Harvard Prostitution Story Based On Press Reports

The author of "The Harvard-Radcliffe Prostitution Ring," an article in the November issue of Oui magazine, said yesterday he never interviewed any members of the alleged ring.

The Oui article focuses on charges filed last year against a Radcliffe student for soliciting sex in the Combat Zone in Boston. The student, referred to as "Emily" in the article, in turn implicated a Harvard summer school student, a Harvard Buildings and Grounds employee and a Harvard undergraduate in the alleged prostitution activity.

Sid Blumenthal, a Cambridge free-lance writers, said recently he "couldn't get through to any of the principals" when he wrote the article last December. "I talked to people who knew the principals and relied on previous press reports," Blumenthal said.

The Radcliffe student confessed to police last fall when the undergraduate, who allegedly acted as her pimp, allegedly threatened to "mess up" her face, the article says. The University ended its employment of the worker implicated in the activity. The male undergraduate implicated was expelled from Harvard following the incident.

Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, who coordinated an investigation of the allegations last year, said last week, "It was an isolated and unfortunate incident, and I'm sorry to see that magazine exploit it."