Pressure Blamed For Dem Refusal To Pay Rockwell

A member of the Harvard Law-Grad Democrat Club charged yesterday that outside pressure was responsible for the club's decision not to pay George Lincoln Rockwell his traveling expenses for last Monday's speech.

The member, who did not wish to be identified, said yesterday that the Jewish War Veterans and the local and state Young Democrat organizations forced the club's executive board to break its written contract with the leader of the American Nazi Party.

[A representative of the JWV said last night that there was no truth to the charge at all.]

Rockwell went on with the speech anyway, mentioning that the contract was broken and that he was receiving nothing. In the speech he said that he would not sue for the money.

According to the member, the board voted on Sunday night to break the contract after being threatened with severance from the regular Democratic organization. Rockwell, however, could not be reached then and did not learn of the move until his plane landed in Boston on Monday.

Fee Cancelled

The club's original contract with Rockwell called for expenses plus a $25 fee for speaking. On Thursday night, the member said, the club decided just to pay him expenses--about $92--and notified him by phone of the change. Rockwell agreed to this, the member said.

According to the member, this move had been prompted by "some pressure" but revoking of the rest of the contract on Sunday came after a great deal of outside pressure.

The expenses would have covered his plane fare from Washington, D.C.--his American Nazi headquarters are located nearby in Alexandria, Va.--and a night's hotel bill in Cambridge.

The member said that many in the club were unhappy about the cancellation because Sunday's meeting had been sparsely attended. He said that it would be brought up at the club's next board meeting this Friday afternoon.