War Memorial Choice Undecided, Vote Near

Harvard's battered War Memorial project is nearing the end of its trials. When the Saltonstall Committee concludes its meeting this Sunday, the second--and significant--stage of the maneuvering should be almost over.

Four months and more have passed since Senator Leverett Saltonstall '14 and the other men in his group made their first tentative decision. They listed a Student Activities Center, a Medical Center, and a combined scholarship fund and memorial tablet in Memorial Church as the three possibilities to which the large field of possible memorials had been narrowed down.

But the sentiment of that, October 19 gathering weighed heavily on the side of the last of the three proposals. Only one vote, that of Richard G. Axt '46, of the fourteen members of the Committee was recorded in favor of the Student Activities Center, and one, that of Dr. Augustus Thorndike '19, for the Medical Center.

Whether anything has occurred to change the minds of the Committee members since the fall meeting cannot be known, but the issue of what the memorial should be has generated considerable interest among alumni everywhere--interest reflected in letters to the Alumni Bulletin, to the individual members of the Saltonstall Committee, and to Henry C. Clark '11, secretary of the group.

Recent Graduates Active

A number of younger alumni have, however, been working during the last month as open backers of a Memorial Activities Center. This 27-man committee, with Daniel P. S. Paul '46 as executive secretary, has been contacting alumni in various large cities. It concluded its work this week with the filing of a report which will go to the Saltonstall Committee as well as to other alumni.

The Activities Center has had previous backing from undergraduate organizations and several graduate school councils. A Student Council questionnaire distributed last year showed 50.4 percent of 2500 students polled in favor of the Activities Center and 98.8 percent preference for some kind of "utilitarian" memorial.

Cost Down

One possible significant factor which has changed during the four months' waiting time is the estimated cost of the Activities Center building. $3,000,000 to $4,000,000 including endowment was the figure used before the last meeting.

This was cut to $1,500,000 plus $1,000,000 endowment after the meeting, and has since fallen to $1,250,000 plus $950,000. The memorial tablet which received majority support would cost a maximum of $200,000, with $500,000 or as much more as can be raised for scholarships.