Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1968 [PAGE 524]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

472

BOARD OF T R U S T E E S

munist front organization through an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Such a conditional registration could be made a full registration if the outcome of the present petition by the Justice Department were in favor of the national organization, whereas such conditional registration could be withdrawn if the outcome were unfavorable. And may I add one clarifying point with respect to the much-cited petition by the Justice Department. Let me quote from a recent letter from the Assistant Attorney General, to whom I have just referred, in which he comments on that petition, as follows: ". . . the purpose of the petition is to expose the true nature of the organization to its own membership, and to anyone else who might be considering joining the organization. As the Attorney General stated at the time of the filing of the petition: 'Historically, Americans have the freedom to organize and dissent. At the same time, in accordance with the law, young people who might consider joining this organization are entitled to know its nature and its sponsorship.'" What is required here at the federal level is registration. What I am suggesting here at the University is a comparable conditional registration. Surely, if the techniques so defined satisfy the federal goventnent and the Justice Department, such an arrangement should be sufficient for our purposes here. Alerting the potential members of the organization to its possible nature, based on conclusions of the F.B.I, and the Justice Department, should certainly satisfy whatever duty we may have to prevent the student body from being misled, and yet retain the American approach to the free discussion of ideas — o r even those with which we violently disagree. Following an e x t e n d e d question a n d a n s w e r period a n d discussion b y t h e T r u s t e e s , t h e r e p o r t of t h e G e n e r a l P o l i c y C o m m i t t e e w a s a p proved b y the following vote: A y e , M r . Grimes, M r . H a h n , Mr. Hughes, M r . Johnston, M r . Page, M r . Pogue, M r . Swain, Dr. Weatherly; no, M r . Clement, M r . J o n e s ; absent, G o v e r n o r K e r n e r . O n m o t i o n of D r . W e a t h e r l y , t h e B o a r d a d j o u r n e d .

EARL W.

PORTER

W A Y N E A.

JOHNSTON

Secretary LUNCHEON

President

The centennial film "Hosts of Earnest Men" was shown to Trustees and other University personnel following lunch.