The director of the Harvard University Press, which published a book by Nadav Safran without mention of its CIA sponsorship, said last week that the publishing house was at fault for not calling attention to the CIA funding.

"Obviously, the Press's procedures as revealed in this case were not sufficient," Arthur J. Rosenthal said in a statement released by his office.

Rosenthal said he has taken steps to ensure that all sources of funding for works published by the Press be disclosed in the future.

Different Story

Rosenthal's statement followed the revelation that Safran informed the Press of his CIA funding in November 1984, prior to the publication of the book.

That revelation changed the picture that originally emerged from the Press. It now appears that the publisher was either negligent or complicit in Safran's effort to conceal his CIA funding.

Three months ago, when Crimson reports first disclosed that Safran's research had been supported in part by a $107,430 CIA grant, Rosenthal said the University Press had been unaware of the CIA connection. Some officials said the Press might not have published Safran's book if the grant were known.

CIA support for research is a sensitive issue in academia, where a high premium is placed on unbiased inquiry. Secret funding and funding that restricts scholarly freedom are generally frowned upon.

In a preface to the 524-page book, "Saudi Arabia: The Ceaseless Quest for Security," Safran acknowledges research support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Rand Corporation but makes no mention of the CIA grant.

Safran's book became a source of embarrassment for the Press in October when it was revealed that Safran had accepted CIA money on the condition that he conceal the agency's support.

Safran's contract with the CIA also required him to submit his writings to the agency for approval and possible censorship.

Safran, who is Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, will step down from his post as director of Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) in June as a result of the controversy surrounding his CIA ties. (See accompanying stories).

In his report on the investigation that led to Safran's resignation, A. Michael Spence, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, says that Safran submitted his book to the CIA for pre-publication review as stipulated, but that "no changes were requested or made."

Spence also found that "Professor Safran did inform his acquisitions editor at the Harvard University Press of the CIA support in a letter dated November 6, 1984."

The University Press offered no explanation for the book's failure to acknowledge CIA sponsorship.