Council Asks Explanation From Watson

The Student-Faculty Advisory Council yesterday asked Dean Watson to explain his recent statements that a small group of radicals is behind most serious student unrest at Harvard.

The council voted 22-3, with two abstentions, to ask Watson to "prepare for this body an explanation of the statements attributed to him in the October 1 CRIMSON."

The statements in question are understood to include Watson's remarks in a subsequent elaboration (made to a CRIMSON interviewer) of his weekend, comment about "two or three sons of active Communists" fomenting student unrest here.

During the debate on the motion, at least two members of the council said that, in the context of current F.B.I. allegations about the dangers to national security posed by dissident student groups, Watson's remarks needed to be explained before a representative body such as the SFAC.

The SFAC voted as well to postpone new elections to the body till December and to establish that future terms will run from December-to-December.

The Council also decided to ask James Q. Wilson, professor of Government, who heads the Harvard Committee on University relations with the Cambridge community to meet with members of the SFAC next Tuesday, preferably at an open meeting. Members of the council feel that they should have an opportunity to exchange ideas with representatives from the Wilson Committee before it submits its report to the Faculty.

A subcommittee was set up to study the presence of ROTC at Harvard and to report back to the full SFAC before its next meeting three weeks from now.