Local Professors Voice Support for Javits, Clark

Two Harvard professors and an MIT economist yesterday endorsed Democrat Ramsey Clark in his bid for election for the New York Senate seat now held by Republican Jacob Javits.

George S. Wald, Higgins Professor of Biology, said yesterday, "Democracy in this country is going down the drain and if a few good men like Clark are elected to the Senate we have a chance to save it."

Joining Wald in endorsing Clark were Paul A. Samuelson, Institute Professor of Economics at MIT and Alan M. Dershowitz, professor of Law. In addition, Charles R. Nesson '60, professor of Law and former defense counsel for Daniel Ellsberg '52 and Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, and Patrick H. Caddell '72, founder of Cambridge Survey Research, yesterday voiced support for Clark.

The Cambridge-area endorsers sponsored and contributed to a fund-raising affair held for Clark last night in Boston.

Samuelson said he supports Clark because of his "sensitivities toward civil liberties."

He said Javits has a better record than most senators, but after examining the records of both Javits and Clark, he chose to support Clark.

Samuelson and Wald faulted Clark for his performance as attorney general from 1967 through 1969 because of his initiation of legal proceedings against Dr. Benjamin Spock. But they said Clark has emerged as a "humanely decent man" and that his positive attributes are more important than his mistakes as attorney general.

Nesson, who worked with Clark in the late 1960s, said Clark is "basically an honest man."

Clark has "grown morally over the past ten years to the point where he makes decisions independent of the politics involved," Nesson said.

Caddell said yesterday Clark represents the kind of change needed in politics today.

He said Clark's sense of integrity and his frustration with the status quo brings a "breath of fresh air" to politics in this country.

Caddell said Javits's campaign corresponds closely to the presidential campaign of 1972 and has included "lies and distorted facts."

Javits's campaign financing has come from big money interests in New York while Clark has stood by his limit of $100 contributions, he said.

Caddell said he feels Clark is within striking distance of winning the election, although he said his polling service has not done any surveys for the New York race.

He said that if Clark can maintain the momentum he generated in the past week, "his chances of beating Javits are good.