Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson has rejected a proposal by the American Defense--Harvard Group committee for the education of Nazi prisoners of war in this country. The two letters from the War Department disagreeing with the Harvard committee's resolutions were made public Tuesday by Warren A. Seavey '02, Bussey Professor of Law and vice chairman of the Harvard Group.

In answer to the request that discussion groups and books advancing democratic principles be provided for the prisoners, Secretary Stimson said that, "All prisoners ... are free to express their desires for education and ...their interests are encouraged by the War Department through making available to them the necessary materials, time, and opportunity."

Denies Nazism Strengthened

That present methods in United States prisoner camps were giving Nazism added strength among German prisoners, the Secretary of War denied. The resolutions of the Harvard committee had made this charge, adding that it had assembled evidence prompting this conclusion.

Among the proposals was also a plan for a civilian survey within the camps to ascertain the number of prisoners who would actually profit by democratic education. This, too, Secretary Stimson vetoed. He declared that the War Department has for some time followed the practice of segregating co-operative from non-cooperative prisoners and that a survey could add nothing to the present information or methods. "On the contrary," he said, "it probably would create suspicion and dissatisfaction ... and defeat the very purpose you have in mind."