The government department will sponsor a limited intern program for Harvard students who want to work for the federal government in Washington this summer. Robert G. McCloskey, chairman of the department, estimated that only six students may be able to find employment through the program.

"The limiting factor is the number of salaried summer jobs available to college students with government agencies or Congressmen," McCloskey explained. He stressed that he did not want to see the department committed to permanent sponsorship of such a program "when it might better spend its funds elsewhere."

"We've got a raft of College and graduate school alumni in the government to draw on for assistance," McCloskey said. "If the program is kept small it can be a really excellent one and a great asset to the University."

The government department and the Office for Graduate and Career Plans attempted to set up a similar program last spring. The program collapsed when a Washington, D.C., lobbyist, the Office's alumni contact, failed to come through with the Congressional jobs he had promised. No complete explanation why the project aborted was ever given.

Don K. Price, professor of government, blamed the lethargy of Washington, D.C., alumni for the failure of last year's program. He said that with proper alumni support such a program could be extremely valuable, and praised the efficiency of Yale alumni in getting summer jobs for Eli undergraduates.

The Yale intern program sends some 40 students to Washington every year, mostly for work with Congressmen.

"A summer intern program is obviously desirable," said Price, "and I will do my best to support it." But he emphasized that the ultimate fate of the project would rest largely in the hands of the department chairman.

Arthur A. Maas, professor of government, who will succeed McCloskey as chairman of the department next year, had no comment on the program Friday night.