Conant Asked Bingham Not To Sever Ties

William J. Bingham '16 wanted to cut all ties with Harvard once he was relieved of his position as Director of Athletics, the Alumni Bulletin disclosed in Saturday's issue.

In an article which purported to "reconstruct" the recent shakeup in the Athletic Association, the Bulletin stated: "... while Mr. Bingham inclined to the view that he should cut all ties with the University, the President (Conant) was able to persuade him to stay on and lend valuable advice and help to the man who took over in his stead."

The article also stated that the question of Bingham's "surprise" on hearing of his new post, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Athletics, was due to a switch in the release date of the resignation story. According to the Bulletin, Bingham's new position was to be announced after the meeting of the Overseers' Committee on Athletics, February 9.

However, George Whitney '07, president of the Board of Overseers, "felt that the public might confuse the administrative matter of Mr. Bingham's resignation with the meeting of the Overseer's Committee," so President Conant's office decided to advance the date of the public announcement from Saturday to Friday.