The Double Helix

FOR 14 years, President Pusey took only a minimal interest in the affairs of the Harvard University Press. For the most part, he let Press director Thomas J. Wilson and a 12-man Board of Syndics--all professors--handle the choice and printing of the surprising number of profitable, exciting books that went out under the Harvard seal.

Last spring, however, Pusey unexpectedly decided to get involved. He had just received outraged letters from British scientists, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins protesting the forthcoming publication of James D. Watson's The Double Helix, a highly personalized narrative of the discovery of the structure of DNA. Wilkins and Crick were Watson's collaborators in the Nobel Prize-winning experiments.

Sensing a flap of sorts, Pusey referred the decision on Watson's work to the Harvard Corporation. It was the first time that University officials outside of the Press chose to review the editorial judgment of Wilson and the Syndics. Even though the Press continued to stand behind Watson's manuscript, the Corporation decided to reject it. In Pusey's words, publication would have meant "taking sides in a controversy among scientists." Pusey and the Fellows forgot that any work--whether a memoir, detached scholarship, or pastoral poetry--is bound to offend somebody, even a good scientist.

Following the rejection of Watson's book, Director Wilson left Harvard for Atheneum Publishers which is about to bring out Watson's almost certain best seller. Though Wilson denies a connection between the events, he leaves no doubt that he was antagonized by Pusey's move--and Pusey's intervention probably weakens the directorship for his successor, Mark S. Carroll.

But the Corporation's decision was unfortunate for other reasons. Pusey jeopardized the Press's reputation for discriminating, independent judgment when he permitted Harvard to be pressured by scientists whose disagreement with Watson was purely personal. He also confirmed the widely shared feeling that he is less interested in diversity of viewpoint than bland tranquility.