Conant Promises No 'Inquiry' Here

President Conant said yesterday, "As long as I am President of the University, I can assure you there will be no policy of inquiry into the political views of the members of the staff and no watching over their activities as citizens."

In a speech before alumni, deans, overseers and visiting committee members meeting with the sponsors of the new Harvard Foundation for Advanced Study and Research, the President restated two principles which he and Grenville Clark '03, senior Corporation member, recently set forth.

Repeats Stand

President Conant first repeated his stand against Communist Party members as teachers, applying it unmistakably to Harvard this time.

"In this period of a cold war," he said, "I do not believe the usual rules as to political parties apply to the Communist Party. I am convinced that conspiracy and calculated deceit have been and are the characteristic pattern of behavior of regular Communists all over the world.

"For these reasons, as far as I am concerned, card holding members of the Communist Party are out of bounds as members of the teaching profession. I should not want to be a party to the appointment of such a person to a teaching position with tenure in any educational institution."

The President first announced this general policy along with 19 other members of the Educational Policies Commission in a report made public on June 8.

President Conant then went on to reaffirm the "no inquiry" policy set forth by Grenville Clark in letters published in the Alumni Bulletin this week.

Single Exception

"But with this single exception (that of Communist Party members)," the President continued, "which is the unique product of our century, I maintain that a professor's political views, social philosophy or religion are of no concern to the University; nor are his activities within the law as a private citizen.

"I do not have to remind this audience that this is the traditional Harvard position and will be maintained in the face of whatever criticisms may come.

"Admittedly a university might be faced with a difficult problem if some member of the permanent staff should suddenly announce that he was a fullfledged member of the Communist Party, but no such problem exists here at Harvard; and when it comes to the possible presence of secret members of the Party on the teaching staff of an institution, I can only endorse what has been so well said by Grenville Clark, in his recent letter to Mr. Ober, namely:

Outweights Benefit

"'The harm done by the effort to discover even a single clandestine Party member would outweight any possible benefit.'

". . . Any suggestion that we should employ here a procedure comparable to that required by the necessities of secret government work and investigate the loyalty of our staff is utterly repugnant to my concept of a university."

"Controversy and vigorous discussion are the very breath of life of a university." President Conant added. "This has frequently led to criticisms to those who view the academic scene from a distance."