Republican presidential candidate David Duke said Monday he will accept an invitation to speak at the Kennedy School of Government.

In an interview with Crimson editor J. Eliot Morgan '92 for an upcoming piece in the Crimson's weekly magazine, Duke said he will journey to Cambridge as soon as his campaign plans permit.

'Matter of Scheduling'

"It's just a matter of scheduling," Duke told Morgan in a phone conversation from Baton Rouge, La.

The candidate said that he is focusing his campaign on the South but is eager to find time to speak at Harvard.

Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, has not officially responded to the December invitation issued by the Kennedy School's Institute of Politics (IOP).

That offer immediately sparked controversy on campus, as many student groups openly opposed a Duke appearance. The organizations cited the candidate's record of anti-Semitic and racist statements and actions.

The IOP asked Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel and the Black Students Association to co-sponsor the event, but both groups rejected the request.

Ross Garon '93, chair of the IOP Student Advisory Committee, said a date for the Duke appearance has not been proposed--despite rumors to the contrary.

'Haven't Even Heard'

"As far as I know, it's absolutely untrue that a tentative date has been set," Garon said. "We haven't even heard from Duke yet."

Duke said in the interview that his speech will stress the need for universities to admit the best candidates and to eliminate minority quotas.

"My message to the Harvard community is excellence," Duke told Morgan. "Affirmative action mitigates against quality in education. It's morally wrong."