Caribbean Leader Pays Harvard Visit

Basdeo Panday, prime minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, made a brief visit to Harvard Thursday afternoon, stopping at Wadsworth Hall for a 40-minute reception.

"This was simply a courtesy visit that we hope will result in the prime minister's return so that he can talk to students about his country and its relations with the United States," said Richard M. Hunt '60, University marshal.

An assembly of University officials and students from the Harvard-Radcliffe Caribbean Club were present to welcome the prime minister.

The students said they enjoyed the chance to meet an important political figure from the region.

"He was able to see that people from the Caribbean do go here, and they have a say in what goes on at Harvard," said Latanya N. James '99, one of the club's ministers of information. "Maybe he can convince other Caribbean students to apply."

Among the University officials present at the reception were Hunt; S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations; Steven B. Bloomfield, director of the fellows program at the Center for International Affairs; and Cowles Professor of Sociology Orlando Patterson.

A contingent of Secret Service agents and University police accompanied the entourage. The security measures are standard procedure when foreign heads of state visit, according to the University Police.

Few students said they were aware of Panday's appearance on campus, as his visit was not publicized.

Panday was joined by his wife Oma Ramkissoon, Foreign Minister Ralph Maraj and his executive assistant, Basdeo Maharaj.

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a small Caribbean nation approximately the size of Delaware. It is one of the more prosperous countries in the region, partially because of the republic's success in exporting oil.