“That is total bullshit,” Gates said yesterday.

‘THAT KID IN SECTION’

Bradley, a former editor of George magazine who earned his master’s degree in American history from Harvard in 1990, steers clear of any overarching theses in assessing Summers’ tenure. But his narrative paints a largely negative portrait of the president. One unnamed administrator is quoted as saying, “I’ve never been in a place with the combination of low morale and bunker mentality that now exists at Harvard.”

In a lengthy passage on Summers’ “social peccadilloes,” Bradley recounts several tales of the president’s poor table manners, brusque demeanor, and “bizarre habit of falling asleep in public.”

Referring to the president as “that kid in section,” Bradley speculates that Summers might suffer from Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism associated with deficient social skills.

Bradley also outlines several examples of what he calls a concerted effort by Summers to consolidate the power of the Harvard presidency.

Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby, described as “a G-man from the 1950s,” is portrayed as one of Summers’ most loyal yes-men at the University.

And Bradley writes that Summers repeatedly called Jeffrey Wolcowitz, the senior lecturer of economics who managed the College’s curricular review until this fall, instructing him to insert several recommendations into the review report which were not approved by faculty committees.

Wolcowitz categorically denied that assertion in a brief interview yesterday.

Bradley’s profile of Summers is his second book. His first book, American Son, written under his given name of Richard Blow, chronicled the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr.

—Staff writer Zachary M. Seward can be reached at seward@fas.harvard.edu.