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The Augusta News-Review - June 8, 1978 “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentations in things which concern us dearly.” -- Freedom’s Journal, 1827 -- (Augusta Netos-Kelnefo Mallory K. Millender • Editor-Publisher J Philip Waring .... Vice President For Research and Development Robert Darby Sales Representative Frank Bowman Circulation Manager Michael Carr Photographer We cannot be responsible for unsolicited photos, manuscripts and other materials. Mailing Address Box 953 - Augusta, Ga. - Phone 722-4555 Second Class Postage Paid Augusta, Ga. 30903 /jugaly, AMALGAMATED k' KI Ifcfc I ■■■■fr PUIUSHUS, INC. IkUMIIw' I *MTKNML AoVt«ritlMQ KtMMStNTATIVU •NfW TOUR •CMCMO • w What’s in a name? Guest Column By Tom Wicker New York Times ATLANTA -- At a convivial luncheon here the other day, Hal Gulliver, the editor of The Atlanta Constitution, was drawing out his guests on a variety of hot topics - Rhodesia, the Cubans in Africa, the state of the American press, the outlook for Jimmy Carter’s re-election. A quiet voice broke into the conversation: “May I change the subject a moment?” The hard talkers around the table fell silent as Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the retired president of Morehouse College, chose his words carefully: “Why is the biggest and most expensive Federal building named for J. Edgar Hoover?” No one answered, because no one had an answer, although all understood Dr. Mays’s question instantly. The F. 8.1. building is the biggest and most expensive ever erected by the General Services Administration; and that morning, the Atlanta papers had detailed yet another disclosure of how J. Edgar Hoover did his malevolent best to undermine, slander and destroy the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a son of Atlanta and one of this century’s greatest Americans. These efforts ranged from Mr. Hoover’s personal branding of Dr. King as “the most notorious liar” in the country to an actual attempt to induce him to commit suicide. But more was at stake than Martin Luther King’s reputation; as Mrs. Coretta King put 'it, the latest disclosure also “proves oncd again that the F. 8.1. treated the civil rights movement as if it were an alien enemy attack on the United States.” In November, 1964, the executive director of the NAACP, Roy Wilkins - as his latest Senate testimony shows and as Dr. King’s FBI files will support - intervened with the bureau to stop its attacks on Dr. King, which Mr. Wilkins felt were damaging the civil rights movement. But FBI memos just coming to light show that the bureau tried to convert this into another scheme “to remove King from the national picture” and replace him with an FBI-chosen “national leader.” This was not only an attempt to destroy Dr. King; since the memos distorted Mr. Wilkins’s statements and attitudes in what he later told a Senate committee was a “self-serving” manner, the FBI recklessly endangered his reputation as well as that of Dr. King. All this, not insignificantly, was taking place while Martin Luther King was Our new day begun In keeping with my call at the NAACP Annual Convention in St. Louis, Mo., last year for a major summit conference of Black leaders, almost 1,000 spectators, delegates and members of the press met in Chicago from May 4-7 to help the veteran civil rights organization define cunent civil rights issues and strategies. The t NAACP National Leadership Summit Conference was different from our regular annual conventions and other conferences in one major respect. It reached out in an all-encompassing scope for some of the nation’s foremost professional, civic and political leaders who, because they have their own constituencies, do not normally work closely with the NAACP. The vast majority, however, are lifetime supporters of the NAACP and gained prominence as a result of their close identity and work with the veteran civil rights organizations. It was therefore no surprise to hear them repeat that “there is no other organization like the NAACP.” Th£, grand lady has been the mother of many other civil rights organizations and movements. *lts strategies of legal and civic protests are now boldlv used by < Page 4 writing his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently the mere thought of his despised target being so honored was more than J. Edgar Hoover could accept. Roy Wilkins’s intervention on behalf of the civil rights movement, moreover, was occasioned by such FBI activities as its circulation to various newspapers of tapes and transcripts of wiretaps and microphone surveillances used against Dr. King. These “leaks,” it should be noted, were engineered by the FBI at a time when it was a felony to disclose the fruits of a wiretap or a “bug.” It is no justification whatever that these transcripts are reported to have contained evidence of sexual peccadillos by Dr. King and others. In the first place, Attorney General Robert Kennedy’s authorization for the wiretaps had been obtained on the spurious ground that Dr. King had Communists in his entourage; in the second place, if anything at all should have been done about the material allegedly overheard, it should not have been done by a Federal police agency and certainly not through clandestine and illegal disclosures designed to destroy a leader and a