Memorial Meeting

The Saltonstall Committee report, urging a $60,000 plaque in Memorial Church as Harvard's memorial to its World War II dead, will be presented formally to officers of the Alumni Association and the Associated Harvard Clubs tomorrow. And tomorrow the alumni officers can accept or reject the report for once and all.

Before making the final decision, however, these gentlemen should first give an audience to student sentiment. Ever since the Saltonstall group was first formed, students have been asking for a memorial of practical rather than ornamental value--preferably a Memorial Activities Center. Nine days ago the Committe announced its rejection of such a center, mainly on financial grounds. Two student groups, the American Veterans Committee and the Student Council, have now asked alumni officials to reject the plaque plan and turn to the activities center. Their position is essentially the position of most undergraduates, who wish for a memorial of substantial scope, a memorial which the University can actually use.

Tomorrow the alumni authorities will hear the reasoning of the Saltonstall Committee. They should heed also the AVC and Council statements. If the officials believe that the student stand is correct, then the only logical course will be to reject the Saltonstall Committee's report.

But if the officers do not agree with the students, they should at least give one other group a chance to register its reactions to the plaque proposal. This group consists of Harvard's 90,000 alumni, the men who will have to pay for this memorial. The alumni directors might solicit correspondence, they might poll alumni, or they might employ some other process. In any case they should wait well beyond tomorrow before committing Harvard to the Saltonstall Committee's plan for a plaque.