Professor's Haitian Study Questioned

The White House yesterday questioned the validity of a Harvard professor's report that economic sanctions and political mismanagement in Haiti Kill up to 1,000 children a month.

Professor Lincoln C. Chen, Director of the Center for Population and Development Studies, gained national media attention for his study, which was funded in part by the United Nations.

White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, responded yesterday, saying that the White House has "questions about the report's methodology."

But in an interview last night, Chen said he had sent a draft of his report to the New York Times last week, and that the headline for a story in yesterday's Times on his findings was inaccurate.

"The report says a number of factors, including sanctions, contribute to the deaths of children," Chen said. Chen said he wrote a letter to the Times, correcting the headline.

Staff at the Center for Population and Development Studies said the report had not yet been completed and would not be released until next week.

The state Department's Special Envoy to Haiti, Lawrence A. Pezzullo, yesterday told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that the Haitian military may be behind reports of mass death in an effort to discredit sanctions.

Pezzullo said that he will hold a meeting today to discuss the study's findings.

Members of the New England Delegation to Haiti, who visited Haiti two weeks ago, charged that Chen may have leaked his unpublished findings to the press on Monday to influence American policy.

"The leaking of this report is part of the duplicity of American policy. Harvard is a powerful name. Why did [Chen] need to leak the report?", one delegation member said.

Chen said last night he had expressly asked the Times to hold the findings until the report had been published.

Chen said that he "didn't even know this was going to be a big deal. But I am glad that this will force the people in Washington to do something on the humanitarian side."

John Hammock, Executive Director of Oxfam America, said the report could actually help anti-Aristide force remain in power.

"The primary thing that is killing people is not the sanctions, but the intimidation and violence in Haiti right now.The only way to help the poor people in Haiti isto increase our humanitarian aid and to strengthenthe embargo," Hammock said.

Dessima Williams, a professor at Brandeis and afellow Cambridge delegation member, said thereport seemed "extremely silly" to her.

"The sanctions have been in place for only twoweeks. How could Chen know that 1,000 children aredying per month?," she said. "It may be aprojection, but the methodology of the reportdoesn't make any sense."

Chen said that the sanctions he discusses inthe report have been in place for two years. Hesaid that fears that his report might underminethe sanctions are a "legitimate concern."

"But you are faced with a choice," he said."There are thousands of children quietly dyingbecause there isn't enough humanitarian aid. Whatare you to do?"

Students at the Center for Population andDevelopment Studies said they were surprised tosee Chen's report featured on the front page ofthe New York Times.

"I knew that there would be trouble when I sawthe article," Holger Sawert, a research associate,said. "He's basically accusing the White House ofhaving the wrong foreign policy.

Dessima Williams, a professor at Brandeis and afellow Cambridge delegation member, said thereport seemed "extremely silly" to her.

"The sanctions have been in place for only twoweeks. How could Chen know that 1,000 children aredying per month?," she said. "It may be aprojection, but the methodology of the reportdoesn't make any sense."

Chen said that the sanctions he discusses inthe report have been in place for two years. Hesaid that fears that his report might underminethe sanctions are a "legitimate concern."

"But you are faced with a choice," he said."There are thousands of children quietly dyingbecause there isn't enough humanitarian aid. Whatare you to do?"

Students at the Center for Population andDevelopment Studies said they were surprised tosee Chen's report featured on the front page ofthe New York Times.

"I knew that there would be trouble when I sawthe article," Holger Sawert, a research associate,said. "He's basically accusing the White House ofhaving the wrong foreign policy.