Gulf Oil Corporation last month contributed $191,000 to University programs, including a $100,000 grant for East Asian studies and $50,000 for the planned Center for Jewish Studies.

Both grants, to be announced soon by Harvard, come in response to University fund drive solicitations, Alex Lewis, president of the Gulf Oil Foundation, said yesterday.

Gulf also donated $15,000 for dormitory renovations in the Business School's Mellon Hall, $10,000 for Middle Eastern studies, $5,000 for energy research and $1000 for international tax law studies at the Law School.

Lewis said Gulf contributed to the $30 million fund drive for the Program for Harvard and East Asia because the corporation has "a number of interests in the area" and would like a greater understanding of East Asian culture.

Gulf Approached

The grant to Jewish Studies Center came after Gerald Weinstock '39, volunteer chairman for the fund drive approached Gulf earlier this year with plans for the center.

Lewis said because Gulf has an interest in the Middle East the corporation is willing to contribute to programs that aid in understanding Middle Eastern cultures.

Although it was revealed this summer that Gulf Oil donated $50,000 to Palestininan refugees which was later used for Pro-Arab propaganda in this country, Lewis denied that the gift to Harvard was related to the Palestinian gift.

"This was not in response to the Palestinian money," Lewis said. "The money had been committed to Harvard before I knew anything about the Palestinian grant." high $17 million figure in 1973-74 foundation gifts.

Corporation gifts to the University dropped more than $1.7 million from last year's total, also contributing to the decline in overall contributions.

William S. Olney '46, director of special projects, said a cutback in a number of large one-time gifts from Japanese corporations explained the drop in total corporation gifts for 1974-75.

The University received $2.5 million in gifts from Japanese industrial firms in 1973-74.

Olney said American corporation gifts to the University showed no decline in 1974-75