The Word

Presidential pronouncements are always too late to be effective, and when they finally do appear they inevitably have an ambiguous quality. This rule applies particuarly to President Eisenhower's recent statement on the NDEA disclaimer affidavit.

Although Eisenhower, patriot that he is, declares his willingness to swear every morning that he is not a Communist, he feels that the universities have a right to resent being "singled out" as a group of potential subversives. He regards a basic citizenship oath as sufficient.

However, the President goes on to "deplore" the current attitudes of the universities. He thinks that by freezing the funds, the universities have arbitrarily deprived citizens of the advantages of Federal aid. This is, in effect, saying that while he opposes the NDEA disclaimer affidavit, he is not willing actively to uphold his position.

It is unfortunate that Eisenhower did not openly support the universities when the Kennedy-Clark amendment was being debated by Congress, and it is equally regrettable that he does not now support their latest action. For it was the universities' decision not to administer the government funds that brought the whole issue of loyalty oaths to his attention. The stubbornness of Harvard, Yale, and other schools has placed the question of the disclaimer affidavit directly before the general public.

The campaign of the indignant universities has been a moderate success, and they are to be congratulated for drawing even grudging support from the formerly disinterested Chief of State.