Robert Maxwell, the British press magnate who has agreed to acquire the New York Daily News, left last-minute negotiations with trade unions in New York for a dinner meeting with President Derek C. Bok Tuesday night.

Maxwell flew from strenuous negotiations in New York City directly to Bedford, Mass. for a meeting to discuss giving money to Harvard for AIDS research, The New York Times reported.

In an interview with The Crimson, Maxwell declined to comment on his meeting with Bok or his relationship with the president, saying that he was "visiting Harvard just for fun."

The publisher has been an honorary fellow at the Kennedy School of Government since 1971.

In a move to rescue the Daily News, which has been in a financial crisis due to a four-month strike, Maxwell agreed Wednesday to purchase the tabloid from The Chicago Tribune Co. Final arrangements for the sale, however, have not been worked out and two of the 10 unions involved in the strike have not yet agreed to Maxwell's terms.

Maxwell has said that if he does acquire the newspaper, the Daily News will undergo severe restructuring.

"I have agreed with the unions to discard many jobs," he said.

Maxwell has also said that he would be closely involved in daily management of the paper, as he is with the Daily Mirror, a London tabloid with a circulation of about 4.5 million.

In addition to the Daily Mirror, Maxwell controls Macmillan Publishing Co., Pergamon Press--the world's largest scientific publishing company, and the Berlitz School of Language. He has recently launched The European, an English language weekly newspaper, which caters to the 12 member countries of the European Community.

A former member of the Labor Party in the British Parliament, Maxwell describes himself as a proud British citizen, although he was born in Czechoslovakia. He now resides in London.