Wisse told the Chronicle of Higher Education last month that it is crucial that the new professor be fluent in scholarship on Jewish culture.

"Needless to say, not everyone agrees with my definition of things," she told the Chronicle.

Reached yesterday, Wisse declined to add to those comments. She denied that she is a member of the search committee, although one member of the committee and two other Faculty members all said she sits on the committee.

The other committee members are Krupp Foundation Professor of European Studies Charles S. Maier, the chair; Professor of Government Michael J. Sandel; Hrushevs' Kyi Professor of Ukrainian History Roman Szporluk; and Mellon Professor of History Edward L. Keenan.

A member of the search committee, commenting on the committee's deliberations, said, "Surely you would expect that people on the same committee would have more than one view."

The search committee member added that "substantial familiarity with the Jewish dimension" was an important factor in the committee's decision.

Goldhagen and the four other leading national Holocaust experts recently gave lectures at Harvard, drawing large crowds.

Stalled in its search, committee members are said to have sought an interim candidate to fill the chair and apparently settled on Friedlander.

"There was discussion whether they wanted to continue trying to find a full time chair and not ruin the momentum or to find some kind of temporary appointment," said the history professor.

"I don't think we're likely to have a full professor in residence by next September," Maier told the Chronicle.

When asked where he would go if he did not receive tenure at Harvard, Goldhagen replied: "Who says I am going anywhere?