Plot-spoiler: Abraham George Silverman ultimately became a non-atomic spy for the Soviets, one of their useful American bureaucrats. Links to details of that story can be found at the end of this post. In an earlier post you can find the Harvard graduate economics record of Lauchlin Currie along with a link to his testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
However for our purposes here, Silverman enters Economics in the Rear-view Mirror as a humble graduate student who succeeded in grinding through the requirements for a Harvard economics Ph.D. at the end of the Roaring ‘Twenties.
_______________________
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.
[Note: Boldface used to indicate printed text of the application; italics used to indicate the handwritten entries]
I. Full Name, with date and place of birth.
Abraham George Silverman. Poland, Feb. 2, 1900.
II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)
Boston University (College of Liberal Arts), Sept. 1917 to June, 1919.
Harvard College, Sept., 1919 to June, 1921.
Leland Stanford Jr. University, Sept. 1922 to Sept., 1923
Economic Research Assistant, Food Research Institute, Stanford University, June, 1922 to Oct. 1, 1923.
Inst. in Econ., M.I.T.
III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)
S.B. in Economics, Harvard College, June, 1921.
A.M. in Economics, Stanford University, Sept., 1923.
A.M. Harvard, 1924.
IV. General Preparation. (Indicate briefly the range and character of your under-graduate studies in History, Economics, Government, and in such other fields as Ancient and Modern Languages, Philosophy, etc. In case you are a candidate for the degree in History, state the number of years you have studied preparatory and college Latin.)
History: Medieval and Modern European History, English History, American History, and “History of Liberty.”
Government: Principles of Popular Gov’t., Philosophy of the State.
Economics: Principles, Statistics, Accounting, Ec. Hist. of U.S., Money and Banking, Transportation, Corporations, Public Finance, Ec. thought and Institutions, “Socialism Anarchism, and Single Tax.”
Philosophy and Psych: Psychology (Principles), History of Philosophy, Philosophy of the State, Modern Philosophical Tendencies.
French.
Advanced Mathematics, etc.
V. Department of Study. (Do you propose to offer yourself for the Ph.D., “History,” in “Economics,” or in “Political Science”?)
Economics.
VI. Choice of Subjects for the General Examination. (State briefly the nature of your preparation in each subject, as by Harvard courses, courses taken elsewhere, private reading, teaching the subject, etc., etc.)
- Economic Theory and its History.
Ec 10 (History of Ec. Thought and Institutions Dr. A. E. Monroe – 1920-21);
Ec 11 (1923-24);
Advanced Ec. Theory (J.M. Clark at Stanford);
Seminaries in Ec. Theory (Stanford);
Outside Reading.
Ec 15 (1924-25).
Teaching principles of economics 1924 – M.I.T. - Economic History since 1750.
Ec 23 (1st half 1923-24) Attended lectures 2nd half.
Ec 2b (Dr. E.E. Lincoln, Harvard, 1919-20). - Statistical Method and Its Applications.
Ec 1b (Dr. J. S. Davis at Harvard);
Ec 41 (1923-24);
Stat. assistant to Dr. J.S. Davis, Summer of 1920;
Ec. Research Assistant, Food Res. Ins., Stanford Univ. 1 1/2 yrs;
Stat. work in Fed. Res. Bank of Bos.;
A.M. Thesis on “Wheat Supplies, Distribution and Prices, May 1920 to July 1921”
Taught Statistics (1925-26) – M.I.T.
- Money Banking & Crises.
Ec 3 (A.E. Monroe, Harvard);
Ec. 38 (1923-24);
Foreign Exchg. (A.C. Whitaker – Stanford);
Reading in History of Money and Banking & Crises in connection with Ec. 23;
Acquaintance with the methods of Harvard Econ. Service. - Transportation.
Ec 4a, 4b (Prof. Ripley, Harvard, 1920-21)
Lectures in “Overhead Costs” (J.M. Clark – Stanford);
Outside reading outlined by Prof. Cunningham. - American History since 1789.
Hist 32, 32b (Mr. Morrison, Prof. Channing – Harvard College (1920-21);
Lectures in Hist 17 (1923-24)
Hist 13b or 39 (1923-24, second half)
Outside reading.
VII. Special Subject for the special examination.
Money and Banking, and Crises.
VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)
The International Trade of Great Britain, 1880-1913. A statistical analysis of some aspects of the theory of international trade and prices (With Prof. Taussig)
IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)
General Examination — May 1924 (if adequately prepared by then).
Last of March or first of April.
X. Remarks
Professors Taussig, Bullock, Williams
Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.
[signed] F. W. Taussig
* * * [Last page of application] * * *
[Not to be filled out by the applicant]
Name: Abraham George Silverman.
