Telegram from Lyndon B. Johnson to Capus M. Waynick Text encoded by Justin Tew East Carolina University. J. Y. Joyner Library
Center for Digital Projects Joyner Library, East Carolina University East Fifth Street, Greenville NC 27858-4353 USA
2007 j157 ECU History Collection

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 Library of Congress Subject Headings English
WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM

1201

W. P. MARSHALL PS[21“nt

INS WWY065 WWZ14 GOVT NL PD=THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON

CAPUS M WAYNICK= DC 1=

FIELDSTONE FARM HIGH POINT NCAR=

q ENACTMENT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL WILL CHALLENGE

ALL AMERICANS TO JOIN IN AN AFFIRMATIVE VOLUNTARY EFFORT

TO PRESERVE ORDER AND TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF EQUAL

TREATMENT AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS. TO ENCOURAGE

AND ASSIST THIS VOLUNTARY CITIZENS! EFFORT, A COMMUNITY

RELATIONS SERVICE WILL BE ESTABLISHED BY THE BILL UNDER

SECRETARY OF COMMERCE LUTHER HODGES AND A DIRECTOR SOON

ITO BE NAMED. THE SERVICE WILL ASSIST COMMUNITIES IN

PREVENTING OR RESOLVING RACIAL DISPUTES AND TENSIONS

THE CONSTANT WILL APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS FROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE

WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM

THROUGH REASON, PERSUASION, AND CONCILIATION°

1 WHEN THE BILL IS SIGNED, I INTEND TO APPOINT A

NATION-WIDE COMMITTEE OF DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS FROM ALL

WALKS OF LIFE WHO WILL AUGMENT THE WORK OF THE

COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE. I WANT AS ITS MEMBERS

LEADING AMERICANS WHO WILL LEND THEIR INFLUENCE, THEIR

SKILL, AND THEIR TIME TO THE CRUCIAL TASK OF FOSTERING

VOLUNTARY OBSERVANCE OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE BILL.

91 I DEEPLY HOPE YOU WILL ADVISE ME BY RETURN TELEGRAM

THAT YOU WILL SERVE ON THE NATIONAL CITIZENS COMMITTEE

FOR COMMUNITY RELATIONS, WHICH WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND

TILE COMPANY WILL A APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS FROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE

WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM

1964 JUL I pm- m

'PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED ONLY AFTER FINAL PASSAGE OF THE BILL.

I IT IS CONTEMPLATED THAT AFTER THE ORGANIZATION OF

THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE THERE WILL BE A MEETING

OF THIS CITIZENS COMMITTEE AT WHICH TIME THE DIRECTIONS

OF THE OVER-ALL NATIONAL PROGRAM WILL BE FULLY SPELLED

OUT AND YOUR OWN ROLE WILL BE MORE CLEARLY DEFINED.

I URGE YOU AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN TO USE YOUR

LEADERSHIP IN THE MEANTIME TO PROMOTE A SPIRIT OF

ACCEPTANCE AND OBSERVANCE IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY AND

BUSINESS AREA

LYNDON B JOHNSON.

_sae 44

THE COMPANY WILL APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS PROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE