CONANT PLEA DISAVOWED BY STUDENTS

Repudiating President Conant's "declaration of war" and emphasizing "that he was speaking only as a 'private citizen," a group of undergraduate leaders is circulating a petition among the students, and will present it to President Conant in the near future.

In an attempt to create a formal protest to President Conant's intervention plan, a number of prominent students, not representing any campus organization, met last Thursday afternoon. Among the sponsors of the petition are Benjamin A. Barnes '41, John W. Darr, Jr. '42, Eugene D. Keith '42, Spencer A. Klaw '41, Rufus W. Mathewson, Jr. '41, M. Rhodes Murphy '41, Eliot L. Richardson '41, John C. Robbins, Jr. '42.

Contesting President Conant's doctrine expressed in his radio address Wednesday evening, the petition states, "We, the undersigned students of Harvard, wish to emphasize President Conant's statement that he was speaking only as a 'private citizen' in his declaration of war and not as a representative of Harvard University. We Harvard students are opposed to participation in this war."

President Conant in his speech under the auspices of the William Allen White Committee exceeded the group's usual "short of war" restriction, demanding "direct naval and military assistance" to Britain when it becomes necessary.