Dean Wilbur J. Bender yesterday challenged a statement in President Conant's report, which blamed the National Scholarship program for crimping the College's attempts to widen it geographical representation.

According to Conant, the scholarships discouraged applications from outside of the East. "The rumor soon spread among the schools even in distant localities that Harvard was interested only in the straight 'A' boy," Conant declared.

He went on to urge a more extensive program, informing secondary school students about the College and dispelling rumors about admission standards.

Geographical Increase

Bender, dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, admitted that the College has given its scholarships to top students. "But," he contended, "there is no way of telling whether the National Scholarships encouraged or discouraged further applications."

Granting the possibility that a number of schools felt the College only wanted "A" students, Bender pointed out that there has been "a geographical increase in the make-up of the student body since the present set-up has been in operation."

Bender said his office is doing nothing specific about dispelling admissions rumors other than continuing with the general visitation program to secondary schools. Conant asked for more cooperation between the admissions office and nation-wide alumni groups, expressing the hope that the project will not turn into a "vast recruitment for football players."

Hopes Not Realized

The problem of getting applications from outside is a touchy one, Bender explained. "If we give a scholarship to a straight "A" student from East Denver and don't admit, say, a popular boy with lower marks, we may be in trouble."

Conant stated, "The scholarships were frankly designed to increase the representation from the West and South." His report indicates that though there may have been some rise in this representation, it does not compare with the Administration's original hopes.

A significant cause for a general rise in applications from all over the country during the past three years was the abolition of the choice system on the College Board examinations.