The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard has resisted past efforts to bring political issues before it. Many of us feel that, though we disagree among ourselves on many current issues, including the war, we should restate the reasons for this resistance. None of these arguments touch on the right of any member of the Faculty, acting individually or as part of a group of colleagues, to take action in support of political objectives.

1. The Faculty claims the right to function as a center of learning without political objectives. While no such center can be wholly objective or neutral, it must strive, however imperfectly, toward that end. Society will not long allow us that freedom if it appears that, as an institution, we have joined the political fray.

2. If debates on political matters, however important, become customary in the Faculty, then polities will enter into the evaluation of candidates for appointment to the Faculty.

3. By joining the Faculty, all members signify their will ingress to be bound by majority decisions with respect to those matters about which the Faculty is authorized and competent to act. But few if any members joined with the understanding that they were to accept the right or competence of any part of the Faculty to speak for them on matters of conscience and politics.

4. Although those who advance a particular political cause may disavow any intention of setting a precedent, the precedent is nonetheless set. Since we will no longer be able to exclude political matters from the docket by appeal to rule and precedent, we will be obliged to discuss each and to act on each on its merits. The proper concerns of the Faculty cannot long survive continued and inevitably impassioned political debate.

We, the undersigned, feel that the arguments against the official and collective involvement of the Faculty-sitting as a Faculty- in political debate remain compelling, even allowing for the extraordinary sense of urgency and concern that many sincerely bring to such issues as the war. 6 OCTOBER 1969

Frederick Abernathy, T. E. Cheatham, Engineering Einar Haugen, Linguistics Charles Lyman. Biology Edwin O. Reischauer,

Engineering and Applied Physics and Applied Physics James Hays. Geological Sciences Arthur Maass. Government University Professor

Lars Ahlfors. Mathematics William Cochran. Statistics Richard Herrnstein. Psychology Wallace MacCaffrey. History Robert Rosenthal. Social Relations

Graham Allison. Government Paul M. Cocks. Government Paul Holland. Statistics G.W. Mackey. Mathematics Israel Scheffler. Philosophy

Henning Anderson, Slavic Dan Cohen. Engineering George Homans. Social Relations Peter McKinney. Engineering Thomas Schelling. Economics

Anthony Arlotto, Linguistics and Applied Physics Melvyn Huff, Mathematics and Applied Physics Daniel Schydlowsky. Economics

Bernard Ballyn, History Philip Darlington. Biology H. Stuart Hughes. History Harvey Mansfield. Government Thomas Standish. Engineering

Herschel Baker. English Frederick Deknatel. Fine Arts Cornelius Hurlbut, Joseph Manson, Slavic and Applied Physics

Robert Bales, Social Relations Martha Derthick, Government Geological Sciences Janet Martin, Classics Stephen Schuker, History