Seven years ago, S. Allen Counter travelled to northern Greenland on a scientific expedition and met the descendants of the Americans who discovered the North Pole.

Counter brought the two men, the 80-year-old Amer-Eskimo sons of Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson, back to the U.S. for a "North Pole Reunion." Their 11-day visit received international attention and was marked by a tribute from President Reagan and an honorary banquet at Harvard.

The event was part of Counter's campaign for fair treatment of Henson, the Black co-explorer who is rarely credited as a north Pole discoverer.

While Peary was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Henson's grave was in the Bronx. Shortly after the "Reunion," President Reagan responded to a petition from Counter and ordered that Henson and his wife be reinterred in Arlington.

The episode is classic Allen counter. His record is that of man with a passionate commitment to African-American culture.

The North Pole event illustrates another aspect of Counter's character: Whether he's bringing a celebrity to campus or filming tribes in the South America, counter does things with flair. The man has a penchant for publicity.

Since becoming director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, he also has had a penchant for controversy.

This month, Counter came under fire for a letter criticizing The Crimson'scoverage of the Foundation and minority affairs.His critics charged that the letter hinted at a"racial agenda" shared by the newspaper andHarvard-Radcliffe Hillel.

The letter said that "Crimson writers active inHillel have written extensively" on black-Jewishrelations and that The Crimson "frequently citesthe Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel...as one of thestudent groups that is dissatisfied with theFoundation's work."

Hillel Coordinating Council chair Shai A. Held'93 said the letter was "filled withmisrepresentations, distortions and outrightlies."

And a former Hillel leader called the letterinsensitive and filed a formal complaint askinghim to resign. The Crimson editorial board blastedCounter's "gross insensitivity" in an usual fullpage response.

counter apologized for "any misunderstanding"caused by the letter and began a series ofmeetings with Hillel leaders and Universityofficials. He also apologized if he "inadvertentlycontributed to the tensions" on campus, but he hasnot retracted any of his comments.

"We are seeking a way of keeping the situationcalm and healing wounds," says Rabbi SallyFinestone, acting director of Hillel. "Dr. Counterand I have pledged to have a continuing dialoguebetween Black and Jewish students on campus."

Almost every campus minority group and culturalorganization--except Hillel and a few others--hasexpressed support for Counter.

In a flyer distributed across campus, the BlackStudents Association described him as a"long-standing faculty member who has endlesslylabored to improve race relations" condemned TheCrimson for engaging in "character assassination."

Counter granted one crimson interview since thepublication of his controversial letter, and hassince stopped speaking with all reporters,according to his assistant. He repeatedly declinedto be interviewed for this profile.