# Part I

## PURPOSE

The Harvard International Seminar attempts to promote international understanding and cooperation by giving its members an opportunity:

1. To increase their stature as individuals and their general competence in their various fields.

2. To study and discuss the relations of the various countries of the world and to develop and deepen the sense of community among them.

3. To acquaint themselves with the attitudes and values underlying American life and thought.

4. To bring foreign concerns and thinking to the attention of Americans.

## GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The International Seminar is designed for persons between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five who are on the verge of reaching positions of leadership in their own countries. Too old for student exchange programs, too active to leave their countries for extended periods of time, these men and women may have tended to view world affairs from a narrow national or professional standpoint. It is the belief of the Harvard Seminar that a meeting of the most promising representatives of this group in an atmosphere such as Harvard's should go far toward promoting a better understanding of common problems and of America's values.

The main emphasis of the Seminar is on the discussion groups, which meet three times a week for two hours each time under the chairmanship of a faculty member. These seminars deal with selected topics

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in politics, economics and the humanities. Two groups exist: one dealing with politics and economics and the other with the general area of the humanities. Each participant belongs to one of these groups, but may attend the other.

One evening a week is devoted to Open Forums. A wide variety of topics is discussed by a panel of Seminar members and the audience is free to comment and question. The Forums are followed by a reception where the Seminar members have an opportunity to meet the Cambridge community and to continue their discussions on a more informal basis.

In addition, the Harvard International Seminar seeks to provide a wide range of contacts with American life through lectures by distinguished Americans and field trips in the Boston area.

## HISTORY OF THE HARVARD INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR

The International Seminar grew out of the conviction that the ablest people in each country are forced by the pace of modern life and the nature of their tasks to concentrate more and more on immediate matters. As a result, it is extremely difficult to create a dialogue between disciplines or countries despite the fact that communication has never been easier technically.

It is against this background that the history of the International Seminar is to be viewed. The Seminar has invited representatives of an ever wider range of countries and professions to participate. The members have found that during their stay at Harvard they began to appreciate not only the participants from other countries, but also persons from their own country with a different set of interests and whom they would probably not have met except through the Seminar.

The number of participants in the Seminar could not be greatly increased without detracting from the quality of the endeavor. But in its representation the Seminar has consistently been broadened to reach groups and nations that will be playing ever greater roles in the community of nations. In its beginning in 1951, the Seminar was conducted as a pilot project with twenty participants drawn from West-European students already in the United States. In 1953, Asians were invited for the first time. In 1957, Africa was represented. In 1959, the Seminar was extended to include Latin America. During this entire period, every effort has been made to improve the quality of the participants, and, we believe, on the whole, successfully.

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## Part II

# EVALUATION BY PARTICIPANTS

As stated previously, the International Seminar has provided its members with an opportunity:

The personal and intellectual gain for the Seminar members from a return, for however brief a period, to a university existence among people of comparable achievements is immeasurable. This gain and the impetus the Seminar inspires were indicated by Mr. A. Jamil Nishtar, Executive Vice President of the United Bank Limited, Karachi, West Pakistan, when he wrote:

> This was a unique opportunity and experience of observing, without bias, prejudice or reservations from either side, the entire spectrum of intellectual life in all its multifarious hues. I am sure that the understanding in general, consciously and unconsciously, will be of tremendous value to me.

Sean O'Tauma, Lecturer in Irish Literature at the University of Cork, Ireland, wrote:

> The two months I spent at the Harvard International Seminar were possibly the most instructive and illuminating two months of my life. For the first time I had an opportunity of meeting a good cross-section of poets, dramatists, novelists, journalists -- even political commentators and economists! -- on an intimate level, and for an extended period of time. The value of this cannot be overestimated. Conferences and seminars which last for only five or six days cannot hope to achieve the type of quality of communication which this seminar provided -- for those, in particular, whose interests are basically humanistic.

Sugata Dasgupta, the joint director of the Gandhian Institute in Varanasi, India, commented:

> I have gained immensely from the Seminar. I have learned essentialities of the theories of foreign policy, got closely acquainted

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with the various facets of foreign policy of the U.S.A. and of 28
other countries. It has indeed helped me to gain fresh insight in my
own country's policy as well. I had no 'taste' for 'foreign policy'
earlier. Engaged in the 'great' 'humanitarian' and scientific tasks
of social work I always considered 'foreign policy' makers as be-
longing to an inferior breed. I have changed my views. All these
are great gains.

