Student Liberals To Hear SACB

The Harvard chapter of the Boston Students for a Democratic Society is urging the members of liberal student organizations to attend an investigation being conducted by the Subversive Activities Control Board next Thursday in Boston.

"We want people to view at first hand what it's like when the government investigates people's beliefs and associations in a public mock-trial," David M. Kotz '65, chairman of the SDS, said yesterday.

Under the McCarran Act of 1950, organizations which are labeled "communist-action" or "communist front" groups are required to register with the Attorney General. Upon request of the Attorney General, the SACB determines whether an organization is such a group and whether individuals are members of any groups so labeled.

The SDS is worried primarily about the "parallelism" aspects of the Act, accord- ing to Peter Orris '67, an organizer of the protest. Among the criteria to be used by the SACB in deciding whether a group is communist-affiliated is "the extent to which the positions taken or advanced by it from time to time on matters of policy do not deviate from those of any communist-action organizations, communist foreign governments, or the world communist movement."

Under this clause, said Orris, the Act endangers groups and individuals who, with no intention of supporting the Communist Party may, on certain social issues, take similar stands.

As examples of such "unintentionally parallel" views, he mentioned the contention of civil rights groups that "all men are created equal" and the commitment of certain peace organizations to "peaceful coexistence," both of which views are supported by Communist groups.

The SDS is urging students to attend the hearings "to call attention to the need for repeal of the McCarran Act," Kotz said