Herter Talk Cancelled by Syrian Crisis

The Hon. Christian A. Herter '15, Undersecretary of State, will not speak Wednesday in commemoration of the Hungarian Revolution, an official of the Harvard Freedom Council announced last night.

Derek Torrey Winans '60, acting secretary of the group, said that the State Department had called yesterday afternoon to say that the Syrian crisis and the visit of Queen Elizabeth would prevent Herter from leaving Washington.

The Undersecretary had been scheduled to speak Wednesday in New Lecture Hall on a program with Samuel Beer, chairman of the Government Department, and Frank Gardonyi, secretary-general of the Association of Hungarian Students.

Norman William Smith, Jr. '58, president of the HYRC, had earlier informed the CRIMSON that Herter would not be able to keep his scheduled appearance Wednesday. Smith, when he saw advertisements for Herter's speech, attempted to reach him to schedule an address before the Young Republicans the same day.

HYRC Claims Right to Herter

Smith said that "If former Governor Herter were appearing at Harvard, he should appear under the auspices of the HYRC, as in the past." Apparently, however, Smith made no attempts to get Herter to cancel his speech before the Freedom Council in favor of the HYRC.

Winans said that he was trying to get a speaker to replace Herter at the anniversary commemoration. Attempts are being made to schedule Arthur Larson, recently resigned head of the U.S. Information Agency, or his successor, George V. Allen, as a replacement for Herter.

"We're just going from one crisis to another," Winans said of the 22-member Freedom Council.