2. To study and discuss the relations of the various countries of the world, and to develop and deepen the sense of community among them.

Beyond the transformation of their ideas about America, the Semi-
nar participants were enabled to clarify and broaden their ideas about
the other nations represented. They met in an atmosphere which per-
mits the exploration of differences without acrimony, the discovery of
agreements, the charting out of possible avenues toward future
understanding. Representatives of such diverse areas of world opinion
as Europe and the Near East, the Far East and Africa, were given the
opportunity to overcome the limitations of a nationalistic or regionalis-
tic bias, and to exchange stereotyped conceptions for a realistic under-
standing of each other's problems.

Raul Locsin, Editor of *The Economic Monitor*, the Philippines,
commented:

If the seminar did not accomplish anything but bring about the
meeting of different nationalities with their varied perspectives
and prejudices, that, in itself, is quite an achievement. We feel,
that it has served the purpose of removing, at least, the narrow
walls of thought that have isolated different people from one another.
If it has not done so, it has again, at least, served as a catalyst
for understanding why a gap has to remain between divergent views
and cultures. The effect is one of peering at a colony of microbes,
from the outside, through a microscope rather than that of being a
microbe looking upwards into the lens.

Murugesu Sivasithamparam, member of Parliament in Ceylon,
observed:

By giving us an opportunity... to meet and exchange views, frankly
and freely, with participants from so many countries, the Seminar

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has had a big and lasting impact on my pattern of thought and ac-
tion, on my assessment of values and on my getting on with fellow
human beings.

3. To acquaint themselves with the attitudes and values under-
lying American life and thought.

It has become almost a truism to say that freedom can be best
understood by practicing it, and that the full value of the democratic
way of life can be learned only from viewing it directly and at first
hand. The Seminar, bringing together outstanding individuals from all
parts of the globe, offers a unique opportunity in this respect.

Jean-Louis Dewost, member of the Conseil d'Etat of France, com-
mented:

> It is probably the most exciting *introduction* to the understanding of the United States that one can imagine, and it is impossible in so short a time to accumulate during a first visit, so many different experiences.

In October 1965, Bo Jonas Sjonander, Budget Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Sweden, wrote:

> Back in Sweden since about six weeks, I can't deny that I look at my stay at Harvard with a certain amount of nostalgia. That period of my life was an experience which I hardly scarcely would like to have gone without. I acquired a knowledge about American policy and conditions which I believe there are few foreigners granted to do during such a limited time. It is perhaps unnecessary to say that I, thanks to this, attained a better understanding of the United States.

Giovanni Garfoli, the Head of the Office for Bilateral Affairs, National Committee for Nuclear Energy, Rome, Italy, wrote recently:

> The Seminar is, beyond any doubt, the most efficient and far-
sighted system which a great country like the U.S.A. could adopt
> for enabling qualified representatives of other nations to get a
genuine and thorough insight into the many problems arising every
day in the American social, political, and economic life.

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Colonel Shmuel Amir, National Defence College, Jerusalem, Israel, stressed the Seminar's location as a focal point for observing American society:

The principal aim of the Seminar was, in my opinion, to enable the participants to get acquainted with the American society, all its various characteristics, its traditions, values, ways of thinking and attitudes toward domestic and foreign affairs. Among the most contributing conditions I would mention the favorable environment of Harvard's intellectual atmosphere, the great academic community of the Boston area which provided the opportunity to every participant to meet outstanding personalities in the academic fields of his personal interest and to establish new valuable social and professional contacts.

C. R. Krishnamoorthy, the Planning Advisor to the Government of Singapore from India, wrote in January 1966:

> The mind goes back to our debates in Harvard. In the dorms, on the lawns, under the green wood tree, in the class rooms, in the cafeteria, in the bus, in the stately homes of the generous spirits to whom we went...
> That was an experience that was rewarding. It grows as the years go by...
> How I wish I could have another break of the same kind to recharge the battery!

One of the main channels of impact of the Seminar participants upon America was the series of weekly forums which provided the Seminar members with an opportunity to speak to an American audience. The topics covered in these programs were: Modern African Themes, Unity and Conflict in Europe, a poetry reading, Prospects for Democracy in Asia, The Function of Humor, and Is The World of Politics Moving Left or Right?

