Defends Delegation

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I heartily agree with the spirit of your Wednesday editorial calling for constructive programs from NSA, and particularly with your emphasis on the importance of the student-DP project. However, I am afraid that you may have done NSA at Harvard a degree of harm by certain inaccuracies in your front-page story Wednesday.

Specifically, it is not the case that the "NSA Unit Urges Council Give Up DP Scholarships;" and moreover it is not the case that "The University's NSA delegation has abandoned sole responsibility for organizing a national drive to bring student DP's to this country."

(1) The delegation has always been, except for Mr. Fisher, and still is agreed that the DP project is far more vital than any other project. Contrary to your story, the delegation was informed at its first meeting (by myself) that, with far greater facilities than Harvard's a national organization was being set up with the backing of NSA, NICC, the Newman Clubs, Billel, and WSSF to take care of student DP's. Harvard NSA offered, and still offers to help with the national project in any way requested.

(2) At the time, the delegation believed that there would be a big job to do in our region, locating DP's in colleges in Northern New England. Our report to the Council, therefore, resolved to make this our one major project.

(3) Mr. Fisher arrived at the Student Council meeting with new information, previously unrevealed to the delegation, that seemed to him to indicate that the group forming the national joint committee would also be taking care of the regional problem satisfactorily; he suggested therefore that we should agree to take another project instead. The delegation concluded that this information was inconclusive, but warranted our choosing a possible alternative project.

(4) In its unanimous final report, the delegation agreed (a) to take on any part of the national DP program requested of us; (b) to offer to take on a regional DP program unless regional NSA concludes that others are already taking care of such; and (c) only if we are convinced that the student DP project is being competently handled by others, both nationally and regionally, to take on an alternative project, namely the Tri-Nation tour. This, please observe, is identical with our regional report except for the addition of the alternative project. Frederic D. Roughteling '50 NSA Delegate