatry.  The Institute has no en-
dowment, has not in the past eight years received any substantial support from
any source except the Rockefeller Foundation,
2nd the main question before the Yale authorities is one of policy and finance
for the ensuing years,

The Yale Institute of Human Relations has a building

The

It was build

It contains 300 rooms, and joins on

This aid terminates in June 1939,

      In terms of Foundation status the Yale Institute of Human Relations
was an obligation assumed by the Rockefeller Foundation trustees from the pro-
gram and commitments of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorid. in 1928,  This
statement is slightly qualified by the fact that the support for work in
psychiatry aas recommended by Dr, Pearce on its own merits because of its ob-
vious contribution to the work of the bdical School, although at that time
fused with the three proposed activities of the Institute,  The recent action
of the Rockefeller Foundation Trustees (December 1, 1937) singled out the
in psychiatry from the rest of the Institute's activities, provided for it
as part of the Medical School and thus leaves for consideration in April rhat
is to be done abaut the Institute.

,)J--/,\

FORM 108

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Narrative:
bined activities and counterbalanced interests of President Angell, Dean
Winternitz of the Medical School and Dean Robert M. Hutchins of the Law
School.

"he Yale Institute of Human Relations grew out of the com-

Angell was eager to develop psychology; Winternitz was intent

upon emphasizing the preventive aspects of psychiatry and the importance of
the doctor's comprehending mental kygiene and individual behavior as well
as disease processes; and Hutchins pressed for the closer application of
sociology and sociel behavior to the law.
with the kaditional and hidebound lindtations of departmental and faculty
viewpoints and each was determined to break down such partitions and see
that research was presented with a new freedom to use but not be confined
by the methods of any discipline.  bocial behavior was the focus of their
interests and it was believed this concept of the study of behavior was
unique and of far reaching importance.
function of the Institute.

All three were dissatisfied

Research was to be the primary

In i'!?; the Commonwealth Fund had given $50,000 a year for five

para terminating June 30, 1931, for support of mental hygiene at Yale.
In 1924 the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial had given $207,500 toward
the enpenses of an Institute of Psychology over a five
June 30, 1929. From 1923 to the end of June 1926, the 6 moria1 had aided
Dr. Gesell's work on children with small grznts (total $5,600).
24, 1926 $100,000 was given  or development of child study and research -
the socalled psychoclinics - over a five year period, plus $25,000 for photo-
graphic work on children over a similar period.

ear period terminating

On May

From July 1, 1925 to June 30, 1930, the General Education Board

provided $15,000 a year for the support of psychiatry in the Medical School.

It will be seen that by 1928 the in~tx~e$plrqfs~n~ll in the Institute


                                                    Hut-

of Psychology, and of Winternitz in mental hygiene n Ya e ollege were well
supported, but that 1929 could be foreseen as ma&& the end of t,he grhnt
for psychology and 1931 for the grants in mental hygiene and child study.
chin's enthusiasms were not being supported, but plans were submittedrsii l-y lr:kLi
gesting a new site for the Law School, nep: bulldings and maintenance and en-
dowment totalling $5,500,000 to be provided by the University, and $1,000,000
from the Rockefeller Foundation for Social Sciences in the Institute which
would contribute especially to the law.

The pressing importance of the termination of existing grants from

the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial and the Commonwealth Fund wax due to
the fact that the Memorial was ceasing to exist and a considerable Imcertainty
existed as torhisfhwthe Commonwealth would renew its support.

     A memorandum was preaented on May 28, 1928 by President Angell to
President Vincent on a program for 811 Institute of Human Relations.
replied that under the new plan of organization the Foundation would be the
single agency to which naturally the proposal would be referred.
effect the result though %he Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial in Eovember 1928
pledged $2,000,000 to the Institute on this basis:

Mr. Vincent

This was in

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Institute of Psychology $550,000

$50,000 a year for 10 years
$50,000 for shop equipment

Endowment at $30,000 annually
$50 , 000 equipment

#40,000 a year for 10 years
$150,000 initial cost of station

Child Development Research 650,000

Anthropoid Research 550,000

Social Science Research 250, 000 $2 , 000 , 000

$25,000 a year for 10 years

and in this form:
RESOLVED,that the Executive Committee be ma it hereby is, a~hthtiorised
in its discretion to appropriate a sum not to exceed $2,000,000 to Yale
University toward the support of research in the related fields of
psychology, anthropology, comparative psychology, child development and
the social sciences.
that any appnopriations made thereunder will be worked out in co-operation
with the officers of the Rockefeller Foundation