Mr. Billy Dudley, the Seminar participant from Nigeria, appeared on a television news commentary program.

Many of the Seminar members traveled to other parts of the United States at the close of the Seminar. Most important, perhaps, both during the Seminar and after it, were the informal opportunities the members had to explain themselves, their countries' problems, and their ideals, to Americans in the homes and communities they visited.

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## Part III

### SELECTION PROCESS

**A. Criteria for Selection:** The effectiveness of the Harvard International Seminar depends to a large extent on its selection process. The following criteria govern the acceptance of participants for the Seminar: (1) professional or academic standing; (2) breadth of interests; (3) potential impact on their country. Preference is given to those who have never been in the United States.

**B. Method of Obtaining Applications:** The applications for the Seminar are received from the following sources:

1. Applications received as a result of publicity at universities and professional organizations.

2. In addition, the following groups of persons are asked to suggest names of suitable candidates:

a. a large number of intellectual leaders;

b. outstanding members of previous sessions of the Seminar;

c. prominent political and literary figures;

d. members of the Harvard Faculty and acquaintances abroad;

e. prominent editors of newspapers and other organs of public opinion.

All candidates are required to submit a formal application, two letters of recommendation and a letter explaining their interest in the International Seminar.

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C. **Method of Selecting Participants:** In most cases, applications are submitted directly to the Harvard International Seminar. They are screened there by a committee composed of the Director of the Seminar and two added experts of the country concerned. In a few countries, it has proved of value to establish a preliminary selection committee in which former Seminar participants play a prominent role. The preliminary choices are then forwarded to Harvard, where the final selection is made. (For a list of the participants in the 1966 Seminar, please see Appendix A.)

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## Part IV
# PROGRAM

The 1966 program of the Harvard International Seminar was organized as follows:

A. **Formal Academic Program:** The Seminar members formed two groups of approximately twenty members each to discuss problems of contemporary interest under the leadership of a faculty member. One group dealt with the humanities in general and the other with political and economic concerns. The subject matter was of sufficient scope to permit each participant to treat it from the point of view of his special discipline or particular field of interest. Each group had an American chairman and an American participant who functioned as secretary. The Seminar members, upon acceptance, were sent a prospectus outlining the work in which their group expected to engage, along with several books for their advance preparation. (Please see Appendix B for the reading lists for the Seminar.)

B. **Guest Speakers:** In addition to the group meetings, the Seminar participants were given the opportunity to become acquainted with various aspects of American life through a program of distinguished guest lecturers from the professions, labor unions, industry, government, the arts, and other spheres. (For a list of guest speakers, please see Appendix C.)

C. **Visits to American Institutions and Enterprises:** In order to diversify the program and to introduce the members to as wide a segment of American life as possible, visits to industrial plants, newspapers, educational and cultural institutions and various governmental bodies were arranged. (For a list of tours and visits, please see Appendix D.)

D. **Open Forums:** One night a week the Seminar held a public forum before an American audience. Two or three presentations on topics of worldwide interest were made at each forum by Seminar participants, either individually or as a panel. (For a list of evening forums, please see Appendix E.)

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The following is a more detailed discussion of the Seminar program.

A. Academic Program

The academic program of the International Seminar was divided into two groups, the Politics and Economics Group and the Humanities Group, which met for two hours, three mornings each week. Although the Seminar members were formal participants in only one of the groups, they were free to attend other meetings. The Politics and Economics Section of the Seminar was under the chairmanship of Professor Douglas Price of Harvard University, who dealt with domestic affairs; and Professor Paul Seabury of the University of California at Berkeley, who considered international relations. The Chairman of the Humanities Section was Professor Jack Ludwig, novelist, critic, and Chairman of the Department of English at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The American chairmen gave the American experience and the participants supplied the perspective from their own countries.

Professor Price focused upon the distribution of power between the Federal and State governments, the problem of minorities, and the role of administration. Talks were given by Mr. Dewost of France, Mr. Downes of Great Britain, Mr. Chlumsky of Czeckoslovakia, and Mr. Suzuki of Japan on the planning experiences of their respective countries.