movement. If this were the only blemish on J. Edgar Hoover’s record, it might be regarded as a sad aberration in an otherwise admirable career. But in fact, as time brings more Freedom of Information suits, more grand jury deliberations, more investigative reporting, the truth becomes clearer -- the assault on Martin Luther King was only part of a long and dismal record of FBI attempts, at Mr. Hoover’s command, to suppress dissent and social change, hound and harass supposed enemies, smear individuals and organizations, blackmail those on whom it “had something,” and manipulate public attitudes to suit the Director’s prejudices. And all these activities were based on surveillances and infiltrations conducted with little or no regard for the law. It will be protested that FBI agents under Mr. Hoover also performed many useful and creditable tasks, with bravery and skill. That is unquestionably true, but it merely underlines the harder truth that the King vendetta and other excrescences discredited the records of, and betrayed the trust of Americans in, the man and the bureau he created in his own image. Why, indeed, should the American people’s biggest and most expensive building, standing squarely on the parade route of Presidents, in the symbolic city of democracy, be named for J. Edgar Hoover? What does that tell us, not about him but about ourselves? NAACP leadership summit conference By Benjamin Hooks scores of other groups and coalitions. The ideas and knowledge that were contributed to the conference further showed the depth and breadth of expertise and influence that Black Americans now possess. What is needed, therefore, is a catalyst for transforming these vast pools of knowledge and experience into viable strategies for combatting the herrendous social and economic problems that Black people continue to face. The role of an umbrella organization, and catalyst, is one that the NAACP has traditionally played. The most recent period of reference was the 50s through the 60s. Then, the NAACP performed such unsung functions as winning the suit in which the U.S. Supreme Court held in 1956 that segregation on travel within states was unconstitutional. This victory enables Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to triumph in the Montgomery bus boycott. The NAACP also provided about $1 million in bail for student demonstrators during the 60s. This money has never been retrieved. There were a host of other non-legal battles that the NAACP fought and won. Most notable were the passage of the civil rights acts, beginning with WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO THE JOB. LETS MAKE A START NOW. LAWYERS ARTISTS DOCTORS ARCHITECTS DENTISTS BUSINESS ENGINEERS SOCIAL workers TEACHERS ACCOUNTANTS AFTER years of hard WORK AND STUDY-NOW W RETURNING TO BUILD better black K -MWZvet ~ T9 COMMUNITIES. ■ \ rV. ■ '”"1 1 ft J 1 ** ~ C Millions of Americans who know and love Roy Wilkins have already denounced the despictable FBI innuendo regarding toppling Dr. Martin L. King Jr. That’s J. Edgar Hoover’s old plan to split us in the civil rights movement. But it won’t work even with Dr. King and tyrant Hoover no longer with us. Let’s evaluate this subject: (1) The alleged FBI subject was “a young man desiring more power” - Roy Wilkins was then up into his late sixties and head of the most powerful Civil Rights organization in the nation, (2) Dr. M.L. King Jr. was both a Spingarn Medalist and a Nobel Peace Awardee - And who in God’s name would attempt to topple an internationally popular leader of this stature, except the sick mind of the late FBI leader, (3) With the KKK, numerous hate groups in both the private and public sectors, coupled with the decade-long ban against the NAACP in Alabama, there was excellent cooperation between SCLC and NAACP, and lastly, (4) Numerous public records show that former FBI agents have described how they had to fabricate reports to Hoover’s liking. The nation was repelled on learning how Hoover attempted to smear Dr. King’s private life and reputation. And that’s what 1 believe has happened in the current Roy Wilkins case. WHITNEY YOUNG’S WARNING About ten years ago the late and great Urban League chief, Whitney M. Young Jr., warned us “Beware of J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI efforts to divide the civil rights movement.” It has come true. It appears that Roy went in to protest to the FBI its treatment of Dr. King. And they turned it around to make him appear as a double agent! ATTACKS ON PRESS May we share on this subject by Samuel Slade of the St. Louis Sentinel. It reads thusly: In a recent report published in a nationally distributed publication, it revealed thag the Jimmy Carter White House is not totally in favor of First Amendment rights and sunshine law views. It is felt by many observers in that of 1957. But despite these and other triumphs, Black people, by and large, are at a standstill today. The victories of the 60s, the legal pronouncements and precedents have not realized equal opportunity for the masses of our people. The majority of Blacks have not yet benefitted from the “deliberate” speed formula for redressing longstanding grievances and outstanding legacies of discrimination. Thirty percent of Black Americans live in “officially-defined” poverty. Black unemployment is twice as high as white unemployment. This