Brazilian Students, Peace Corpsmen Attend Course on American Politics

A group of Brazilian students and a contingent of 38 Peace Corps volunteers are presently attending a seminar at Harvard on "Contemporary U.S." and "Economic Development in the Interamerican Perspective.

The Brazilian students, who will be studying at Harvard from July 10 to July 23, have been brought to the United States for a month through the cooperation of the Interamerican University Foundation and its counter-part -- A.U.I. -- in Brazil.

Real Dialogue

Mrs. Elizabeth W. Washburn, coordinator for AUI, said Sunday that the organization "believed that for the future of U.S.-Brazilian relations, it is important that young Brazilians learn something about the U.S. first hand. We hope that our effort will contribute towards establishing a real dialogue between concerned citizens of both nations."

All of the students, Mrs. Washburn, explained, are in the professional stage of their academic training, but in Brazil their position is not distinguished from the undergraduate, as it is here. Each of the students, has been selected out of some 2000 applicants for their political and community activity.

Student Elite

The Brazilian student is a member of a significant elite in his country; the group represents less than one per cent of the population, yet graduates hold 95 per cent of the important government positions.

A random sampling of students showed a tendency to avoid any discussion of U.S. foreign policy, but when they were pressed on the issue they would generally point to the Dominican Republic episode as indicative of our strong-arm tactics. Many of the students felt that although the U.S. is generous with its aid and loans to the "developing nations," there are too many strings attached, and that too much money comes under the condition that it be used to buy U.S. goods.

AIU Program

The Brazilians' trip is divided into four parts: a week with an American family, a two week seminar at Harvard, a week in Washington D.C., and a few days in New York. At Harvard, the Brazilian students are living in Leverett Towers and Dunster House, taking seminars in education and international relations, and attending lectures on the Brazilian economy.

Earphones

Lectures are given in the mornings and evenings at Austen Hall where each student has a set of earphones which translates the lecture to Portuguese. The afternoons are reserved for less formal seminars of from 10 to 14 participants.

After July 23, the group will spend five days in Washington, probably speaking with Lincoln Gordon, U.S. Undersecretary of Latin American Affairs and Senators Jacob K. Javits, Robert F. Kennedy '48, and Edward M. Kennedy '54. On August 3 they will begin a few days' visit to the U.N. and various museums in New York before their return flight to Brazil.