Approved: Janary 11, 1924.
Ability to use French certified by A. E. Monroe. 12 Jan. 1925
Ability to use German certified by A. E. Monroe. 12 Jan. 1925.
Date of general examination April 8, 1926. Passed T.N.C.
Thesis received April 1, 1930
Read by Professors Bullock, Taussig, Williams
Approved May 1, 1930
Date of special examination May 5, 1930. Passed – F.W.T..
Recommended for the Doctorate [left blank]
Degree conferred [left blank]
Remarks. [left blank]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Certification of reading knowledge
of French and German for Ph.D.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jan. 12, 1925
Mr. A. G. Silverman has this day passed a satisfactory examination in the reading of French and German, as required of candidates for the doctor’s degree.
[signed]
A. E. Monroe
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
(INTER-DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENCE SHEET)
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Record of
Abraham George Silverman
in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
1923-1924 |
COURSE |
HALF-COURSE |
| Economics 11 | A | |
| Economics 23 (1st hf) | A | |
| Economics 38 | A minus | |
| Economics 41 | A | |
| History 392 | A | |
Grade |
||
1924-1925 |
COURSE |
HALF-COURSE |
| Economics 151 (mid-year) |
Abs |
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scheduling General Examination
(First Attempt)
15 May 1925
Dear Mr. Silverman:
This is to remind you that your general examination for the Ph.D. in Economics is to be held on Tuesday, 19 May, at 4 p.m. in Widener U.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
Mr. Abraham G. Silverman
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scheduling General Examination
(First Attempt)
15 May 1925
My dear Professor Young
This is to remind you that you are the chairman of the committee for the general examination of Mr. Abraham George Silverman for the Ph.D. in Economics, to be held on Tuesday, 19 May at 4 p.m. in Widener U. I enclose Mr. Silverman’s papers herewith. The other members of the committee are Professors Carver, Ripley, Merk and Cole.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
Professor A.A. Young
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Failed General Examination, first try
22 Concord Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 19, 1925
As Chairman of the committee appointed to conduct the general examination of Mr. A. G. Silverman for the degree of Ph.D. in Economics, I have to report that Mr. Silverman failed to pass the examination.
The committee recommends, however, that Mr. Silverman be encouraged take another examination. On one subject (statistics) he was better prepared than the average candidate. Only in two subjects did his preparation appear to be distinctly inadquate. There is reason to believe, furthermore, that there may have been certain circumstances which counted against the candidate’s doing himself full justice.
[signed]
Allyn A. Young
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scheduling General Examination
(Second Attempt)
March 24, 1926.
Dear Mr. Silverman:
This is to inform you that the date of your general examination has been set for Thursday, April 8, at four o’clock. The committee consists of Professors Carver (chairman), Persons, Ripley, Merk, and Cole.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
Mr. Abraham G. Silverman
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Examiners for the
General Examination
(Second attempt)
March 24 1926
Dear Sir:
Will it be possible for you to serve as a member of the committee for the general examination in Economics of Mr. A. G. Silverman, to be held on Thursday, April 8, at four o’clock? Mr. Silverman’s subjects for the general examination are:
- Economic Theory and its History
- Economic History since 1750
- Statistical Method and Its Application
- Transportation
- American History since 1789
Mr. Silverman’s special subject is Money, Banking, and Crises.
The committee consists of Professors Carver (chairman), Persons, Ripley, Merk, and Cole. Taussig.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
[Pencil note added to bottom:] Professor Taussig would like to serve.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Responses to the request
to serve on the committee for the General Examination (2nd try)
[Postmark: Mar 29, 1926]
[The following responses to the card requesting participation by examiners:]
I can cannot serve on the committee for the general examination of Mr. Silverman on April 8.
[respectively by] Professors Persons, Cole, Merk, Ripley.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Confirming Taussig as Examiner
for the General Examination
(Second attempt)
March 30 1926.
My dear Professor Taussig:
You have been kind enough to say you will serve as a member of the committee for the general examination in Economics of Mr. A. G. Silverman, to be held on Thursday, April 8, at four o’clock? Mr. Silverman’s subjects for the general examination are:
- Economic Theory and its History
- Economic History since 1750
- Statistical Method and Its Application
- Transportation
- American History since 1789
Mr. Silverman’s special subject is Money, Banking, and Crises.
The committee consists of Professors Carver (chairman), Persons, Taussig, Ripley, and Merk.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
Professor F. W. Taussig.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Passed General Examination, second try
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 9, 1926
The Committee on the General Examination of Abraham George Silverman for the Ph.D. degree, held April 8, 1926, voted unanimously to accept the examination as satisfactory.