This authorization is given with the understanding

The Rockefeller Foundation on Janury 3, 1929 appropriated the

following amounts to Yale University for the Instituh of Human Relations:

Building $1,500,000

Department of Psychis try 500,000

kintenstnce of persons for observa.tion    so0 , 000

$5C,OOO a year for 10 years

$50,000 a year for 10 yems *

$2,500,000

and on January 22, 1929 on authority passed from the Executive committee of
the Lhure Spelman Rockefeller Meworial to the mecutive Committee of tine
Rockefeller Foundation under terms of the consolidation, the following appro-
priations were =de:

Psychology, Child Development and bocie 1 Sciences

$1, 500 , 000

@150,@00 a year for 10 years

(Psychology $50,000 annually, Child Developeent
$35,000 annually, end Soda1 Sciences &X,OOO
annually)

Anthropoid Breeding Statim 25,000
8.nd a promise to consider a contribution
of not more than Jt3c 475.000

Study of feasibility of estsblishine; an

$2 , 000,000


fiOo.ee0

Furthermore the General hducat?fgfppropriated in May 1629 toward

Comtruction and Equipment of Instituthon

$ 5,000,000

Toward this Yale Univcrsity guaranteed maintenance caldulated at

$37,500 annually and calculated as income from

$ 750,000

* Changed in 1936 to $35,000 annually, the balance of $15,000 authorized
* subsequmtly voted May 22, 1929 $385,000 mintenance;$90,000 ccnstr. & equip .etc.

to be charged to administration of the Institute.

4

The main events in the history of the Institute affected its

development radically.
the Institute, the thencDeen of the Law School resigned to  become Presi-
dent of the University of Chicago.
social sciences, diminished the enthusiasm and upset the La.1mc.e of
the directing personnel.  The direction of the Institute passed virtu-
ally into Dr. Kinternitz' hands.  In 7.935 when Dr. Einternitz resifled
as Dean of' the Medical School he relinquished active control of the
Institute, 2nd was succeeded by the sociologist, Mark May. President
Angell's retirement in 1937 completed the deperture or retirement of
all the men at Yale principally connected with the formation of the
Yale Institute of Human Relations,
of the Rockefeller Boards who were closely connected with the earlier
negotiations are no longer with the Boards.

Within three months of ;.he vote establishing

This change reduced the role of the

Somewhat similarly ell the officers

In the absence of its originators - and in some instances de-

                 Certainly in the terms of -the

partures occurred so early as rsacically to affect the undertaking - it is
hard to form judgments and affix values.
first announcements the Institute has been a failure.
ha& not been destroyed or crippled and the purposes for which the In-
stitute is at work are purposes that deserve support even if more modestly.
In the past three years much more effective collaboration has  been ob-
tained.

But its personnel

The changes in policy of the Institute hcve tended toward 8

larger Bpaeaure of coordination and convergence of attention upon problems in
human behavior. The funds are used in increasing measure 8s fluid research
f umds to encourage interdepar.tnienta1 research - especially in psychology,
psychiatry, anthropology and sociology.
depart,mental exchange and flexibility of collahora tion charecterizes most
of the Institute's work.
a more effective force for investigative work.

k admirable atmosphere of inter-

Probably noEhere else in Yale University is there

On December 1, 1, 1937 the Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation

appropiated $Zn0,@00 or as much thereof as may be necessary to Yale Univer-
sity for the support in the School of ldedicine of a department of psychiatry
(including care of Datients) during the four gear period July 1, 1339 to
June 30, 1943 (not to exceed $75,000 annuelly) Lnd recorded an intent to con-
sider a contribution towards endowment for the same of R sum not to'exceed
$1,200,000.
1929
vation at $39,000 annually) were taken care of and separated from the rest
of the Institute's program leaving the remaining activit,ies (psychology$50,000
annually, child development $35,000 mnually, social sciencee %SS,OOO annually
and administration $15,000 annually) totelline &165,000 ttnnmlly, End the re-
solution of the anthropoid studies  as the present questions to be submitted
to the Board.
separately from thet of the Institute.

By tais action two items of the ewenses proviaed for in January

(psychiatry at $50,000 annually and maintenance of pemons under obser-

The question of the anthropoid station ic to be presented