Harvard May Spurn Some U.S. Aid If Congress Requires Disclaimers

The University may refuse Federal contracts under the U.S. foreign-aid program if this year's aid-authorization bill requires American scholars receiving funds to sign disclaimer affidavits.

Harvard officials and representatives of other major universities lobbied intensively yesterday and Tuesday to convince a Senate-House conference committee to drop the affidavit provision. The committee will report the bill today, and both houses of Congress are expected to begin considering it immediately.

What the University objects to is a clause requiring applicants for Federal grants to disclaim belief in any subversive organization. Such an is unconstitutional, the University maintains, since it attempts to control a citizen's beliefs.

University protested Before

Harvard protested against a similar requirement in the National Defense Education Act of 1953 and, when its protest proved ineffective, withdrew from the program in November, 1959. After a vigorous campaign against the disclaimer by President Pusey, the clause was eliminated, and late in 1962 Harvard again began accepting funds.

While University officials yesterday would not commit themselves to a specific course of action should the final foreign-aid bill contain a disclaimer provision, they pointed to the earlier fight as a signification of Harvard's feeling.

The $3.5 foreign-aid bill passed by the House does not require a disclaimer. But the $3.3 billion Senate version does. And the 13-man conference committee trying to reach a compromise includes Sen. George D. Aiken (R-Vt.), who proposed the disclaimer last Tuesday.

Whitlock Sees Hope

Charies P. Whitlock, assistant to the President for civic and governmental affairs, said yesterday that he saw "some hope" that the committee would not insert the disclaimer in the compromise bill. But if it is retained, he added, it is likely to be warmly accepted by the House.

Although no exact figure was available last night for the extent of Federal aid given the University as part of the foreign aid program, the annual total appeared to be below $1 million.

The Business School has received $400,000 over two years for a program to develop business-management talent in six Central American states. About six B-School faculty members spent the summer in Central America, most of them at an "advanced management institute" in Guatemala.

University protested Before

Harvard protested against a similar requirement in the National Defense Education Act of 1953 and, when its protest proved ineffective, withdrew from the program in November, 1959. After a vigorous campaign against the disclaimer by President Pusey, the clause was eliminated, and late in 1962 Harvard again began accepting funds.

While University officials yesterday would not commit themselves to a specific course of action should the final foreign-aid bill contain a disclaimer provision, they pointed to the earlier fight as a signification of Harvard's feeling.

The $3.5 foreign-aid bill passed by the House does not require a disclaimer. But the $3.3 billion Senate version does. And the 13-man conference committee trying to reach a compromise includes Sen. George D. Aiken (R-Vt.), who proposed the disclaimer last Tuesday.

Whitlock Sees Hope

Charies P. Whitlock, assistant to the President for civic and governmental affairs, said yesterday that he saw "some hope" that the committee would not insert the disclaimer in the compromise bill. But if it is retained, he added, it is likely to be warmly accepted by the House.

Although no exact figure was available last night for the extent of Federal aid given the University as part of the foreign aid program, the annual total appeared to be below $1 million.

The Business School has received $400,000 over two years for a program to develop business-management talent in six Central American states. About six B-School faculty members spent the summer in Central America, most of them at an "advanced management institute" in Guatemala.