RECONSIDERATION FOR SALZBURG SEMINAR ASKED

To the Editors of the Harvard Crimson:

The Editor of the Crimson has invited me to present the appeal of the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies. I recognize that the Combined Charities has reached its decision. In spite of that I feel it important to give the student body some information regarding the Seminar.

First of all, let me correct the news item in Tuesday's Crimson. We do not receive any money from the Ford Foundation and what hoelp we do receive from other Foundations (Rockefeller and Commonwealth principally) equals less than 50 per cent of our budget.

The Seminar is now about seven years old. It has grown from the exciting idea born out of a "bull session" in Harvard Yard to a sound, stable project doing a practical, tangible, clearly understood job of creating better understanding of America abroad. We do not go to Salzburg and jam America down the Europeans' throats. Chauvinism does not exist in the Seminar's framework. We tell what America stands for to a highly intelligent group of Europeans chosen because they are in a position to mold public opinion. The free democratic teaching at Salzburg is in the traditions of Harvard and we have carefully preserved the ideals handed to us when the administration changed from Harvard students to an independent board.

Because the Seminar is important it was essential that the nature of the administration change, it needed continuity, not possible when students pass through and out of college. This did not lesson our bond of friendship with Harvard. We are proud to say, as has been said all over the country, that the Seminar was born at Harvard and started by Harvard students, who blazed a new trail in doing something specific about one of the pressing problems of the times. Its president, Dr. Dexter Perkins, is a Harvard graduate, a member of the Overseers, and a holder of an honorary degree from the University. Its Administrative Director, Mr. F. P. Muhlhauser, is a Harvard graduate. Its Vice President, Mrs. Florence R. Kluckhohn, is a teacher at Harvard. Harvard has representation on our Board of Directors and will continue to have this representation.

The Seminar does need money. As you know, foundations have the basic policy of giving projects like this a push at birth and then tapering off their gifts, hoping to see the money come from other sources. This is to enable the foundations to give other projects a head start. The enthusiasm the foundations feel for the Seminar has by their own words increased over the years but their policy of grants has been long established and followed.

National Stature

If the administrative details are such that the Seminar is not so actively connected with Harvard, if the faculty is now no longer solely from Harvard, if the American student representatives are not to come solely from Harvard this only means thee Seminar has grown into a size of national stature. These facts are tributes to the broad horizons of the Harvard students who saw the great potential of the Seminar. We who have carried on the operations have cherished the responsibility given to us.

The connection of Harvard to the Seminar has been expressed everywhere that funds have been raised. Of all donors we would hope, even expect, Harvard would maintain, even increase its support, for Harvard is its father.

Own Merits

We would like to present the Seminar to the Combined Charities as a project standing on its own merits. "Is the Salzburg Seminar, as an exciting successful project in international relations, a project worthy of support from American young people who are to be given the responsibility of running this country in its position of leadership?"

We would indeed be willing to ask this question without the secondary, though important question, "Doesn't the Seminar have particular interest to Harvard students when it is recalled that here is where the Seminar was born out of the ideals and ideas taught at the University?"

We do not want to bury our need for financial support in a mass of words along other lines. We do need money. We hope the recent decision is not a permanent one. Gregory Smith,   Secretary,   Salzburg Seminar in   American Studies.