And Goldman says the Russian Center, for one,has managed to avoid any sticky situations.

"We've avoided taking money from the CIAbecause we didn't want to be accused of beingunder their influence," Goldman says.

And while Goldman says it's not an idealsituation, he adds "you're going to have to getmoney from somebody, and if you don't [admit that]you're not being honest."

Where Money and Influence Mingle

One committee where fundraising and influenceare deliberately tied is the Committee onUniversity Resources, which discusses theUniversity's development and fundraising plans.

Most of the committee's members have financialbackgrounds, and many are prominent donors. Amongtheir ranks are a Cabot, two Houghtons, a Thayerand a Winthrop.

"It is a committee made up of major financialsupporters of Harvard University," says one alumnifundraiser.

Now, with a multi-billion dollar fund drive inthe works, the University Resources executivecommittee has become a key player in the planningprocess.

Various deans and administrators have come tothe group's meetings, hoping to persuade the25-member executive committee of their school orcenter's desperate financial needs. One suchsession was held last week, and the next is slatedfor November 17 in New York.

University officials say the committee'sinfluence is limited, but Overseer Peter L. Malkin'55, a committee member, says, "It has theopportunities to make suggestions for programs."

Many schools have committees with this kind ofmembership and influence, but William M. Hardt, aPrinceton development officer, says it is alwaysdifficult to make sure "suggestions for programs"don't mortgage the University's mission tofundraising needs.

"Obviously you wouldn't want policy decisionsdriven by the fundraising," Hardt says.

But with alumni bearing such a large part ofthe fundraising burden at Harvard, holding a hardand fast line against such influence is difficult.

On a more practical level, alumni involvementwith the University and its academic programs isstructured around many of the activities of theHarvard Alumni Assocation, which has all Harvardgraduates as its members.

Although the group's main purpose, officerssay, is to nurture ties between graduates and theUniversity, it does play an implicit, but subtle,role in fundraising.