Father Dunne Asserts Law Forum Failed to Clarify Debate Subject

In a letter to the CRIMSON, Father George H. Dunne, S. J., said yesterday that he had "absolutely no notion" that "The Catholic Church and Politics" was to be the topic of last Friday's Law School Forum debate with Author Paul Blanshard.

Referring to the CRIMSON's post-debate article which stated in part"...it took almost an hour and a half of discussion for the speakers to come to grips on the scheduled topic..." Father Dunne said it was his understanding that the debate was to discuss "issues raised by his (Blanshard's) book (American Freedom and Catholic Power.)"

No Announcement

Father Dunne pointed out that prior to the debate he had not seen any program or announcement of the formal topic for discussion. Father Dunne continued that he assumed the book itself would be one of the major issues.

"This may explain," he said, "why there may have been a failure to come immediately to grips with the topic advertised as the subject of the discussion. Not being endowed with clairvoyance I did not know that the subject had thus been defined. Evidently there was a slip-up somewhere in the antecedent clarification of the subject to be discussed."

Anthony P. Nugent '47 3L, who had charge of the debate, agreed last night that an "unfortunate misunderstanding" had occurred. Arrangements for the debate were made by letter and telephone, he explained, and Father Dunne apparently interpreted the suggested topics in a different manner than was intended.

"It was the Forum's fault for not telling the audience and the press (as they had told Dunne), that the forum was not to be confined to the title of the lecture, but to the topics of the book as well," said Nugent.