Presidents' Statement

The statement by eight university presidents on a meeting with President Nixon May 7, 1970:

We met with President Nixon at his invitation in his office this morning for a conference of approximately one hour and thirty minutes. We were grateful for the opportunity to present explicitly our assessment of the desires, frustrations and anger among students and faculty across the nation.

reactions that result from the developments in Southeast Asia, hostile comments by members of the administration about campus events and persons, and the tragic incidents that have occurred on several campuses.

We found the President an attentive listener. We spoke forcefully of the deep and widening apprehensions on campuses everywhere and the reasons for them. We want to assure the academic community that we heard and that we made clear the truth as we believe it to be.

We urge that university, college and high school students and faculty everywhere work in effective ways to make constructive changes in the quality of our national life, public policies and political institutions. We are confident they can do this best by laboring realistically together to make the political process more responsive and not by abetting those who seek to destroy.

We pledge ourselves to the full extent of our energies to save andstrengthen our academic institutions. as citadels of reason, sanity and civility in a deeply troubled world.

William C. Friday, President of the University of North Carolina

Fred H. Harrington, President of the University of Wisconsin

Alexander Heard, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University

Charles J. Hitch, President of the University of California

Edward H. Levi, President of the University of Chicago

Malcolm C. Moos, President of the University of Minnesota

Nathan M. Pusey, President of Harvard University

W. Allen Wallis, President of the University of Rochester