Crises Nothing New to Cox

Archibald Cox '34 is no stranger to crisis situations. Throughout his academic and legal career, the 61-year-old professor of Law has responded quickly to appeals from his colleagues at Harvard and his personal friends in Washington.

In the turbulent years from 1968 to 1971, when the nation's universities erupted into violence, Cox earned a reputation as "university trouble-shooter," primarily for his role in investigating the Columbia University upheaval in 1968, and for his efforts in ending a Harvard building takeover in March 1971.

The Corporation granted Cox wide, unilateral powers to handle disorders in the fall of 1969, a few months after the University Hall bust and a year after he directed a blue-ribbon commission to study the crisis at Columbia University.

Cox exercised this authority through June 1971. The Corporation's decision to grant Cox a free hand signalled its concern with student activism, and its faith in Cox's investigatory abilities.

Chanting and Clapping

Cox earned notoriety here for his part in the controversial "counter teach-in" on March 26, 1971. In that incident, Cox called off a pro-war teach-in after 45 minutes when militant demonstrators refused to stop clapping and chanting.

When the demonstrators failed to quiet down, Cox assumed the podium and told the audience, "You have the power at any moment to disrupt this meeting at any time. But will you please let me speak?"

The crowd continued to make noise when Cox resumed his plea. "If this meeting is disrupted--hateful as some of us may find it--then liberty will have died a little and those guilty of disruption will have done inestimable damage to the cause of humanity and peace."

Only two weeks before, Cox brought a non-violent end to a building takeover at 888 Memorial Drive, a vacant site that had been seized by a women's group on March 7, 1971. The group held the building for nine days, despite a court injunction against their occupation.

Man of Few Words

Cox, a self-confident man who rarely uses more than a few words to answer questions, has played a major role in three Presidential administrations, all Democratic. He left his position as Royall Professor of Law in 1961 to become Solicitor General under President Kennedy '40. He continued to serve in this capacity after Kennedy's assassination, returning to Harvard in 1965.

The New Jersey-born Cox first served the national government under President Truman, when he headed up the Wage Stabilization Board.

Among Cox's close friends are President Bok, who had also been mentioned for the Watergate prosecuting post, and former dean of the Faculty John T. Dunlop, now head of President Nixon's Cost of Living Council.

Bok co-authored a book on labor law with Cox in 1948, and the two were close colleagues during Bok's years as dean of the Law School. Bok, Dunlop, and Cox are all experienced labor arbitrators. Cox, in particular, is regarded as an impartial, hardnosed investigator.

Cox lives in Wayland, an upper middle class suburb about 20 miles west of Boston. He celebrated his 61st birthday yesterday, and spent most of today avoiding the media until the 5 p.m. press conference.

Richardson's selection of Cox is crucial to his own confirmation hearing, which is presently in progress in the Senate. Richardson had told the Senate sub-committee that he would exercise final control over the special prosecutor.

This statement endangered Richardson's confirmation. The Committee questioned the unknown prosecutor's ability to investigate while under Richardson's thumb. The attorney general designate retracted the statement, and promised the prosecutor complete freedom. A few days later, Cox was picked. When he operated as University trouble shooter, he demanded complete autonomy. It is unlikely he would have accepted the Watergate post without a similar guarantee.