Responsibility, Representation, NSA Debated by Phillips, Leed on Radio

"You are basically irresponsible," Roger M. Leed '61 told Howard J. Phillips '62. "You have completely distorted everything I have said," Phillips complained. "You always twist and distort, Howie," moderator Jerry Williams observed.

All this took place on William's program on rocking radio station WMEX last night when Roger Leed, Administrative Assistant to the National Committee of N.S.A., challenged Howard Phillips, one time President of the Harvard Student Council to a debate on the proper place of N.S.A.

Angered by a Phillips charge last summer that N.S.A. was an "arrogant, leftist, undemocratic organization," Leed claimed his purpose for appearing on the program was to "present an objective picture." In general Leed found that the anti-N.S.A. arguments of Phillips and his fellow Young Americans for Freedom were "inconsistent," and "lacked facts to back up the charges."

He defended the N.S.A.'s stand on Cuba, academic freedom, HUAC, and other political issues as "proper," as they dealt with subjects related to education. In his opinion (and the N.S.A.'s) students have a "special responsibility" to speak out on such topics.

Phillips agreed that students must speak, but then presented his well-known argument that the N.S.A. is unrepresentative, and, in fact, "is out of touch with the mainstream of student opinion." He noted that most students in NSA affiliated schools have no idea of what NSA is anyway, and that the representatives chosen to go to the National Congress are usually non-representative.

On this point, Leed helpfully pointed out that "the mentality" of recent Harvard representative Phillips "and the mentality of the Harvard Student Body have few points of convergence."

The program was more than a simple discussion of N.S.A., as moderator Jerry Williams, openingly declaring himself "partial," insisted on badgering and harrassng Phillips on his well known right wing views. Phillips responded with a mixture of directness, evasiveness, and irritation, reducing the obviously frustrated Williams to asking Howie if "you dislike me, am I a socialist?

Aside from the big question of NSA representation, commercials, Williams' attempts to determine how far right was right, and station breaks, various other items were debated, such as the cost of Phillips' hotel room at the N.S.A. convention and the nature of Fulton Lewis III's convention badge. Leed complained that debates with his old schoolmate "nearly always" degenerated into "such trivia," but seemed to find enough material to keep sparring well into the night, past CRIMSON bed time and that of most students.