No scalps were taken

Your otherwise accurate and generous account of the collaboration between Harvard and Manchester universities (and of my role therein) was seriously flawed by a breezy introduction written to grab attention rather than convey truth (Features, October ). You say that I was "left feeling like an Easter Island head... like a scalp" in a global headhunting expedition. That is utterly wrong.

In the months of negotiations required to forge this partnership, I felt only admiration for Manchester. Without the personal sensitivity and steady goodwill of its authorities, this promising transatlantic initiative would have foundered.

Robert D. Putnam
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University