has been the constant since World War 11, in “good Take a GIANT STEP i n the March of Dimes fe WALKATHON T 0 PROTECT THE UNBORN U U AND THE NEWBORN THIS SPACE CONTRIBUTED BY THE PUBLISHER Going places Roy Wilkins lied on by FBI By Philip Waring Washington, that the boys from Georgia are not sure of what they are doing, and subsequently are reluctant to cooperate in most instances with the press or news media. In a summary of positions taken by the article on the Carter Administration, and after approximately a year in office, the administration has taken a series of actions on First Amendment and freedom of information issues that could be viewed as dangerous trend supporting government secrecy and censorship. Some of these Administration actions, mainly by the Justice Department, include: Asking a U.S. Court of Appeals to rule that the Justice Department may secretly seize telephone records of news media offices in order to discover confidential news sources. Asking a U.S. Court of Appeals to rule that the Secret Service has the right to exclude any reporter from the White House press facilities without offering any reason or explanation. Asking a U.S. District Court to dismiss a complaint alleging the 33,000 pages of Henry Kissinger’s official telephone transcrpits are public property governed by the Freedom of Information Act. Asking a U.S. District Court of Appeals to rule that two reporters from The Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette should be jailed for six months for refusing to disclose unpublished information. Asking a U.S. Distrct Court to issue a gag order sealing information obtained from the FBI in a lawsuit alleging illegal FBI harrassment of a plutonium - P^ ant worker. Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a gag order barring the press from “mingling with or being in the proximity of’ criminal trial participants on the grounds that the press has “no direct” interest in such a gag order. Opposing an amendment to the Criminal Code Reform Act protecting the press from being jailed for violating invalid gag orders. All of these actions were taken by the Solicitor General or Assistant Attorneys General or other persons in positions of substantial authority and do not include other actions taken by lower-level officials. times” and bad. Black teen-age unemployment reached a phenomenal 9 percent this year. In some cities it soars to as high as 86 percent. Having now therefore received the commitment of leaders to work with the NAACP in meeting the challenge ahead, the NAACP will at its annual convention in Portland in July,, proceed to develop strategies with delegates from our 1,700 branches across the country for the acceleration of the struggle for full equality that lies ahead. We invite every American who supports this goal to support us by becoming a member of the NAACP. Walking with dignity JSL Chicago’s school desegregation plan is a perfect labyrinthian monstrosity on a winding path. A tangled web of partisan politics and crazy social goals is being spun around the “Windy City’s” school children as a new voluntary desegregation plan is debated. The plan, called “Access to Excellence” calls for voluntary participation by all ethnic races in programs ranging from help with basic skills to “classical schools” for thetalented. It faced examination at a May meeting of the State Board of Education, but nothing concrete was settled. But it was another chapter in the national search for ways to successfully desegregate big-city schools, it already has left a long trial of controversy. NAACP WENT INTO ACTION State guidelines call for a mandatory desegregation plan as a backup if voluntary measures do not work, but Chicago School Superintendent Joseph P. Hannon is attempting to be “tough outhed,” and has reject any mandatory measures. That put him in direct conflict with, his namesake, Joseph M. Cronin, State Superintendent of Illinois. Dr. Cronin, with THE APPROVAL of the State Board of Education, can block future federal and state educational funds for Chicago. Also, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is planning to sue the city to force a mandatory backup. TACTICAL ADVANTAGES But Mr. Hannon has some tactical advantages in his face-off with the liberal Dr. Cronin and the NAACP. State Superintendent Cronin is under pressure from court challenges and legislative action to go easy on desegregation. The General Assembly is moving toward approval of a referendum to amend the state constitution, abholishing the state Board of Education and making the state school superintendent’s job elective again. Under the state constutition that went into effect in 1971, the superintendent’s job became appointive, and Dr. Cronin subsequently was brought to Chicago from Massachusetts to fill it. If the Illinois Legislature approves the consitutional referendum, and both houses have done so separately, it will be voted on in November. “The state board’s credibility and very Letter to the editor Oppose ‘scare tactic’ Dear Editor: I don’t see how they can come up with this “reverse discrimination” rhetoric when 1 look at the facts that surround me each day. The same people that were running things 10, 20, 100 years ago are running things today. There are a few more Black faces here and there but ain’t nothing changed. The same folk do the hiring; the