Moral Victory

Like any university worth its endowment, Harvard prizes its honors above all other possessions. Consequently it rejoiced in a moral victory last week when a faculty committee investigating the Walsh-Sweezy case found that the university had been clumsy, not dishonorable.

Popular Economics Instructors John Raymond Walsh and Alan Richardson Sweezy were fired (given two-year concluding appointments) more than a year ago. Because they were leaders of the university's branch of the American Federation of Teachers, even conservative facultymen feared their dismissal was a blow aimed at academic freedom, and they petitioned for an investigation. Thereupon, President James Bryant Conant appointed a committee of nine, including Law Professor Felix Frankfurter, Astronomer Harlow Shapley.

Last week the committee declared Drs. Walsh and Sweezy's views and labor activity had had nothing to do with their dismissal, was "happy to report its opinion that there was no departure whatsoever from Harvard's tradition of tolerance and of untrammeled scientific inquiry." But the committee said the dismissals were a mistake, held President Conant partly to blame for a "misunderstanding." Dr. Conant had asked the economics department to recommend two of its seven instructors for promotion. The department, unaware that this meant the dismissal of the other five, chose two more experienced members, but considered Drs. Walsh and Sweezy so promising that it asked for a three-year renewal of their appointments.*Thereupon, President Conant fired the two instructors, ignored the department's protests.

The committee held this weird exhibition of academic bud-nipping unfair to Drs. Walsh and Sweezy and harmful to Harvard because: i) Drs. Walsh and Sweezy were brilliant teachers, 2) Harvard sorely needs experts on labor and men of unorthodox views to broaden the outlook of its economics department. It recommended that Drs. Walsh and Sweezy (who have resigned from the university) be reinstated.

Last week President Conant noted with satisfaction that the university had been acquitted of bias, told the committee it had exaggerated the misunderstanding, announced the Harvard Corporation had decided it would be "unwise and impractical" to reinstate the ousted instructors.

*By that time the three other instructors not promoted had left for other jobs.

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