Late Plane Keeps Robeson Away; Singer States Beliefs

A late plane kept Paul Robeson from speaking to the College at 5:15 p.m. yesterday--a half hour later than the Young Progressives had said he would speak, and almost two hours later than he was originally scheduled to speak. Robeson, however, gave the CRIMSON the substance of his speech in an interview last night, and said he hopes to give a concert here some time in March.

First hint that Robeson would be late the Young Progressives, the sponsoring organization, received a telegram from their New York office saying that he would arrive at Logan Airport at 4:10 and at Emerson D 40 minutes later. A call to New York by the Y.P.'s at 1 p.m. confirmed this--Robeson had had trouble getting an early reservation.

Overflow crowds at Emerson were told at 3:20 p.m. by Lowell P. Beveridge '52, president of the left-wing group, that Robeson would begin his talk on "The Liberation of the American Negro" at 4:45. The Progressives had been told that the plane would arrive at 4:10, but there was no such flight, only one scheduled to arrive at 4:40.

Delay in New York

Robeson took that plane, but it was delayed 50 minutes in loading at New York. The singer and his entourage arrived at Logan at 5:30, contacted Beveridge, and were told that it was too late to make an appearance. The audience which packed the New Lecture Hall--revised site of the speech--started to file out about 5:30, after a wait made tense by expectation of an anti-Robeson demonstration. It was practically gone at 5:50 when Beveridge told the few left in the Hall that Robeson could not come.

"To be liberated," Robeson told the CRIMSON, "the Negro must be considered a member of a race, not an individual. The progress of a few must not obscure the oppression of the many. When Negros stop being fooled by this, they will be on the first step to liberation."

The second step is the formation of political parties, clubs, and emergency organizations to fight for the elimination of segregation and discrimination. Thirdly, the Negro must realize that his struggle for equality in America is comparable to that of colonial peoples all over the world.

The Beigian Congo

"So when the Negro is told to fight for the free nations of the West," the massive singer continued, "he must realize that among these nations are the Belgium of the Belgian Congo and the England of the South African compounds."

The Korean war is part of the attempt of a few corporations to extend this country's colonial control in Asia, Robeson asserted. One of the objects of these men is to end democracy in this country.

In the face of this, "The youth of the nation, especially those at Harvard, should at least question the aims of the U.S.A. They are the ones who will have to die." Better still, youth should actively fight for peace.

Robeson advised that peace could be attained if enough people would join peace organizations, support peace appeals, and make their feelings known.