6 October 1960
Professor J. Leonard Bates
Department of History
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Dear Leo:
When you called last summer the chairman of our department hat scheduled an interview with Alvin Fahrner, of Goker College, who subsequently accepted the position that was vacant. He is one of Green's students whom you may recall. We are steadily enlarging the department and if Ralph Stone is interested he should get in his application. I understand that some of our history staff may be on the track of jobs elsewhere.
I have taken a very active interest in the campaigns in the state this year. For awhile I helped with the chores in Terry Sanford's state headquarters and have been with him at several political rallies in the eastern part of the state. After the racists were given a good drubbing in June, they turned their ire against Sanford and Kennedy. And now we have the religious bigots, racists, states righters, mavericks, the reactionaries and the like all in the Nixon-Gavin camp. They are creating a great deal of noise and seem to have considerable funds from outside sources. I cannot imagine, however, how they can carry the state. It is certainly a sordid crowd to have to contend with.
Kennedy figuratively mopped up the ground with Nixon in that first debate----but you know how whimsical and irrational some people can be; they cannot appreciate the weight of superior intelligence and character. I trust you and your colleagues are backing Billington in the effort to unseat Mundt the reactionary.
Let us hear from you. And if you plan to be in New York during December we can count on a visit together. Lala nad I plan to go up on Christmas night for a weeks stay.
Yours cordially,
Joe Steelman