When Harvard's Office of Sponsored Research is unable to negotiate such clauses out, it rejects the offer, says Candace H. Corvey, director of the office.
Export Control Laws.
Under several ambiguously-worded acts and regulations, including the Export Administration Act of 1979 and the Arms Export Control Act of 1968, it is illegal to give enemy powers technological information that "advances the state of the art."
Until relatively recently, however, universities and scholars were generally considered exempt from the regulations and the government did not attempt to constrain their movements or publications, according to Vice President for Government and Public Affairs John Shattuck.
But in the fall of 1981, the State Department, citing the Export Control regulations, asked Harvard and several other universities to monitor the activities of visiting Chinese students. Harvard refused.
The Defense Department has since joined in, asking some scientific conferences to bar non-citizens. While no legal response has been formulated, representatives of 12 major scientific associations representing more than two million scholars recently pledged to leave scientific papers unpresented rather than screen their audiences.
Otherwise, Shattuck suggests, the academic community can only continue its lobbying effort on Capitol Hill in hopes of counteracting the Pentagon's zeal, which he says "betrays a severe distrust of the open academic system."
Foreign Access.
Under the long-standing Immigration and Nationality Act, the government can deny foreign nationals entry into the country on the basis of their political beliefs.
While no one coming to Harvard for a conference or to teach has been barred, the overruled attempt to deport exiled South African poet Dennis Brutus and other recent incidents have sparked concern here that such restricions may be on the upswing.
Pentagon spokesman Robert S. Prucha said the Defense Department will be trying in the near future to reduce the number of Soviet citizens travelling here.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, also known as Star Wars).
Under pressure from administrators at Harvard and at other universities across the country which refuse restricted research, Pentagon officials recently said they would drop plans under consideration to withhold publication rights on basic SDI work.
No Harvard professors have taken any money from the Star Wars program as yet, but they are free to do so now that the Pentagon has backed off the plans, Corvey said.