The 1969 Harvard-Radcliffe Combined Charities Drive begins today. It will benefit causes ranging from black community action to Ethiopian literacy.

Alan K. Austin '70, chairman of the Drive, said yesterday he hopes to collect $30,000, an increase of $4000 over last year. Students will be soliciting door-to-door directed by a captain in each house. Peter J. Bernbaum '71, HUC treasurer, said he hopes to organize a University event later this spring, such as a Harvard evening at the Boston Pops, to raise more money for the Drive.

Of the six organizations receiving money from the Drive, only Phillips Brooks House Association and the Wellmet Project, a half-way house for mental patients, were on last year's list of recommended charities.

New Charities

New charities include Biafra and Nigeria Relief Programs, the Boston Black Action Committee Recreation Center, the Committee for Ethiopian Literacy, and the Committee of Responsibility, which brings medical aid to war-injured Vietnamese children.