Teapot

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Being interested in the problems of disarmament, I decided to attend the meeting this evening of the Committee on Disarmament and became, accidentlly, a witness of the obstructionist tactics which were used to destroy the Committee at that meeting. The events of that meeting were not only a disgrace to Harvard, they indicated an actual threat to the right of Harvard and Radcliffe students to form organizations organizations or to meet freely for the discussion of whatever subjects they may choose. In view of the fact that similar obstructionists tactics were tried during the formation of the Socialist Club, I feel that the problem of such actions has become a very serious one for the Harvard community.

The question of whether the actions which took place this evening were with-in the constitution of the Committee is not significant, nor, of course, is the question a mttter of one's views concerning disarmament. The question is that of whether the Harvard community is going to continue to allow its members to form organizations in which student opinions, liberal or otherwise, can be freely discussed. It is significant that the Committee on Disarmament was not formed either to support or combat disarmament. It was organized only for the purposes of studying and discussing the problems of disarmament and for informing the student body of the issues involved in those problems. It's program had not taken a stand, as an organization, on the issue.

The methods used were frightening and irresponsible. The obstructionist actions had obviously been well planned; and they had been worked out over a long period of time as could easily be seen from the infamous way in which the chairman himself had been involved. The way in which this serious study group was broken up in what can only be described as a type of "mob" violence, on however limited a scale, is a very black mark against almost any student body, in continuance of their liberal tradition, will themselves respond to this threat and will prevent a recurrence of tonight's events. Robert A. Weil '61