Meanwhile, the AHA's selection process for a Commencement speaker had narrowed in on Watson; he was invited in March and accepted in early April, Aloian said. But the apparent interest from Reagan added a whole new element. "I personally feel that if the president wants to speak at a university, he should be able to," Van der Eb said. If Reagan wished to speak at Harvard, it was clear, he would be welcomed: Graham T. Allison Jr. '62, dean of the Kennedy School, has had an open invitation to Reagan since he became president. But the only appropriate place at Harvard on Commencement Day was at the afternoon convocation of the Associated Harvard Alumni, not, in the words of one administrator, at the Kennedy School "sideshow" ceremonies.

Bok assigned Robin Schmidt to handle the invitation to Reagan. To some, it seemed as if he were waiting to receive assurance from the White House of a positive reply before sending off a formal invitation, but Schmidt said last week that that was not the case. A week after the Kennedy School's abortive efforts had been quashed, the whole matter burst into the open. Under the headline, "Harvard to its Kennedy School: Please, no Reagan at graduation," The Boston Globe reported that Harvard had "discouraged" an invitation to the president. The story was picked up nationwide, and officials feared that the coverage endangered Harvard's relations with the new administration. Smith was particularly upset. "The whole thing got blown out of proportion by the Globe," Smith said. "We were very concerned, for obvious reasons, when the story strongly implied that Harvard did not want Reagan at Commencement. We wanted to dispel any such impression." Calling the whole matter "an embarrassment," Smith said he was concerned that the story had done "significant damage" to relations with the Reagan White House, possibly hurting the ability to place graduate students in administrative positions. Allison, looking back on it, was more sanguine; he said he didn't think the story had had any effect on relations with the White House, adding, "They have a lot more business to do than worry about this, and they appreciate that newspapers always try to get an angle on a story."

The day after the story appeared, April 15, Forman, Schmidt and Allison met in Allison's Kennedy School office to assess the situation and decide what to do next. It was a meeting, Schmidt recalls, to "get our signals straight" and clarify that if Reagan came it would be to the main Commencement ceremonies.

Between April 15 and April 28, Schmidt made "several" phone calls to a White House official in Deaver's office whose name he does not recall, and issued what he said constituted a formal oral invitation. Not just Schmidt, recalls one well-placed source, but "a lot of people made phone calls" in an attempt to gauge how genuine the White House's interest was. At least one participant in the process became quite frustrated, believing that Harvard did not want to risk being rejected and thus held off on an invitation until it was too late.

In the last week of April, during one phone conversation with a White House aide, Schmidt was asked to "please make that official," and he did. And three days later came the reply, a "very polite and courteous"--but definite--no. "To this day I am still uncertain whether President Reagan himself was aware of the situation or had any interest in coming to Harvard at this time," Allison says.

David Aloian felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. "I think the whole panoply of a presidential pronouncement tends to be a very exciting thing." On the other hand, he added, there is a sense of relief in not having to go through the job of coordinating the extensive security and scheduling arrangements that accomapny a presidential appearance. And, added another Wadsworth House official, there was relief because Reagan's speaking at Commencement would have overshadowed the ceremony itself and turned it into a media event.

And one more thing, added Aloian, reflecting on the Reagan rejection as he relaxed in his office once the secret of Thomas J. Watson had been safely exposed to the world. "Part of the relief is knowing."