Letters to the publisher: Trump's struggle with Harvard marks 'a crucial moment for America'

To the editor: I just spent a year and four months doing a film in Harvard, the third film that I have made there in the past seven years. I worked closely with faculties and students, including international students, on two of these projects. The accusations against Harvard by President Trump on the secretary of the home protection, Kristi NoEM are complete nonsense (“Trump Administration prohibits Harvard to register foreign students”, “ May 22). Never in my life I was lucky enough to let such an inviting, stimulating place of science and resources immerse yourself in order to learn something about every topic that can be imagined.

It is obvious that Trump throws every weapon into his arsenal in Harvard for one reason: Harvard despite his strong arm attempt to tell the university, who to admit and what to teach. If Harvard manages to maintain his intellectual freedom, Trump is revealed as emperor without clothing. He sat in a position in which he cannot return. He led to his only option.

This is a crucial moment for America. “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions all over the country,” threatened Noem. When Trump succeeds in crushing Harvard, all other American institutions of learning, science and humanities are at risk. Harvard has a unique reservoir for legal and financial resources, but cannot withstand the power of the US government. All universities have to join together to resist Trump's, malicious demands.

Peter Coonradt, Redlands

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To the editor: Trump is clearly hostile to the Elite Privacy Universities, but his antipathy towards Harvard is noticeable.

It seems that the motivation is to destroy Harvard. Why? Perhaps the president, who is known, has a reason for Harvard. We know that he visited Fordham and then switched to Penn, an Ivy League School. What we do not know is wherever he used to be rejected only to be rejected 60 years ago. Harvard?

Richard Merel, Hermosa Beach

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To the editor: Trump and Noem could no less take care of the security of Jewish students. They take care of contradiction. We have a very slippery slope.

Patrick Mauer, Pasadena

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To the editor: As a former American foreign student in Asia and as a fulbrighter in Canada, I would hate that other nations respond in kind.

TD proffitt, Santa Ana