Under Fire

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We would like to thank Ms. Kramnick and Mr. Isaacs for remarkably fair and accurate reporting of the events of last Thursday.

The Conservative Club Does not endorse the system of apartheid. But we recognize that the government of South Africa is in complete control of the country. Only the government can do anything to end apartheid and racial discrimination in the for-seeable future. Therefore, it is essential that we all understand the position of the South African government as well as that of the opposition groups. We cannot effectively argue for change in South Africa without first listening to government officials like Consul General Abe Hoppeastein.

We commend and thank the University Police for their quick response and effective action. We are sorry that some officers were incurred in the line of duty, and that some students, including guests and members of the Conservative Club, were also injured.

The following points of fact must be clarified.

1. As University officials confirmed, the protestors offered extreme physical violence to Mr. Hoppenstein in pushing and grabbing him, and attempting to drag him to the round. There is no telling what the frenzied protestors might have done had they succeeded in knocking the Consul down.

2. At one point Mr. Hoppenstein requested to be able to address the crowd in the vestibule. Our club president went out to communicate this offer to the crowd, but the mob shouted him down.

3. The Crimson reporting gave the impression that the protesters succeeded in delaying Mr. Hoppenstein for a period of time. This is not true in the least. The consul General was originally scheduled to speak from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The University police made the decision to try to get Mr. Hoppenstein out at 1:15 before more protestors arrived. When this attempt did not succeed, the Consul General returned to the JCR and continued to take questions until he left, at roughly the originally scheduled time.

4. The listeners inside the JCR were by no means a partisan crowd. Mr. Hoppenstein was asked many pointed questions by self-proclaimed opponents of his government.

5. Finally we must emphasize the Consul-General's coolness under fire. We had advance warning of the demonstration at Lowell House and had arranged for an alternate site, but Mr. Hoppenstein insisted on facing the demonstrators. He continued in peak and answer questions from students in the ICK up until the last minute. Upon using the vestibule. Mr. Hoppenstein also paused in straighten his he before proceeding to the airport.

At one point we were asked if the Conservative Club would ever bring another South African official to campus. The answer is yes, emphatically. Perhaps very soon. Bruce K. Novis '86   Secretary-Treasurer   Harvard-Radcliffe Conservative Club