The State : An Invitation to Gorbachev

Stanford University’s four senior class presidents have officially invited Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to be the school’s commencement speaker in June. In case Gorbachev can’t make it, the students are also “actively pursuing” actor-comedian Bill Cosby as an alternate. In their letter to the Soviet leader, the students said that “the opportunity to hear your hopes and dreams for our future leaders can only encourage and endorse the peaceful co-existence of the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. on all frontiers.” The letter followed almost three months of lobbying by students, who said the June 15 speech could come during Gorbachev’s trip to the United States for a summit meeting with President Reagan. However, White House officials now say no firm date has been set for the summit. In San Francisco, Soviet Vice Consul Gennady German said only that “this invitation will be considered.”