Anonymous 'Time' Grant Aids Vietnam Referendum

The New England Universities Referendum on Vietnam, which Harvard and Radcliffe students voted on Wednesday and Thursday, has been partially financed with an anonymous grant from Time Inc.

Describing the Referendum as an opportunity "to encourage articulate debate and get people thinking" about the war, the company yesterday sent $500--one fifth of the total operating expenses--to Referendum organizer M.K. Marshall '68.

Time's role in the operation was strictly financial, Marshall said last night. The company had nothing to do with compiling the 25 questions on the Referendum and requested that no mention be made of the contribution to assure that the student organizers would get full credit.

Marshall said that students on 29 campuses in and around New England had responded to the Referendum's questionnaire, which sought to present most points of view on the war and avoid any political one-sidedness.

About 5500 Harvard and Radcliffe students returned the forms. A quick check showed most of the pollees favoring "stronger attempts at a negotiated settlement," but final results, processed free by the New England Educational and Data Service, will not be available until next Thursday.

Marshall conceived of the Referendum in the aftermath of the Dow protest in October. With editorial assistance from several Faculty members, including Stanley Hoffmann, professor of Government, and David J. Armour, assistant professor of Sociology, he wrote the questionnnaire and enlisted support on other campuses. David Riesman '31, Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences, advised on the wording of the questions and also contributed $50 to the organization.

Despite the Time contribution and the grants of several local businessmen, the organization is still $800 in debt, Marshall said. He hopes to raise the additional funds from other Cambridge citizens.

It is possible that a similar questionnaire may be distributed to New York City area colleges within the next few weeks, Marshall added. Such a referendum would follow his format asking for student reaction to President Johnson's handling of the war and seeking their solutions to the crisis.