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12190135
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Memorandum, Maxwell Rabb to Sherman Adams
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12190135
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document
title
Memorandum, Maxwell Rabb to Sherman Adams
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Records of E. Frederic Morrow, Administrative Officer, Special Projects Group (Eisenhower Administration)
Personal Files of E. Frederic Morrow
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12190135
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12
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1957-11-12
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11
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1957
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November 12, 1957
Library
241
MEMORANDUM FOR GOVERNOR ADAMS
DIMBER
a
FROM: Maxwell M. Rabb
At the meeting of staff members held Monday morning, the following points
were suggested for the President's consideration in connection with his
conference with Justice Reed at 9:00 A. M., Wednesday, regarding the Civil
Rights Commission:
1. It was agreed that while a meeting between the President and Justice
Reed would be highly desirable at this time, the White House should
be careful to have Reed realize that the initiative for action rests with
him. The President could tell Justice Reed that he has an opportunity
to perform a very valuable and challenging service to the United States
and that he has his blessings.
2. The President should express his willingness to help the Commission
but he should emphasize that it would not be advisable to have the
relationship of the White House and the Commission too closely knit
for fear of incurring adverse criticism from Congress and the press.
The White House can and should be of assistance, but it should not
attempt to give Justice Reed a binding set of directions.
3.
The most important subject to be discussed is the position of Staff
Director. The filling of the other staff positions is also of vital
importance. Mr. Rogers and I have drawn up the attached list of men
which might be submitted to Justice Reed as suggested guide lines.
4. The President should mention to Justice Reed the advisability of his
meeting with the Congressional leaders because the Commission bears
a considerable responsibility to this group and it would help him with the
implementation of the program if he would confer with them from time to
time.
- 2 -
5. While it would be advisable for the Commission to look into the Little
Rock situation and should be encouraged to do so, Justice Reed should
not get the impression that the White House is forcing him to take up
the matter. The President could point out that there is a possibility
that the Little Rock officials will invite him and the other members of
the Commission to Arkansas to consider the situation.
6. It would be helpful if the public had an idea of the limits of Department
of Justice jurisdiction and action. At the present time there is profound
public ignorance on what the Government can legitimately do, and this
has been a source of considerable embarrassment. The President
could suggest that the Commission is in a position to give the people of
the United States a much better idea of the manner in which the Department
of Justice functions in Civil Rights cases.
7. A sphere of action in which the Commission could be most helpful would
be the highly explosive situations (e.g. the Autherine Lucy matter and
the Montgomery bus boycott) . An early analysis of the problem might
well prevent the outbreak of violence as the result of some hothead's
precipitated action.
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