City Council To Use Lawyers To Keep Library in Cambridge

The Cambridge City Council last night authorized the establishment of a committee of volunteer Cambridge lawyers to "protect the rights" of five council members who say they want the Kennedy library and archives to remain in Cambridge.

The motion, which passed on a voice vote, will allow the city council to go to court to force the General Services Administration to release the drafts of the enviornmental impact statement for the Kennedy Library, Councilor Alfred E. Vellucci said last night.

Convey the Interests

This action is meant to convey the interests of the city council and the people of Cambridge in retaining both the archives and the museum in Cambridge, Vellucci added.

Vellucci declined comment on who might serve as voluntary counsel, saying only that he knows "many Cambridge lawyers who would volunteer their services to have the Kennedy complex in Cambridge."

City Councilor Francis H. Duehay '55, who voted against the measure, said. "The vote does not have much standing. It is a defensive gesture that will ultimately have little influence on whether or not the Kennedy complex will remain in Cambridge."

Confer With Judge

The council authorized the Cambridge City Solicitor to confer with Judge Frank J. Murray of Federal District Court in Boston to look into "allegations of legal delays and dilatory tactics which could be employed to obstruct the construction of the Kennedy Library complex" at the site across from Eliot House on Boylston St.

The council also authorized the city solicitor to "engage special counsel if he deems it necessary."

Vellucci said "the delay in releasing parts of the GSA report will be looked into by the city solicitor."

Dan H. Fenn Jr. '44, head of the Kennedy Library, said last night the effect of the council's vote on the decision not to build portions of the complex in Cambridge cannot be judged until specific action is taken by the Cambridge City Council.

Gerald Gillerman '49, attorney for Neighborhood Ten, the group presently suing the GSA for similar information, said last night it is impossible for him to judge the effect the city council's action will have on the Neighborhood Ten suit "until I see the precise action taken by the city."

Walter J. Sullivan, mayor of Cambridge, said last night he supports the council's measure because he "wants to find out what information is presently before Murray to there can be a quick decision made on the eventual location of the Kennedy complex."