Unauthorised letter tells Harvard University to stop recognising some pro-Palestinian groups

Harvard said on Saturday the Trump administration was "doubling down" on far-reaching demands on the university despite a published report that government officials had sent a letter spelling out those demands without authorisation.

The letter from government lawyers, received by Harvard on April 11, was sent before senior officials of US President Donald Trump's administration could approve it or give the go-ahead for its release, the New York Times reported late on Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The administration had already sent a list of demands on April 3 to Harvard for the elite school to continue receiving federal funding. These included a mask ban, removal of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, and more cooperation with law enforcement.

The April 11 letter signed by officials at the Education Department, Health Department and General Services Administration expanded that list. It told Harvard to stop recognising some pro-Palestinian groups and asked it to report to federal authorities foreign students violating university policies, among other demands.

Harvard had believed it could still avoid confrontation with the Trump administration because they were engaged in dialogue, the newspaper said, but the letter made Harvard feel a deal was not possible.

'Astonishing in their overreach'

Harvard said it did not doubt the letter's authenticity and called its demands "astonishing in their overreach."

Three days after that letter arrived, Harvard rejected numerous demands that it said would amount to the school giving up control over hiring, admissions and instruction to the government.

The Trump administration subsequently froze $2.3 billion in funding to Harvard and threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and take away its ability to enroll foreign students. It also demanded information on the university's foreign ties, students and faculty.

"Even assuming the administration now wishes to take back its litany of breathtakingly intrusive demands, it appears to have doubled down on those demands through its deeds in recent days," a Harvard spokesperson said. "Actions speak louder than words."

Since his January inauguration, Trump has cracked down on top US universities, saying they mishandled last year's pro-Palestinian protests and allowed anti-Semitism to fester on campus. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza is wrongly conflated with anti-Semitism.

Columbia University was an early target but in recent weeks, the administration has focused on Harvard, where it is seeking oversight of its student body, faculty and curriculum in an apparent effort to curb what it perceives as the university's liberal bias.

The content of the April 11 letter was authentic but the New York Times reported differing accounts inside the Trump administration of how it was mishandled.

The newspaper said some at the White House believed the letter was sent prematurely while others thought it was meant to be first circulated among government officials.

The White House had no immediate comment.

Reuters