During the meetings on international relations, Professor Seabury led the seminar in discussion of the international and domestic environment of American foreign policy, the problem of American power and influence in foreign affairs, and Asian international problems. Special talks were given by a number of members: Mr. Dewost of France spoke on the prospects for the Atlantic Alliance; Mr. Sivasithamparam of Ceylon led a discussion on the United Nations; and Mr. Suzuki of Japan discussed Asian political order. Mr. Tudjman of Yugoslavia presented a paper on "The Future of Supremacy and of Co-Existence in the Nuclear Age of the World's History".

The general theme of the Humanities Group program was America in 1966 as seen through literature and other art forms. The main topics of discussion were modern-day poets and their relationship to mid-century ideas and moods, with special reference to Robert Lowell; the Negro problem as seen through literature; the function of humor; protest literature and songs; and literary criticism. The American literary experience was brought into comparison with those of foreign countries.

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A number of guests sat in on a Humanities session and members of the Politics and Economics Group were also invited. The guests were Mr. Harry Sions, editor and publisher of Little Brown Publishing Company, who talked about publishing in the United States; Mr. Ralph Ellison, who discussed his book *Invisible Man* and his life as a Negro in this country; Mr. Robert Chapman, the director of the Loeb Drama Center at Harvard University; Mr. Allan Kaprow, painter and inventor of "happenings", who talked about "happenings" as an art medium; Mr. Ted Alevizos, who played, and led the group in singing, protest songs; and Mr. Richard Poirier, one of the editors of *Partisan Review*, who spoke on intellectual magazines in the United States.

## B. Guest Speakers

Three afternoons a week were devoted to guest speakers representing significant phases of American life, from labor to economics, from journalism to music, from racial problems to government. A small luncheon was given at the Harvard Faculty Club before each lecture to allow those members of the Seminar particularly interested in the speaker's field to meet and talk with the speaker. Among the guest speakers were David Riesman, Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences at Harvard University and author of *The Lonely Crowd*; Carl Kaysen, recently appointed Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey; James Farmer, former national director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); Leslie Fiedler, literary critic and Professor of English at the State University of New York in Buffalo; William Rusher, publisher of the *National Review*; Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., former presidential advisor and author of *A Thousand Days*; and Leon Kirchner, Professor of Music at Harvard University, pianist and composer. (For a complete list of the Guest Speakers, please turn to Appendix C.)

## C. Visits to American Institutions

Two days each week were set aside for tours and visits to law courts, business firms, factories, housing projects, and educational and cultural institutions. A special effort was made to ensure that these visits consisted not simply of a tour, but rather that some well-informed person would give a brief talk and answer questions. Seminar participants were free to select those tours which were of particular interest to them. In addition, every effort was made to direct Seminar

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members to those persons and institutions which were requested out-
side of the scheduled program. In this way, the exceptional facilities of
the Harvard - MIT - Boston University area were utilized in as individual
manner as possible. (For a complete list of tours and visits, please see
Appendix D.)

D. Open Forums

One evening each week the Seminar members were given a chance
to speak either individually or as a panel to an American audience. The
only requirement was that the speaker or panels be willing to answer
questions at the conclusion of their talk.

Following the forums, the audience was invited to a reception given
by the Seminar in Ticknor Library of Boylston Hall in the Harvard Yard
to provide an opportunity for further discussion. The forums contributed
greatly to the spirit of the Seminar members and the community. (For
a complete list of the evening forums, please see Appendix E.)

E. Social Program

Besides its formal program the Seminar sought to provide oc-
casions on which its members could become acquainted with Americans
on a social basis. A reception held at the beginning of the summer suc-
ceeded in introducing the Seminar participants to a number of people
from the Boston area, many of whom later entertained Seminar mem-
bers in their homes. Families in the town of Wayland, Massachusetts,
invited Seminar members to spend weekends in their homes. The Semi-
nar members also attended an open-air concert by pianist Malcolm
Frager in Ipswich, Massachusetts; a concert by the Boston Symphony
Orchestra at Tanglewood; and a Boston Red Sox baseball game.

One useful aspect of the summer's entertainment was introduced
by the Seminar members themselves. Several members showed slides
or films on their own countries and gave informal talks. Mr. Iimura
of Japan, an experimental film maker, showed his own movies upon
several occasions, including one he made at Harvard.

All of these activities helped to bring the participants into a closer
relationship with the people of the area and fostered their understanding
of America through the revealing medium of personal contacts. It was
a meaningful accompaniment to the more theoretical understanding of
America gained in the Seminar's formal discussions.

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