Arms control experts will gather tomorrow at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge to start an innovative three-day conference on the nuclear freeze issue.

The conference, sponsored by the Kennedy School and the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA), will bring together experts in such diverse areas of the freeze movement as ethics, public opinion, and Soviet policy.

"For the first time, the freezers and arms controllers are being brought together to thrash this thing out." Fen Hampson, a member of the conference steering committee, said yesterday.

Getting Ready

The discussions have attracted the attention of both the White House, which is sending two participants, and President Bok, who has led the University's drive to educate the public on these issues.

Professor Paul Doty, director of the CSIA, said that "anxiety and public interest in arms control," as well as the Administration's failure to achieve arms reduction in Geneva, were important reasons for setting up the conference.

Doty added that a special feature of this conference is to work out proposals, rather than to educate the layman or to advocate any existing arms control plan.

Back to Basics

"This conference is much more policy-oriented," said Hampson.

Albert Carnesale, professor of public policy at the K-School, who will chair one of the panels at the conference, said that he hopes that through the discussions "we can understand better what the main freeze proposals are."

In June of last year president Bok initiated his drive to help educate the public on nuclear issues by commissioning five Harvard professors to write a layman's guide to the question.

Those commissioned include Carnesale and Stanley H. Hoffmann. Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France.

Doty said that Bok had also helped in developing the conference.

Hampson added that a book may come out of the conference which should help explain the issues involved in a nuclear freeze.