Shapley Group Forms Unit For Educational Freedom

Professor Harlow Shapley will enter the fight for wider classroom freedom with a new Commission for Academic Freedom which starts work next week in New York. He named recent text-book and magazine bannings and threats against teachers who "exercise political rights" as the main causes for grievance.

Birth of the new unit was announced this month by the Director of the College Observatory, who is chairman of the National Council of the Arts, Sciences, and Professions, sponsor of the new group.

"Workers in the field of ideas have been objects of attack during the past year," Shapley said. He attacked legislation "designed to establish for teachers the un-American principle of guilt for dangerous thoughts or associations."

First meetings of the Commission take place October 9 and 10 in New York's Hotel Pennsylvania. Members will discuss alleged threats to and violations of academic freedom, including widespread bans on the magazine, The Nation.

Last spring, Professor Shapley, who is also honorary chairman of the Massachusetts Progressive Citizens of America, turned down a bid by that organization to run for governor on the Wallace ticket. He claimed such a candidacy "would obstruct whatever effectiveness I may have in promoting civil liberties and progressive legislation."