Some groups have used the widely available memo to raise larger questions about the president-elect's record on issues of globalization and the Third World.
The Harvard International Monitoring and Action Group (HMAG), issued a press release shortly after the announcement was made that specifically referenced the memo. "The 'toxic waste memo' is certainly of concern," Mekhala Krishnamurthy '02, HMAG's director of campus affairs, wrote in an e-mail. "It is not clear whether he regrets the contents of the memo or the fact that it was leaked."
The memo has also become a focal point for groups hoping to use Summers' appointment to push for change in University policy.
The Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) e-mail list was also forwarded the "Toxic Waste Memo" by one of its members soon after Summers' selection was announced.
"While PSLM doesn't have an official position on the memo, we do have a lot of concerned folks," said Benjamin L. McKean '02, a member of PSLM.
Despite the memo's age, McKean said he saw the document as extremely relevant to his organization's objective of getting a living wage for Harvard employees.
"The best way to disavow the memo is to implement the living wage and strengthen the anti-sweatshop campaign," said McKean, who is also a Crimson editor. "For me, though, that memo is a troubling indicator of what might be to come."
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