NAC Protestors Disrupt CFIA Visiting Committee

Two hundred students entered the Center for International Affairs (CFIA) shortly after noon yesterday and disrupted a meeting of the CFIA's Visiting Committee.

The demonstration, organized by the November Action Committee (NAC), caused Visiting Committee members to file out of a second-floor meeting room and make their way through the crowd.

The demonstrators then followed the Visiting Committee, shouting obscenities and "Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh, Southeast Asia's going to win." Nevertheless, most committee members were able to scatter without further incident.

For those who did not escape the protestors' notice, there were four incidents of harassment. University authorities are investigating the initial disruption and ensuing events, but have not yet decided whether to press for any public prosecutions or internal disciplinary measures.

NAC called the rally to protest "the role that the CFIA plays in the imperialist American foreign policy." "It not only does foreign policy research and planning, but also is directly involved in the implementation of the ideas it produces," NAC claimed.

The most serious incident occurred behind the Harvard Square MBTA island, when Robert R. Bowie, director of the CFIA, and Joseph E. Johnson '27, vice-chairman of the Visiting Committee and president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, were followed by demonstrators and trapped in a taxi cab from 1:05 to 1:25 p.m.

Bowie and Johnson insisted that the Cambridge police clear away the hundreds of students surrounding them. Archibald Cox '34, the University's Law professor who oversees demonstrations, pleaded with Bowie and Johnson to leave the cab.

When they refused, Cox shouted, "Oh Bob, you're just going to cause a riot. Speaking for the President. I ask you to stop." At that point Bowie and Johnson changed their minds and got out of the cab.

The Visiting Committee finally resumed its deliberations in mid-afternoon. At least one committee member was prevented from eating lunch until after 2:15 p.m.

NAC originally stated that Robert S. McNamara, a member of the Visiting Committee, would be coming to Harvard

for the meeting. Bowie subsequently said that McNamara would not attend.

March to CFIA

After rallying for 20 minutes at Memorial Church the crowd charged toward the CFIA. While the Visiting Committee met on the second floor, an unarmed University policeman and Benjamin H. Brown, advisor to the CFIA Fellows, stood at the foot of the stairs.

The policeman and Brown talked to the demonstrators for several minutes, trying to convince them not to go upstairs. But the students squeezed through and burst into the upstairs meeting room.

At 12:39 p.m. Bowie attempted to read a prepared statement warning the demonstrators that they were violating the Faculty's Interim Resolution on Rights and Responsibilities. He was repeatedly drowned out to the chant of "bullshit."

After the initial disruption, committee members pushed their way through the crowd and filed out of the CFIA. They crossed Divinity Avenue and headed through the Mallinckrodt parking lot. Bowie, his wife, Johnson, and John J. McCloy, director of Allied Chemical, got into Bowie's car and were engulfed by the crowd.

Bowie started inching his way through with the car, even though some demonstrators were lying on the pavement in front of him. Cox ran over and conviced Bowie that driving away would be difficult.

The four got out of the car, and Cox led McCloy away from the demonstrators. A University policeman escorted Bowie. Johnson, and Samuel B. Williamson, special assistant to Dean May down Mass. Ave. toward Harvard Square.

Williamson led Bowie and Johnson into a taxi cab at the MBTA island, where they were quickly engulfed by demonstrators.

Police

Bowie told the University policeman who had escorted them to the cab, "Get Cambridge police and arrest them if they don't get out of the way." A few minutes later, the Cambridge foot patrolman on the Harvard Square beat came over to the cab, asked the driver to show his license, and told Bowie and Johnson that the Cambridge police were on their way.

The police arrived with 12 detectives in six unmarked cars, in addition to two marked cars which parked at the Information Booth, just north of the Square, according to police captain N. J. Fratto.

Meanwhile to no avail. Williamson asked Bowie and Johnson to get out of the cab. Minutes later. Cox invoked the name of President Pusey and Bowie and Johnson agreed to leave. Cox said last night, "Do I have the authority to speak for the President in such circumstances? The answer is 'yes.'"

Bowie and Johnson paid the taxi driver, John C. Grimon. $2 for the 20 minutes spent in the cab.

Williamson quickly escorted Bowie down Church Street toward the Post Office. They were followed closely by ten demonstrators. When someone stopped his car near Mt. Anburn Street to give Bowie a ride to safety, four demonstrators rode on top of the car until it picked up speed.

The vast majority of the demonstrators followed Cox. Johnson, and a University policeman as they walked at a very fast pace down Bow Street and up Plympton Street to Adams House, out of Adams House, and up Mass. Ave. into the Cambridge Common.

The retreat lasted about 20 minutes and ended at the first park bench in the Cambridge Common, which they reached at 1:48 p.m. About 150 people surrounded Cox, Bowie, and two University policemen.

Cox said, "I have asked Mr. Johnson not to make any remarks." Cox then refused to talk further, and demonstrators, getting no further response, briefly discussed future action and drifted away from the Common.