Dean Urges Sanctions Against S. Africa

Law School Dean James Vorenberg '49 joined demonstrators protesting South African racial oppression yesterday in Boston and called for federal sanctions against South Africa's apartheid regime.

The dean was among hundreds of lawyers and law students participating In activities marking Lawyers Against Apartheid Day in Massachusetts on the 56th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 's birth.

Speaking in a forum at the State House, Vorenberg urged legal professionals to back federal legislation barring new U.S. investments in South Africa and prohibiting the sale of South African gold coins in this country.

He was referring to a bill recently proposed in Congress by Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wisc.) that would also ban bank loans to South Africa.

John H.F. Shattuck, University vice president for government and community affairs, said that President Bok is "sympathetic" to the proposed legislation and may state his position on it publicly in the near future.

Although Vorenberg stopped short of saying Harvard should divest its $460 million invested in American companies operating in South Africa, he disagreed with the Reagan Administration's policy of constructive engagement. That policy relies on cooperation with the South African government to advance human rights.

The same philosophy underlies President Bok's opposition to divestiture. In a series of open letters. Bok has argued that the University can most effectively foster improved conditions for South African Blacks by working within the existing system.

As a trustee of the Harvard Law Review. Vorenberg last week supported South African divestiture by the prestigious student-run journal. Responding to a petition by Review editors, the board of trustees decided to sell the $112,800 of the publication's endowment invested in corporations that do business in South Africa.

Before delivering his speech at the State House yesterday. Vorenberg marched in a picket line in front of the John F. Kennedy federal office building. Shattuck and University Deputy General Counsel Martin Michaelson also joined the protest.

A small group-of Harvard law students marched in front of the dean, carrying a banner that said, "Harvard Invests in Apartheid.