**The black Harvard professor controversially detained by police in his own home is to be reunited with his arresting officer at the White House.**President Barack Obama organised the meeting between Prof Henry Louis Gates and Sgt Jim Crowley in a bid to defuse the race row that the arrest triggered.
As promised by Mr Obama, the three men will be enjoying a beer while they discuss the situation.
Mr Obama drew criticism when he described the arrest as “stupid”.
Beer diplomacy
Prof Gates was apprehended at his own home after a witness saw him apparently trying to force his way in.
He was held for disorderly conduct after allegedly accusing the arresting officer, Sgt Crowley, of racism.
The arrest sparked a row about the treatment of ethnic minorities by police in America.
Statistics suggest that African-Americans and other minorities are more likely to be stopped by the police than white Americans.
Mr Obama commented on the incident at a televised press conference last week, saying the police had behaved “stupidly”.
He was subsequently criticised for expressing opinions without being in full possession of the facts.
The US president later said he regretted his comments, and invited both Prof Gates and Sgt Crowley to the White House for a discussion “over a beer”.