Labor Party Asks ACLU to Fight Ban Of Its Forums Here

The U.S. Labor Party has asked the American Civil Liberties Union to investigate Harvard's refusal to let the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC), a Labor Party affiliate, hold meetings at Phillips Brooks House.

Dean Epps and the PBH executive committee agreed last Tuesday to ban further NCLC meetings at PBH after NCLC members clashed with people identified by Cambridge police as members of De Mau Mau, a black Vietnam veterans' group, at an NCLC forum Monday night. Seven people were hospitalized with stab wounds after the battle.

Graham Harrison the Labor Party's campaign manager in the Massachusetts gubernatorial election, said yesterday that Harvard's ban on NCLC meetings is an attempt to stop the group's campaign against the Central Intelligence Agency because of Harvard's alleged ties to the CIA. As evidence that Harvard has CIA ties, Harrison cited policies of Henry A. Kissinger '50, and the writing of B.F. Skinner, Pierce Professor of Psychology, and Richard J. Herrnstein, professor of Psychology, which he said are designed to justify "treating people like rats" and "slave labor."

Harrison also cited the presence of two professors on the board of directors of the Police Foundation, an organization for training police which he said the CIA controls.

Dean Epps could not be reached for comment last night, but he said last Tuesday that PBH would permit no more NCLC meetings because of the danger involved, and that PBH planned to reconsider its policy of renting rooms to outside groups in general.

Felice Merritt, a Labor Party spokeswoman, said yesterday that the party plans to use "any means necessary" to attack Harvard's ban on the NCLC.