300 Storm Pusey's House After Anti-ROTC Meeting

An estimated 300 anti-ROTC demonstrators forced their way onto the grounds of President Pusey's Quincy Street house at midnight yesterday to tack onto Pusey's front door a list of six demands concerning ROTC and Harvard's relations with local communities.

The action came after a four-hour meeting sponsored by SDS during which a proposal to occupy University Hall immediately was three times defeated by narrow margins.

The demonstrators will hold a rally at noon today in front of Memorial Church to discuss--and perhaps to initiate at that time "militant action" for the acceptance of the demands. The militant action is understood to be the occupation of a building, and perhaps a student strike.

Dean Ford said last night, "I have never heard of anyone seizing a building here, so I have no particular comment to make now." Neither Pusey nor Dean Glimp was available for comment.

The six demands of the demonstrators are:

* "Abolish ROTC immediately by breaking all existing ROTC contracts and not entering into any new ones.

* "Replace all ROTC scholarships with University scholarships.

* Restore all scholarships to the Paine Hall demonstrators.

* "Roll back rents in Harvard University-owned buildings to the level of January 1, 1968.

* "No destruction of black workers' homes around the Medical School.

* "No destruction of University Road apartments for the construction of the Kennedy School."

The approximately 450 persons who attended the meeting in Lowell Lecture Hall began to march shortly before midnight from the hall to Pusey's house, chanting "ROTC must go--now," and "No expansion, smash ROTC" as they went. When they arrived at their destination they found the gates of Pusey's house closed and guarded by University policemen. The policemen had arrived about ten minutes before.

As the crowd surged against the smaller center gate, a University policeman said, "I'm going to smash your fingers if you touch that gate." Miss Jessie L. Gill, a local nurses's aide and chairman of a tenants' union in a Harvard-owned apartment building, pushed the policeman back, forced the gate open, and went onto the grounds.

The University policeman attempted to stop the crowd from coming in the central gate and the automobile gate to the north of it. Several policemen and demonstrators exchanged blows; the policemen--overpowered by the demonstrators--stepped aside to allow them to enter freely. No injuries were reported.

When the head of the crowd came to the portico at the front of the house, SDS co-chairman Michael Kazin '70 knocked on the front door, received no answer, and then tacked the six demands on the door. Two University policemen standing nearby did not interfere.

After painting several anti-ROTC slogan's on Pusey's driveway, the demonstrators departed at about 12:10 and toured the Yard and Houses to gain support for today's rally. The demonstration broke up in the Square at 1:15 a.m.

Jonathan M. Harris '68, a member of the SDS anti-war committee, began last night's meeting at 8 p.m. with a review of this year's anti-ROTC campaign. The campaign had, he said, made it clear that the "Harvard Corporation has got to keep ROTC in order to serve U.S. imperialism.

"As we go into this debate, we should be very clear that what we are facing [the Corporation] is a very ruthless enemy. Given that, I think that no one should believe that we can enter the last stages of this campaign lightly. But at the same time, it is obvious that we must carry on," he concluded.

During the nearly four hours that followed, the meeting of 400 to 450 people split into two factions.

The first supported a resolution advanced by the Worker Student Alliance within SDS, which called for immediate occupation of University Hall--"tonight, as soon as this debate ends," as one speaker put it.

The second faction backed the position of SDS's New Left Caucus which, although it also wanted to seize a building, said that the seizure should not come until later this week or next Monday. A march on Pusey's house to present the demands should precede the seizure, they said.

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Speakers for the Worker Student Allowance Position responded that a delay would give the University time too prepare its defenses, and siphhon off potential supporters of the seizure by "raising smokescreens, setting up committees...." etc.

Though both proposals contained the three demands on ROTC, only the Worker-Student Alliance's resolution originally contained the three demands on Harvard's relations with the community. The New Left resolution later added them.

Three votes were held during the evening on the two major proposals, plus two others--for no action, and for a student strike without a seizure--which received relatively little support.

Because of the repeated votes, some New Left supporters charged that the opposing faction was manipulating the meeting by voting repeatedly until their position came into the majority. Worker-Student spokesmen replied that some of those voting did not support the campaign's goal of total abolition of Harvard ROTC.

The first "straw" vote at 10 p.m. found 140 in favor of immediate occupation of University Hall, and 180 wanting to wait a while.

During the next half hour, debate raged heavy, Kazin several times almost lost control of the microphone as would-be speakers--most of whom appeared to be supporting the Worker-Student Alliance position--grabbed for it. In front of the platform, several people chanted "Let's go now."

The second vote--which Kazin said was to have been final--came at 10:30, and found 150 supporting an immediate seizure, and 180 still backing the New Left's resolution. Kazin called for a renewal of debate to develop a unified position.

More debate ensued but the final vote an hour later found the same 140-180 split, and the meeting adjourned to Pusey's front gate

Speakers for the Worker Student Allowance Position responded that a delay would give the University time too prepare its defenses, and siphhon off potential supporters of the seizure by "raising smokescreens, setting up committees...." etc.

Though both proposals contained the three demands on ROTC, only the Worker-Student Alliance's resolution originally contained the three demands on Harvard's relations with the community. The New Left resolution later added them.

Three votes were held during the evening on the two major proposals, plus two others--for no action, and for a student strike without a seizure--which received relatively little support.

Because of the repeated votes, some New Left supporters charged that the opposing faction was manipulating the meeting by voting repeatedly until their position came into the majority. Worker-Student spokesmen replied that some of those voting did not support the campaign's goal of total abolition of Harvard ROTC.

The first "straw" vote at 10 p.m. found 140 in favor of immediate occupation of University Hall, and 180 wanting to wait a while.

During the next half hour, debate raged heavy, Kazin several times almost lost control of the microphone as would-be speakers--most of whom appeared to be supporting the Worker-Student Alliance position--grabbed for it. In front of the platform, several people chanted "Let's go now."

The second vote--which Kazin said was to have been final--came at 10:30, and found 150 supporting an immediate seizure, and 180 still backing the New Left's resolution. Kazin called for a renewal of debate to develop a unified position.

More debate ensued but the final vote an hour later found the same 140-180 split, and the meeting adjourned to Pusey's front gate