TO THE DEFENSE

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

We write as friends of Stephen Aaron to protest the false and irresponsible statements contained in your article of the eleventh of May. It is probably impossible for present undergraduates to appreciate, as do we, the dedication and zeal which Mr. Aaron has expended over nearly a decade toward the advancement of the theatre in this community; nor could any but his close associates be expected to realize his whole-hearted commitment to the Loeb Drama Center, both before and after its actual construction. But it is certainly reasonable to expect that a student newspaper will exercise a modicum of restraint before allowing allegations as spurious as those regarding Mr. Aaron to be printed in their columns as fact.

It is even more disconcerting to us that an article such as yesterday's, part of an announced series, and therefore not written in haste, must have passed the scrutiny of several members of the staff. For this reason we trust that the retraction which must certainly appear will reflect not only Mr. Lottman's, but the CRIMSON's chagrin as well.

Quite a few members of this community can, and will bring themselves "to regret the departure of Assistant Director Stephen Aaron '57" and the theatre at Harvard will be considerably poorer for the loss of a man of Mr. Aaron's acumen and enthusiasm. William Alfred  John M. Bullitt   Dean Gitter  Cedric H. Whitman   John Ratte  Elliott Perkine   John Conway  Daniel Seltzer   Robert Chapman  Walter J. Kaiser

(Editor's Note: The sentiments expressed in Thursday's article on the Loeb reflected the unanimous opinion of students interviewed, and were presented as such. The CRIMSON and the writer have no vested interest in this inquiry; if opinion about Mr. Aaron had been different, this would have been reported.)