[FOM] Goedel anecdote

[Alasdair Urquhart]

I was looking in the library in Tarski's
Collected Papers for some evidence about 
his knowing about the characterization of
countable non-standard models of PA.
I drew a blank with Tarski, but I came
across a delightful book that I did not
know about, Ernst Specker's "Selecta" --
a collection of logical gems, with very
pleasant biographical material.  

The introductory essay "The Story of a Friend"
by Jonas Meon, contains a Goedel anecdote that
I thought FOM subscribers might enjoy.

	At the end of his fellowship he [Specker]
	had to submit a report ... At the back of his copy
	of the report he added at some later time the following:
	"Conversation with Goedel; I told him of my results
	in recursive analysis; his comment: I can readily
	believe it.  When I went on telling of my work on
	trees, Goedel pulled out a desk drawer and handed me
	a manuscript where he had proved the same result."
	When Ernst showed me his copy, I told him what
	Jacobi had said to Gauss in a similar situation:
	"You have published weaker results, Herr Geheimrat."