Steiner Demands PALC Leave Hall Immediately

As the occupation of Massachusetts Hall by the Pan African Liberation Committee (PALC) and Harvard-Radcliffe Afro entered its fifth day, Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, sent a letter to the building's occupiers saying in part "...the occupation of Massachusetts Hall must end."

PALC and Afro took over Mass Hall last Thursday to protest Harvard's ownership of stock in Gulf Oil, a corporation that has extensive investments in Angola.

Steiner's letter went on to say, "Unless there is immediate compliance we will be obliged to ask for a court order directing the defendants to show cause why they should not be held in contempt and put under sanctions compelling compliance with the order." Steiner said, "To dismiss the suit would be to discard one of the best hopes for putting an orderly end to the unlawful occupation."

Concerning amnesty for the demonstrators Steiner said, "...the University will not yield to--or compromise--demands in the face of disruption." He added, "The penalties assessed by the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities for previous incidents may give guidance to the outcome."

PALC and Afro did not immediately respond to Steiner's letter, but showed no sign of preparing to leave. The building's occupants are in the second day of an indefinite hunger strike. According to a PALC-Afro statement released yesterday, the purpose of the hunger strike is "to increase and demonstrate their commitment to bringing about Harvard's divestiture of its Gulf Stock." Their diet consists solely of vitamins and liquids.

Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a lieutenant of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, is scheduled to address a rally at 1 p.m. today in front of Mass Hall. The rally will follow a march that is to begin at noon at the MIT Plaza and then proceed down Massachusetts Avenue to Harvard Yard.