A HARVARD PROJECT

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I would like to clarify a point made in your article appearing in today's CRIMSON, entitled, "Cleric Asks Rights Focus on One Area."

There were two meetings of civil rights groups this weekend, on Friday the 23rd, and another Saturday the 24th, after the speech Mr. Hoses Williams delivered on SCOPE. SCOPE, as you know, is the proposed summer project of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

SCOPE made a general offer to allow Harvard to set up a project of its own in the South this Summer, similar to the one Brandeis University is planning.

At the meeting Friday there were immediate reservations to such a plan, centering upon:

1) Alleged lack of safety measures by SCLC

2) The emphasis of the majority of civil rights organizations on encouragement of local leadership.

Mr. Williams dispelled many of the apprehensions we held about safety measures. Indeed, he dispelled many apprehensions about SCLC in general.

However, he was as concerned as we about the possibilities of projects set up by relatively inexperienced people or organizations (e.g., Harvard) stiffing indigenous leadership. He would much rather send people through SCLC to areas where local leadership has asked for assistance.

A "Harvard project," as either Rev. Mumma envisions it, or you have interpreted him as envisioning it, would not in my opinion be advisable.

In comparison to Brandeis, Harvard has less faculty student participation in civil rights, and less administrative patronage. Brandeis is also smaller than Harvard. And event the Brandeis project seems to hold the danger of a mass of academically-oriented people "organizing" a local community.

Still, I think the best thing Harvard could do would be to pay the salaries or subsistence of its students engaged civil rights work, or make direct donations to the civil rights organization(s) of its choice. Harold A. McDougall '67   President   Civil Rights Co-Ordinating Comm.