University's Plan To Revise ROTC Faces Obstacles

The University's plan to institute a three year ROTC program may become a reality when three major obstacles are overcome, Lt. Colonel Trevor N. Dupuy, professor of Military Science and Tactics, said yesterday.

Commenting on the four-hour meeting that he, Dean Bundy, and Donald C. McKay '28, professor of History, had with two high Army officials in Washington Tuesday, Dupuy said, "The Army is very anxious to try the new program experimentally. The only things holding it back are three problems which we are trying to solve now."

The foremost problem is that of financing the program, Dupuy said. The Army fears the new program would be financially prohibitive. Actually, Dupuy continued, no figures are available on the plan, and as far as the Army or Harvard knows, it might even cost the Army less than it spends on ROTC now.

The Army is bringing the whole matter to the attention of its Controller, Dupuy said, and he should be able to answer the cost question.

The second problem is that of integrating the program on a nation-wide basis. If the Army did try the plan in Harvard's unit, it would only be with an eye toward adopting it in all its units. Since some schools are inferior to others in facilities, this might handicap weaker schools.

This can only be solved, Dupuy continued, by contacting the various schools throughout the nation and hearing their views on the subject. This has not been done yet.

Finally, Dupuy said, there is the sum- mer camp obstacle. According to the new plan, summer training of ROTC students would be expanded from six to 12 weeks, probably overtaxing the various training camps throughout the country, Dupuy said. This problem is being worked on by the Army right now.

The plan, as formulated by a faculty committee last spring, would reduce ROTC classroom work from four to three years; expand the summer program from six to 12 weeks; and extend civilian instruction in the military classes