University Indicates It Will Not Interfere in Tufts Battle

University officials have indicated that Harvard will not interfere in the current battle of the Fletcher School to regain its independence from Tufts.

Although the University holds four out of the seven positions on Fletcher's Joint Academic Council, which was originally set up to determine the School's policles, s. Harvard spokesman said that "Tufts has a legal right to claim Fletcher as a member of its university."

"Tufts did not consult us before publishing its new catalogue including Fletcher," he admitted, "but it was not required to. How to manage the School is up to Tufts' discretion."

Students at Fletcher charged last week that Harvard was morally obligated to help them from being absorbed into Tufts University.

Decision May Come Tomorrow

According to some students at the School, the outcome of Fletcher's battle for independence may be decided tomorrow when the Executive Committee of Tufts' Board of Trustees meets with university President Nils Wessel in Medford.

Fletcher, an internationally known school of Law and Diplomacy, was established in 1933 by Tufts' President Cousens, President Lowell, and Dean Pound of the Law School. It is administered by Tufts with the co-operation of Harvard.

One Fletcher alumnus, Giorgio Pagnanelli, a counsel for the Italian Lines in New York, said last night that he has already visited President Wessel, whom students believe to be the principal figure in Tufts' new policy toward Fletcher.

"I got the general impression from President Wessel that he thought the students had sent me to see him. They did not," Pagnanelli said. "I heard about this by myself."

Pagnanelli, who refused to quote Wessel directly because their meeting was on a personal basis, added, however, that the Tufts head also thought that the deans at Fletcher had incited the students to petition.

Students further disclosed last night that they had discovered a "secret letter" which Wessel sent to last year's alumni asking them to tell "confidentially" what they thought about the way Fletcher was being run.