Planned Chaos

Montes de Oca had already talked to Mises in 1943 about writing an epilogue to the Spanish edition of Socialism, but Mises probably did not turn to the task before 1945. Until then, the rate of progress on the translation was unclear, and Mises may well have been wary of engaging in another task for Montes de Oca, who so far had not completed any of the projects they had discussed in 1942. Mises had not even received agreed-upon payment for a study of Mexico. The prospective Mexican publishers of Socialism asked for an epilogue dealing with the Soviet experiment, both because dealing with the question was interesting in its own right and since it would bring the book up to date. Mises replied evasively, suggesting that the best solution would be to write a special introduction for the Spanish edition.⁴⁸

In early January 1946, Mises finally received payment for the study on Mexico he had written in 1943. He also worked rapidly on the completion of the epilogue his Mexican partners had asked for. The typewritten manuscript was probably finished at the end of the month.⁴⁹

In July and August 1946, Mises lectured again in Mexico City. In the last days of July, Hayek joined him.⁵⁰ They also toured the Central Plateau and spent some days on Lake Chapala.⁵¹ On the tour he also gave a talk in Guadalajara (August 27). Montes de Oca acted as a translator to attract a larger audience.

One purpose of Mises's visit was to discuss the long-standing project of an Institute for the Social Sciences. This prospect must have been put to rest on that occasion—the subject did not come up again in any subsequent correspondence. But another project now took on ever-more concrete shape. Hayek was trying to rally classical-liberal scholars on both sides of the Atlantic to establish an international scholarly society devoted to the promotion of individual liberty. He planned to set up a meeting during the next year and sought to secure Mises's participation.

At the end of the year, Montes de Oca was appointed as the Director General of the Mexican central bank, the Banco de Mexico. His group later invited Hazlitt (early January 1947), as well as Hansen and Haberler for lectures (January 1947). Mises himself was invited again for August 1947, to give a series of lectures critically analyzing Marxism.⁵²

Upon his return to New York, Mises learned that Henry Hazlitt had had to leave the New York Times. This was not the first time Hazlitt's politics forced him out of a job. In 1933, he had quit his position as literary editor of The Nation, which did not welcome his hostility to the New Deal. Leaving the New York Times was a serious setback, but Hazlitt immediately found a new position at Newsweek, where he enjoyed the same liberty of opinion he once had enjoyed at the Times. He would write his Newsweek column for exactly twenty years, until he had to leave, once again, for ideological reasons.

Mises himself fared much better and continued his “visit” at NYU, where he taught a course on currency reform in the spring term of 1947. In the fall of 1946, Mises also met a substantial number of European economists such as Jacques Rueff, François Perroux, Trygve Hoff, and others, who had traveled to the United States and were lecturing at FEE and other institutions.⁵³ One likely subject of discussion was Hayek's plan for an international society of classical-liberal scholars.