University officials yesterday debated terminating Harvard's association with a "Domestic Peace Corps" project in Harlem in view of recent criticism of the program. Michael Shinagel, the University's Peace Corps adviser, agreed with Dean Monro that no action should be taken until officials of the program reply to the criticism.

If Harvard severed its association with the project, the chief result would be an end to recruiting by the Office of Graduate and Career Plans among Harvard and Radcliffe undergraduates. The Office has processed more than, a dozen students' applications for the Corps.

Criticism of the domestic Peace Corps has come both from Harvard students who visited the site of its operations, and from conservative Congressmen.

In Washington, Rep. H. R. Gross (R-lowa) has termed the Corps' $157,000 expenditure for personnel "fantastic" and Sen. John J. Williams (R.Del.) has criticized the project's connections with Rep. Adam Clayton Powell (D-N.Y.). The project is being conducted entirely with in Powell's Congressional district.

Powell was one of the incorporators of Associated Community Teams, Inc., of New York City, which administers the Corps with $250,000 provided by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The director of ACT is Livingstone Wingate, Powell's former administrative assistant.

Jon W. Clifton '63, president of Philips Brooks House, called the Corps' program "appallingly incomplete" and said that officials of the project "seemed to have no idea just what their 35 volunteers are going to do."

Powell had said he would reply to Williams' criticism yesterday, but local newspapers and wire services offices had not received his remarks as of late last night.

The Congressman had promised that he would make a reply to the charges yesterday, but as of late last night, national wire services had not yet picked up Powell's statement. His office reported yesterday afternoon that they had had no word on what the reply might be.