Kissinger Return a Yale Hoax

The Yale Daily News published a fake issue of The Harvard Crimson yesterday announcing the return of Henry A. Kissinger '50 to his University teaching duties.

The hoax, which was distributed in House dining halls early yesterday morning, fooled students, many of whom were still hung over from post-game partying.

Kissinger could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his office had received many calls from the Boston area, an aide said.

The Crimson was swamped yesterday morning with calls from newspapers and wire services trying to confirm the story. The Associated Press and many local radio stations carried stories announcing Kissinger's return in their morning reports.

The two-page Yale hoax reported that Kissinger would reassume a professorship next semester after four years as special assistant to President Nixon. The paper quoted President Bok as saying. "It is likely that there is a substantial element of truth in the reports of Dr. Kissinger's return to our faculty."

The fake issue contained a lead news story announcing Kissinger's return, a reaction story from Harvard luminaries, a brief biography of Kissinger, and an analysis investigating who would fill the national power vacuum left by Kissinger's departure.

Yale's Turn

"We knew it was our turn for a fake issue, but we never thought it would get this big." Brad Graham, Daily News managing editor, said yesterday. The current series of fakes was inaugurated in 1969 when The Crimson reported that 16 members of the Eli football team had contracted gonorrhea and had to forfeit the Yale-Harvard game.

In 1970 a Daily News special issue said that the Harvard Corporation had picked Daniel P. Moynihan to succeed Nathan M. Pusey '28 as President of Harvard.

Last year, The Crimson published a joke issue of The Daily News announcing Yale's plans to build a domed stadium in the middle of a New Haven ghetto area and to turn the Yale Bowl into low cost housing.