Scholars Protest Conditions in Chile

President Bok and four Harvard Nobel laureates this week joined 19 Harvard professors and several other academic figures in signing a telegram expressing concern about reported "violations of the most elementary human rights" in Chile.

A total of 57 scholars, including Nobel laureates Kenneth J. Arrow, Conant University Professor; Wassily W. Leontief, Lee Professor of Economics; Simon S. Kuznets, retired Baker Professor of Economics; and George Wald, Higgins Professor of Biology, addressed their message to the Organization of American States' (OAS) Human Rights Commission.

The group urged the OAS to "impress upon the Chilean government the importance of their respect for the rights of all individual citizens." They cited the reported imprisonment of Enrique Kirberg, rector of the Universidad Tecnica del Estado, as an example of Chile's violation of these rights.

President Bok said last night he signed the message because it involved an academic figure and because it proved factual after he made inquiries.

Juan Marichal, chairman of the Committee on Latin American Studies, said yesterday he "signed thinking the cable could bring attention in the United States to the fact that something must be done, especially for scholars and artists."

Kirberg has reportedly been imprisoned for 19 months, since the 1973 military take-over in Chile. The message states that "he is being held under inhumane conditions--his basic human and legal rights systematically ignored."

Luis Reque, executive secretary of the OAS Human Rights Commission, said yesterday his commission has received the message and will consider it later this month.

He declined to say what action the commission may take.

Kuznets said last night he believes "informal public opinion on the part of educators" is the most relevant form of action in this case.

David H.P. Maybury-Lewis, professor of Anthropology, said last night he is "quite dubious" about the effectiveness of the telegram He added. "One tries everything possible, and that is the spirit in which I signed."

But Daniel Bell, professor of Sociology, said last night that officials had responded to this kind of message in the past, particularly in the case of Russian dissidents.

Laurence Wylie, Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France, said yesterday he signed the message because "I'm just an honest four soldier in the cause of good."

The message was initiated by C. Herbert Clemens, professor of Mathematics at Columbia University and former professor of Mathematics at Universidad Tecnica del Estado.

Among other scholars who signed it were: Marver Bernstein, president of Brandeis University; Jerome Wiesner, president of MIT; Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry; Edwin O. Reischauer, University Professor; and Michael L. Walzer, professor of Government.