Navy Loyalty

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

In the recent flurry of articles and letters regarding the NROTC loyalty oath, one vital point seems to have been overlooked. The NROTC, as well as being a part of the Harvard curriculum, is essentially a Navy Organization. To enter the program, one must meet certain scholastic and physical requirements, and to be commissioned, one must meet other requirements during four years of College. The Navy sets these standards so that it can be sure all its Midshipmen are of a certain calibre.

Now the Navy has an interest also in the political beliefs of its officers and men. Why it has such an interest is obvious. If a man's loyalty belong wholly or in part to the government of another country, he will not be an effective fighter in a war against that country. The right the navy has to take this interest is the right to know the competence of each man employed in guarding the security of our country.

Let me respectfully submit, therefore, that the Young Progressive are somewhat overhasty in their demands upon Massachusetts Hall. Aubrey K. Loomis '50