HARVARD UNAWARE CIA FUNDED BOOK, SEMINAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100020050-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2010
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: October 12, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/08/12 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000100020050-3
ARTICLE,
ON PAOE
WASHINGTON POST
12 October 1985
Harvard Unaware CIA
Funded Book Seminar
Agency Backed Professor's Mideast Projects
By Charles it Babcock
Washington Pat Staff Writer
A Harvard University professor
of Middle East studies broke uni-
versity rules by accepting a
$45,700 grant from the Central In-
telligence Agency to sponsor a con-
ference on Islam without informing
the school first, according to a col-
lege official.
A. Michael Spence, dean of the
faculty of arts and sciences, is in-
vestigating a contract under which
Prof. Nadav Safran, director of the
university's Center for Middle East-
ern Studies, reportedly received an-
other $107,430 from the CIA to aid
in research and writing of a book on
Saudi Arabia.
This information was provided by
John Shattuck, Harvard's vice pres-
ident for public affairs, yesterday.
The book, "Saudi Arabia, The
Ceaseless Quest for Security," was
published last month by Harvard
University Press.
According to Shattuck, Spence
said he learned about Safran's CIA
grant in a letter from the professor
early this month.
After investigating, Spence said,
"I have concluded that Professor
Safran erred in not following the
relevant rules in regard to spon-
sored projects, and I believe he
agrees with that conclusion."
Safran, a native of Egypt, could
not be reached for comment.
The conference on Islam funda-
mentalism is scheduled at Harvard
next week and Safran will tell par-
ticipants about the CIA funding,
Spence's statement said. About 90
scholars from the United States and
the Middle East are to attend.
CIA spokeswoman Kathy Pher-
son said the agency's contract for
the conference was with Safran, not
the university, so it was Safran's re-
sponsibility to comply with school
rules to disclose the funding source.
Shattuck emphasized that the
university was not concerned with
the CIA funding itself but with the
fact that Safran had not followed
the school's rules about disclosing it
promptly to school officials.
The Harvard Crimson student
newspaper quoted Safran Wednes-
day as saying he did not share his
CIA conference grant with the uni-
versity, as Harvard's rules require,
because he arranged it himself,
rather than on behalf of the Center
for Middle Eastern Studies.
In a statement earlier this week,
Safran said, "I sought and obtained
funds from the CIA as an 'indepen-
dent contractor,' which would per-
mit me to reimburse CMES for ex-
penses incurred."
The Boston Globe reported yes-
terday that it had obtained a copy of
Safran's book contract with the
CIA, dated April 13, 1982. It noted
that the book contains no reference
to the fact that it was the product of
CIA funds.
In the tnid-1970s, congressional
investigations disclosed that the
CIA had arranged for publication of
hundreds of books as part of a
worldwide propaganda campaign.
Pherson said she was not aware of
Safran's reported book contract,
adding, "I don't think that's what
you would call secret funding."
Approved For Release 2010/08/12 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000100020050-3