Pratt Asserts That Religion Issue Will No Longer Hamper Program

The recent religion controversy did a certain amount of "disservice" to the Program for Harvard College, but "it won't hurt any more now that the issue is settled," Laurence O. Pratt '26, Publicity Director, said yesterday.

In fact, Pratt said, the idea that "Harvard is the place where this kind of problem can come up and be successfully solved appeals to many alumni because it shows how freedom in education can work."

The Publicity Director refused to name any specific cases in which the dispute had influenced individuals to withhold contributions. He did, however, explain that "controversies can't help but hit some people who feel strongly about these things."

How much the religion dispute counteracted the effects of the recent nationwide radio program "The Case for the College" is indeterminable, but Pratt did say that the directors of the Program were "some-what disappointed" in the immediate response to the broadcast staged Harvard's Day.

He attributed this response to two basic factors. First, income taxes had to be paid by April 15. Second, "many are giving close thought to the size of their gifts--the big ones don't come so quickly."

In order to spark the progress of the Fund, "The Case for the College" will be rebroadcast Tuesday night at 9 p.m. over the N.B.C. network. Pratt estimated that approximately 150 stations all over the country would carry the show.

The Publicity Director emphasized that "general alumni solicitation is only just getting underway." In this phase of the campaign, the Program is "seeking large numbers of gifts," he concluded.