Reagan has previously passed small tax increases billed as technical amendments. But if he were to run for reelection, publicity of the contingency taxes and deficit problems could be harmful to him politically, experts explained.

"The Administration likes to emphasize their plan for a lower deficit, but they never talk about the means, said Summers.

Ideological Clash

Although professors said Feldstein's stances were consistent, they added the Har- vard economist clashes ideologically with other members of the administration.

Feldstein has long been in opposition to Treasury Secretary Donald T. Regan, who contends that tax increases are unnecessary to reduce the deficit, they explained.

Criticixing Regan, Summers said. "There is no remotely plausible economic projection on which the deficit gets our of three digits without a policy change."

"On this issue Feldstein is clearly right," said Francis M. Bator, Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government.

Harvard vs. Harvard

Feldstein's chief opposition to open discussion of budget deficits is deputy chief of staff Richard G. Darman '64, a Harvard lecturer in Public Policy.

"Feldstein and Darman have no personal or underlying value disagreement," said Bator. "Their disagreement is very specific to what is going on now."

Summers pointed out that Darman, unlike Feldstein, was "in a heavily political position. He has been angry about Marty's talking publicly about deficits."

One professor who requested anonymity said, "It is natural that the economic advisors are more realistic and presidential sides more optimistic. Those components are more apparent now, since we have a particular optimistic president.