"We do not believe that Harvard, committed tothe scientific method and to the work being donein its hospitals, laboratories, and classrooms,can accept this response as serious and ethical,"the ACSR said.

President Bok said last week that it was"unacceptable" to deny a link between smoking andcancer, but he declined to say whether he wouldsupport a move to divest from tobacco companies.

Officials at Philip Morris could not be reachedfor comment this week. RJR spokesmen did notreturn repeated phone calls.

Next Stage

ACSR officials say they are currently awaitingformal responses to the letters sent by the CCSR.But it may be months before Harvard again takes upthe issue, since the next scheduled meeting of theACSR is in January.

"Once we receive the answers to thosequestions, it will be appropriate this year toconsider the question of whether we are preparedto recommend selling the University's stock intobacco companies," said Law Professor Lance M.Liebman, chairman of the ACSR.

Other committee members said after the panel'slast meeting in the spring that unsatisfactoryanswers to this new set of inquries could promptthe committee to recommend divestment. "There hascertainly been the sense that we would be verycautious about anything that would extend the saleof tobacco products," said ACSR member Carol H.Weiss, a professor at the School of Education.

But some members of the Harvard community whoare active in anti-smoking campaigns haveexpressed doubt that divesting from tobaccocompanies would produce any tangible result.

Tom Schelling, director of the Kennedy School'sInstitute for Smoking Policy and Behavior, saidthat promotion and sale in developing countrieswas definitely an important issue but thatdivestment would serve only as a press event andwould not be very effective.

"I don't think it will make any difference tocigarette companies. It would be a nice symbolicgesture if it doesn't cost too much," saidSchelling who is Littauer Professor of PoliticalEconomy. "If it's a lot of money, it would be morecost effective to put the equivalent money into ananti-smoking campaign."

School of Public Health Dean Harvey V.Fineberg, an outspoken opponent of smoking, saidhe thought divestiture from tobacco companies isnot necessary since no one is pushing for it."There has been very little clamor from facultymembers or students to have available to them aportfolio that would not include tobaccocompanies," he said. "I'm not sure it would makevery much difference."

Fineberg also said that while the Universitymight well decide that it does not want to beinvolved in an industry that promotes the onlyproduct known to cause death when used properly,sales in developing nations were only one smallaspect of a larger problem.

Overseas Markets

Nonetheless, international tobacco sales arebecoming an increasingly important issue and arallying cause for health organizations both hereand in East Asia, the most recent target forsophisticated marketing strategies.

In the wake of national and municipallegislation in the U.S. banning smoking in publicplaces and on airplanes, opponents of smoking havebegun to wage their battle on the internationaltrade front.