Former General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54 yesterday acknowledged he was informed of problems of morale and discrimination in the security guard unit nearly two years before his office began investigating the charges.

Steiner, who stepped down in June, has said University attorney Diane Patrick thoroughly investigated charges of racial harassment last spring after the allegations came to his office's attention in September 1991.

But Steiner said yesterday he received a letter from security guards and then-union stewards Robert Travers and Stephen McCombe in January 1990 requesting a meeting to discuss problems in the guard unit. He also acknowledged sending a letter of his own to the two guards in February.

"I think the letters are accurate," Steiner said after being read both letters, which were obtained by The Crimson. "I vaguely remember it."

In the January letter, the guards said they wished to discuss "the decaying morale of the unit, management attitude to the guards in general and numerous occasions of discrimination."

In a letter dated February 10, 1990, Steiner, who oversaw the police department, responded that the guards should work out their com- plaints though "appropriate channels withmanagement" in the department. He wrote that hedid not wish to get involved "in the details ofthe operations" of the police department.

But according to the January letter, the guardshad already aired their complaints with departmentofficials. The guards said they had approachedPolice Chief Paul E. Johnson, Assistant Directorfor Finance and Administration Brian D. Sinclair'62, former Lt. Herschell Russell, and Manager ofOperations for Security Robert J. Dowling onnumerous occasions, "with the end results beingemptyhanded."

These officials have referred all questions onthe matter to Johnson, who has not returnedrepeated phone calls in the last week.

Steiner said yesterday he had "no reason toregret" how he handled the guards' request for ameeting.

"I read the letter," Steiner said yesterday. "Iprobably talked with some people about it, and I'msure the response I gave was the appropriate one."

Steiner's February letter also says that if"any kind of unlawful discrimination is involved,"the guards should write Steiner with more details."I did what I thought was the appropriate thingthen, based on what I knew, and I don't have anyfurther reflections on it," Steiner said.

Asked whom he had talked to about the guards'letter, Steiner twice said, "I really don't wantto get into it anymore."

Last spring, seven former and current securityguards said some of their supervisors harassedthem. The general counsel's investigation clearedsecurity department officials, but the guardsclaimed the inquiry was one-sided because theywere never interviewed.

Calling the guards' charges serious enough towarrant "a fresh look," President Neil L.Rudenstine last week moved to reopen the generalcounsel's investigation.

Travers could not be reached for commentyesterday. McCombe declined to comment this weekon the letter.

Gady A. Epstein contributed to the reportingof this story.