Cambridge Mothers Stage Sit-In, Demand M.I.T. Join in Belt Fight

Five Cambridge mothers, with four children in tow, staged a sit-in yesterday outside the offices of Howard Johnson, president of M.I.T., to dramatize their demand that M.I.T. join in the fight against the Inner Belt.

They left two hours later, after being granted an appointment with Johnson and James R. Killian, chairman of the M.I.T. Corporation, for Monday morning.

Led by Mrs. Michael Benfield, the mothers showed up at Johnson's office at 9:30 yesterday morning, armed with signs, blankets, and food. They also had a letter addressed to Johnson calling on M.I.T. to denounce the proposed Brookline-Elm St. route of the Inner Belt, and to either join in blocking the highway altogether or to help find a "more humane" route.

The letter threatened further demonstrations at M.I.T. if the Institute refuses to join in the fight publicly.

The group did not see either Johnson or Killian yesterday. Johnson was said to be too busy, and Killian is in New York. At one point, an M.I.T. policeman was about to disperse the mothers but a worker in Johnson's office said they could remain.

M.I.T. became publicly involved in the Inner Belt question last Spring when it attacked one of the proposed alternate routes for the highway, down Portland and Albany Streets. Officials claimed the highway there would destroy several of its buildings and disrupt important research.

Since then, the Institute has been the target of much criticism from Cambridge leaders of the Inner Belt fight.