[signed]
T. N. Carver
Chairman of the Committee
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Passed Special Examination
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 6, 1930.
Dear dear Professor Carver:–
As chairman of the committee appointed to conduct the special examination for the Ph.D. degree of Mr. Silverman I beg to report that Mr. Silverman passed the examination.
Very truly yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig
Professor T. N. Carver
772 Widener Library
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics, PhD. Degrees Conferred, Box 10.
__________________________
Course Names and Instructors
Harvard, 1919-20
Economics 1b. Dr. J. S. Davis. – Statistics.
Economics 2b. Dr. E.E. Lincoln.– Economic History of the United States.
Economics 3. A. E. Monroe. – Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises.
Harvard, 1920-21
Economics 10. Dr. A.E. Monroe.– History of Economic Thought and Institutions.
Economics 322. Professor Carver. – Economics of Agriculture.
Economics 4a. Professor Ripley. – Economics of Transportation.
Economics 4b. Professor Ripley. – Economics of Corporations.
History 32a. Dr. Morrison. – American History: The Formation of the Union, from 1760 to 1829.
History 32b. Professor Channing. – American History: The Development of the Nation, 1830 to the Present Time.
Stanford, 1922-23
John M. Clark. – Advanced Economic Theory.
A. C. Whitaker. – Foreign Exchange
Audited lectures by J. M. Clark on Overhead Costs
Harvard, 1923-24
Economics 11. Professor Taussig. – Economic Theory.
Economics 23. Asst. Professor Usher. – Modern Economic History since 1750. Registered in the first term, audited lectures second term.
Economics 38. Professor Young. – Principles of Money and Banking.
Economics 41. Asst. Professor Crum. – Statistical Theory and Analysis.
History 39b. Professor Turner – History of the United States, 1880-1920.
History 17. Professor Turner and Dr. Merk. – The History of the West. Audited lectures.
1924-25
Economics 15. Professor Young. – Modern Schools of Economic Thought.
Source: Harvard University. Reports of the President of Harvard College for 1919-20, 1920-21, 1923-24, 1924-25.
__________________________
Abraham George Silverman
Timeline of his education and career
1900. Born Feb. 2 in Poland.
1913-1917. Attended Boston English High School. Boston, Massachusetts.
1917-19. Undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, Boston University.
1918. Inducted into U.S. Army October 9, honorably discharged December 13.
1919-21. Undergraduate student, Harvard College.
1921. Naturalized U.S. Citizen in Boston, January 24.
1921. June. S.B. from Harvard College.
1922-23. Food Research Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. May 1922 to October 1923.
1923. September. A.M. in Economics from Stanford.
1923-24. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, intermittent.
1923-24. Graduate student, Harvard University.
1924. A.M. in Economics from Harvard.
1924. Better Homes in America, Inc., and Division of Building and Housing, U.S. Department of Commerce, June 1924 to September 1924.
1924-31. Instructor in Economics, M.I.T. June 1924 to June 1931.
1924-31. Babson Statistical Organization.
1930. Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard. Thesis: The International Trade of Great Britain, 1880-1913.
1931-32. National Bureau of Economic Research, New York, N.Y. September 1931 to August 1932.
1932-33. Brown University and Rockefeller Foundation, Providence, Rhode Island, September 1932 to June 1933.
1933-34. Labor Advisory Board of the National Recovery Administration. Sept. 1933 to July 1934.
1934-36. United States Tariff Commission. November 1934 to February 1936.
1936-42. Chief Econmist and Director of research at the Railroad Retirement Board, Washington, D.C. March 1936 to March 1942.
1941. Loaned to U.S. Treasury Department. Frozen funds policy.
1942-45. Civilian economic advisor and Chief of Analysis and Plans to the Assistant Chief of the Army Air Forces Air Staff for Material and Service. March 25, 1942 to August 18, 1945.
1945. August. Left the Pentagon to work for the French Supply Council in Washington, D.C.
1948-53. Called several times to testify before Congressional committees having been named as a member of the Silvermaster ring of government informants reporting to espionage agents of the Soviet Union. He repeatedly invoked the protection of the fifth amendment to refuse answering questions during the Congressional hearings. Testimony of Abraham George Silverman, August 12, 1948.
Image Source: Life Images, hosted by Google Images.
For personal non-commercial use only
1953-73. Obscurity.
1973. Died of a heart attack January 7 in New Jersey.
Principal Sources for the Timeline: Harvard University and F.B.I. Records. Report of Edward E. Kachelhoffer March 18, 1949.
Image Source: M.I.T. yearbook Technique 1931, p. 47