35 Attempt to Enter First Freund Hearing

More than 35 students tried yesterday morning to enter the first session of the Freund Committee's closed hearings. None of the three teaching fellows scheduled to come before the committee appeared at the hearing.

The cases of three teaching fellows were on the agenda: Carl D. Offner, a teaching fellow in Mathematics who has been sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting Dean Watson; Temma E. Kaplan, teaching fellow in History and Literature; and John C. Berg, teaching fellow in Government.

Deans Testify

Among those Administration officials scheduled to testify at the hearing were Dean Watson, Archie C. Epps, assistant dean of the College, and Burris Young, assistant dean of Freshmen.

The hearings were scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Room H on the tenth floor of Holyoke Center. When the students got to Room H, they discovered that four committee members were already inside, and had locked the door.

Fifth Member Arrives

At 9:20 a.m., Don K. Price, dean of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government and the fifth member of the committee, arrived for the hearings. He found his access blocked by the students.

Meanwhile, two University policemen were patroling outside the Committee of 15's hearing room about ten yards down the corridor. The two policemen, who were both in view of the students, ignored the crowd of students blocking Price.

Price fielded questions from the students. After 30 minutes of discussion, the students decided to leave and let the committee proceed with its business.

Paul A. Freund, Carl M. Leob Universi- ty Professor, and chairman of the committee, later claimed that "the two policemen were assigned to the whole corridor. They were aware of our presence."

But Robert Tonis, chief of the University Police, denied last night that the policemen were assigned to the whole corridor. He said that the policemen were assigned only to the Committee of 15 and that the students' blocking Price was not reported to the University Police until noon yesterday.

Tonis said that at present, the University police are not providing the Freund Committee any special protection. "The Chairman would have to request it. If he wants it, we'll furnish it," Tonis said.

Tonis said that he was not aware that the Freund Committee was meeting yesterday and that no one has informed him of ten committee's future schedule of hearings.

Price on Imperialism

In the 30 minute discussion, Price was asked why the committee had been appointed rather than elected. The students also asked Price his views on imperialism, ROTC, and expansion.

One student told Price, "We've heard that you were active in the Harvard purge committees in 1952 and 1953." Price replied that he had not come to Harvard until 1958.

"As a matter of fact," Price said, "I never slept overnight in New England until I came to Harvard." He said he was a "civil servant" in the Defense Department during the early 1950's.

Price said last night that he misread a notice for the hearings and thought that the hearings would begin at 9:30 a.m., rather than 9 a.m. "But I would have missed an interesting discussion if I had gotten there on time," he added.

Surprise

"I was a little surprised when they left. I suppose they found the discussion unsatisfactory," Price said.

In a statement of procedure on May 20, the committee stated that "the respondent will be afforded adequate opportunity to reply to the evidence presented and submit evidence on his own behalf."

University policemen personally delivered summonses to Berg and Miss Kaplan.

However, one of the three teaching fellows who was investigated yesterday did not receive a summons from the Freund Committee. The Committee sent Offer a summons by registered mail, which he has not yet picked up at the post office.

The committee hearings lasted until almost 1 p.m. Freund said that the testimony against the teaching fellows was completed and that their cases are now under advisement.

The three-page summons delivered to Berg's residence last Thursday was signed by Freund. The summons stated, "You are invited to meet with the Committee in order to initiate an inquiry...on Tuesday, May 27, 1969."

The summons charged that berg "encouraged and participated in the forcible seizure of University Hall and in the forcible removal therefrom of Dean Robert B. Watson, Assistant Freshman Dean Burris Young, and other members of the Harvard community, and that you remained in University Hall after having been forbidden to do so by University authorities."

The summons requested Berg to "please advise me [Frenu] promptly whether you will attend this meeting."

"I don't see any point in getting in touch with him," Berg said on Monday, "because I don't think there's anything to gain from cooperating."

Berg said "the basic premise that it's wrong to fight against the Corporation is in itself a false premise." He explained that he viewed "everybody involved in the University Hall seizure as having interests opposed to the Corporation."

"There isn't any mutually acceptable settlement, unless they want to grant our demands," Berg said.

Berg has already been investigated by the Committee of 15. The Committee of 15's "finding of fact" alleges that "Mr. Berg's use of force consisted in grasping Assistant Dean Young's arm, in company with others, pushing Assistant Dean Young out of the building against the expressed objection of Assistant Dean Young."

The Committee of 15 also alleges that Mr. Berg personally used force against Dean Robert B. Watson on two occasions. The first occurred inside University Hall in a hallway, when Mr. Berg seized Dean Watson by the arm. When Dean watson protested, Mr. Berg released him."

Watson Propelled

"A short time later," the finding of fact alleges, "Mr. Berg seized Dean Watson from behind by grabbing both of his upper arms, and he pushed Dean Watson from the building against Dean Watson's wishes and resistance by propelling him through one of the exterior doors of the building and into a crowd of people who were gathered on the steps."

Finally; the Committee of 15 alleges that "Mr. Berg was personally told by Dean Watson to leave the building, and Mr. Berg refused to leave."

The next closed hearings of the Freund Committee will be held on Thursday morning. Jack Stauder, instructor in Social Anthropology, said that Freund telephoned him yesterday afternoon and invited him to attend the hearings at 11 a.m. in Room H on the tenth floor of Holyoke Center.

Stauder said he told Freund that he will boycott the hearings. A University official delivered a letter to Stauder yesterday evening, confirming the Freund-Stauder telephone conversation