Leningrad Letter Revives Hopes for New Exchanges

The University has received Leningrad University's long-delayed reply to a letter written by President Pusey last June. The arrival of this letter, dated June 2, coupled with Saturday's extension of the Lacey-Zaroubin cultural exchange agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union, raises hopes in University Hall that some definite exchange steps may be worked out in the near future.

When a delegation of Leningrad professors visited Cambridge last April, it was agreed that the two institutions would trade lists of personnel for exchange. President Pusey's letter in June contained the names of Leningrad faculty members whom the University wished to invite and also the names of Harvard scholars who wanted to do special research in Leningrad.

Reply Lists Names

In addition, the Pusey letter included certain specific proposals with regard to future exchange projects and suggestions concerning the financial arrangements of such programs.

The Leningrad reply, according to Edward L. Pattullo, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, contains a list of Harvard and Leningrad personnel corresponding to that included in Pusey's letter. The reply was received last week.

Pattullo said yesterday that the Soviet note also indicated that Pusey's proposals were under consideration in the Leningrad faculty, and that some response could be expected in a short time.

University Seeks Specific Plans

The list of Leningrad faculty members wishing to work at Harvard, however, included nothing but names and general fields of study, Pattullo pointed out. Before the University can either approve or disapprove the nominations, it must know more about the specific research plans of each nominee. A letter requesting this further information will be sent to Leningrad in the next few weeks, Pattullo said.

The Harvard-Leningrad arrangement and similar programs involving Columbia and Moscow, Yale and Kiev, and Indiana and Tashkent, take place under the Lacey-Zaroubin cultural exchange agreement between the two countries, which was extended for two more years last Saturday.