Faculty Plans For Informal Aid to Kamin

Members of the Social Relations department plan no formal organization to raise funds for the defense of Leon J. Kamin '49, former research assistant in Social Relations, indicted a month ago for refusing to answer questions before a McCarthy investigating subcommittee.

"Any efforts will be made on a friend-to-friend basis and will involve as little hullabaloo as possible," Richard Solomon, associate professor of Social Psychology said yesterday. "So many people in the department and outside have expressed interest that a formal committee and circular letter seemed unnecessary."

A mailbox will be placed in Emerson Hall within the next few days, however, under the name of the "Kamin Legal Aid Fund" to receive any mailed contributions. All contributions should be made out to Kamin personally, Solomon said. They are forwarded immediately to Kamin, who holds a one-year appointment as research assistant in psychology at McGill University in Montreal.

No contributions have been made so far, since the decision on the methods of receiving them was not reached until this week, Solomon stated. "We worked it out after a great deal of discussion with people throughout the University."

Want Fair Trial

"Nearly everyone in the department seems interested," Solomon said. He added that there are "perhaps a hundred faculty members and graduate students," including himself, "here now who know Kamin well and who feel that he is an outstanding man."

Kamin received aid from departmental associates during his appearances before Congressional committees. Most of it came, Solomon said, from graduate students.

Some of the people who have offered money for Kamin's legal expenses, Solomon said, emphasized that they do not sympathize with some of Kamin's past activities, but are interested in seeing that he gets a fair trial.

"Few contributions have come from outside the University," he added, "although we expect more. We still have some time yet to raise money and we expect an increase from outside." He did not know of any gifts from McGill staff members, since these contributions would be sent direct to Kamin at McGill rather than to the informal group in Boston.