  Spectroscopic observations taken with the VLT/UVES telescope/instrument are
presented of the unusual Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) X-ray binary system SXP
323 = AX J0051-733. This system shows a clear modulation at 0.71d in long term
optical photometry which has been proposed as the binary period of this system.
The high resolution optical spectra, taken at a range of phases during the
0.71d cycle, rule out this possibility. Instead it is suggested that this
long-term effect is due to Non Radial Pulsations (NRP) in the Be star companion
to SXP 323. In addition, the spectra show clear evidence for major changes in
the (V/R) ratio of the double peaks of the Balmer lines indicative of
asymmetries in the circumstellar disk. The complex structure of the
interstellar lines are also discussed in the context of the SMC structure.
