Staff members were in a frenzy around a cluster of network computers, photocopiers buzzed with activity and a Tylenol dispenser sat on a table nearby.

But this wasn't the War Room of the White House. It was the Park Plaza Hotel--ground zero for the 13th annual Harvard Model Congress (HMC), which drew 1,500 high school students from across the nation for its opening ceremonies yesterday.

The weekend-long government simulation, staffed by more than 150 Harvard students, began with a keynote address by William Kristol '73.

Kristol, editor of the conservative publication The Weekly Standard and former chief of staff to former vice president J. Danforth Quayle, addressed social problems and America's involvement in international affairs.

Amid the din, conference organizers said they are excited about the coming weekend.

"This year we have a dedicated and hard-working staff who wants this conference to be the best ever," said Robert M. Stolper '00, chair of the science committee of the House of Representatives.

"The students are self-motivated to do this," said Katherine T. Wen '99, president of the Senate.

Wen said she thought the simulation would be extensive and realistic, tying together all the factors involved in politics.

"We don't really know what to expect," said Carolyn Centeno, a conference participant and a first-year at the Nightingale School in New York City.

Most of the participating schools are located outside Massachusetts.

New to the Harvard Model Congress this year: delegates may revise and resubmit bills that were initially rejected, which organizers say makes the experience even more realistic.

In his keynote speech yesterday, Kristol stressed the need to confront social problems such as family breakups and teen pregnancy. He said the 1992 Los Angeles riots were partially a product of a weakening social infrastructures and are indicative of a great need for change.

Many of the questions following his statement addressed international affairs.

"It's the time to use force," Kristol said, referring to current tensions with Iraq, "and we can't depend on other nations to do it."

"The problem with Iraq is not the nation of Iraq...The problem is Saddam Hussein," Kristol said.

Kristol said Hussein does not necessarily have to be killed, but his government must be removed from power.

"The Iraqis could have a much more democratic, much more free government," Kristol suggested, arguing that the United States has taken a "modest" stance on intervening in the affairs of other nations and that "we could be a much more active force."

On the issue of whether to remove the embargo with Cuba by the year 2000, Kristol did not take a definitive stance.

Regarding the domestic issue of affirmative action, Kristol said he thinks "affirmative action is on its last legs," a remark which elicited much applause from the audience.

He expressed concern that affirmative action is a form of racial preference and said credit should be based on the overcoming of obstacles, not race.

Following the opening ceremonies, Kristol said of HMC, "I think it's a worthwhile endeavor and it gave me an excuse to see some friends in Cambridge."

He also said he is "extremely heartened to hear that grapes have returned to Harvard."

Andi Goldman, manager of catering and conventions at the Park Plaza Hotel, said coordinating the event took months. But during a typically slow month for hotels, Goldman said, "It's great business."

The Harvard Model Congress is occupying nearly every meeting space in the hotel over the weekend and about 400 of the hotel's 960 rooms--at $145 to $160 each, according to Goldman.