Pacifists to Remain Active Despite Conservatives' Plot

The Harvard Fellowship for Reconciliation will continue to work actively for non-violent action despite an attempt to obstruct its work by members of the Conservative Club, the president of the Pacifist group said last night.

John D. Butcher '57 asserted that anyone may attend a Fellowship meeting and he did not object to the Conservatives' presence for that reason. "But they tried to twist the pacifist purposes of our group," Butcher said after last night's meeting.

David B. Cole '55, president of the Conservative League, and seven fellow members attended the meeting and proposed constitutional changes without declaring their own political affiliations. Cole attempted to change the Fellowship from a political action group to a discussion forum.

When told that Cole is head of the Conservatives, Butcher said, "Our executive committee will check Cole's attempts to neutralize our group. We did not realize what he was doing." Butcher added that the Fellowship's executive committee would table Cole's resolution to withdraw the group from active participation against war. Cole told the group such pacifist views were illegal under the Selective Service Act.

"Misleading Us"

Upon examining that Act after the meeting, however, Butcher said, "He was misleading us--a person can legally be a conscientious objector under our draft laws."

Butcher also said that Cole had advanced so many resolutions at the meeting that the Fellowship was unable to decide on whether to circulate petitions asking that American crop surplusses be sent to aid starving Chinese. "We wanted to get started on some definite decision concerning the petitions, but we didn't have time," he said.

Butcher said that the pacifists' executive committee would draw up petitions on Friday, asking the President to sent American crop surpluses to starving Chinese, despite Cole's interjections.

When Butcher had asked the Fellowship to consider sending the surplusses, Cole said, "Let them starve, maybe the people will revolt." He was backed by Robert A. Knudson '58, another Conservative, who said, "Let the Chinese starve, it's an act of God. At any rate, we ought to feed the people in the Bowery first."