same folk do the firing; the same folk decide what areas get public funds; and so forth and so on. This is just another smokescreen ‘scare tactic*. An individual has the right to socialize with whomever he or she chooses.. Social discrimination is acceptable to us all and we all do it. However, discrimination on any level other than social is not acceptable to.right-thinking people. When discrimination plays a part in where one can work and live and where public monies are being spent then none of us should find this acceptable. Everytime Blacks and other minorities make one stride toward gaining equality of opportunity in this country an ultra-conservative element comes up with some kind of ‘scare’ to turn public opinion against us. After the Emancipation Proclamation they said the Government was gon’ take Confederate land and distribute it among the Blacks. This gave rise to the myth of “Forty Acres and a Mule” among the ex-slaves and changed the sentiment of Northerners in favor of the Rebels. It also led to the nremature withdrawal of Union Appreciates Festival support Dear Editor: By now you’ve probably heard about the tremendous success of this year’s April Festival. It was the best one yet, with all events being very warmly received and total participation topping the forty-five thousand (45,000) mark. You and the Augusta News-Review played a very intergral part in the success of the Festival; and on behalf of our Board of Directors and myself, you have Is desegregation passe? By Al Irby existence is on the line,” notes Christopher Nugent of the Citizens School Committee, a private Chicago group wich monitors educational issues. The November vote would be “essentially a referendum on desegregation as well as on the funding of mandatory programs like bilingual and special education,” Mr. Nugent continued. Dr. Hannon is generally respected as a sincere and capable official, and even his critics concede that he is working with the political realities as he sees them. In rejecting a mandatory desegregation arrangement, Dr. Hannon chose not to follow the recommendation of the City-wide Advisory Committee (CWAC), a citizens group which has been studying Chicago’s desegregation problems for over a year. Chicago has long been immuned to the kinds of court pressure brought to bear on cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Boston. Observers in Chicago say that a combination of a lack of money and an understanding with city hall, has forestalled an NAACP suit at this time in Chicago. But that may soon change. “The suite will be filed,” declares Thomas Atkins, president of the Boston Branch of the NAACP and a legal consultant on desegregation suits across the United States.” But when it will be filed is anybody’s guess. Preparing the complaint will be a massive job. The Chicago school population of 511,000 is already heavily minority, with about 35 percent of students learning in “desegregated settings,” a school spokesman said. Only 22 percent of Chicago’s public school pupils are white, and Dr. Hannon said his plan is designed to keep those children in the system. “The whole business of forced desegregation is not something the Black community is eager to see happen,” says Bernard La Cour of the Urban League in Chicago. “They feel the local white-controlled school board ought not to be free of the law, but they are quite willing to live with Hannon’s plan as long as they feel they can participate. THE HANNON PLAN In announcing the plan April 6, Dr. Hannon said it offers “a broad spectrum of alternative programs: academic interest centers, career development centers, technical centers, basic skill programs, enriched studies, new pre-school programs, and new magnet schools. troops and eventually ended the issue of equality for the next 70 years in the infamous Compromise of 1876. After the Brown us Board of Education decision in 1954, outlawing ‘separate but equal’ facilities in public education, one ‘scare’ was that there would be a rash of mixed marriages. Although this did not materialize the thought alone was the boost needed by segregationist forces to delay equal educational opportunities even to this day. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s was instrumental in changing the attitude of certain segments of society toward minorities. Programs were instituted to assist minorities in getting an education, locating and buying better housing, etc. Unfortunately, the price of this initiative was the lives of many dedicated human beings, including Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now the conservatives tell the nation that these programs must be discontinued because they constitute “reverse discrimination.” The people that can discriminate and make it mean something are those who hire and fire; those who distribute public monies; those - who control the news media; etc. You don’t find too many Blacks and other minorities in these type jobs. Is this ‘scare tactic’ gon’ work, too? Gene A. Andrews Jr. 1701 Pearlie Drive, Apt. 4-G Wichita Falls, Texas 76306 our sincerest thanks. Judging from the comments of many people who learned about the various Festival activities through the News-Review, I’m sure that you have their thanks, too, for promoting this community wide effort to project the arts in our area. Sincerely, Edward M. Mclntyre, chairman