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My dear Friend:
I an glad to lonow of your interest in the true facts
concerning the reburial of an American soldier.
My part in this matter was small, but I know that
you would like to have the facts concerning it.
On January 11 at 8:49 I received a wire from
the President of the GI Forum at Corpus Christi saying: "In direct
conversation, the funeral home manager, T. W. Kermedy, stated that
he would not arrange for funeral services and use of his facilities
because, he said, tother white people object to use of the funeral
home by people of Mexican origin'."
Upon receipt of this wire, I telephoned the Congressman
from the District and asked him to ascertain the facts for me if it
was possible to do so. He assured me he would place a call to certain
people in Three Rivers and give me a report. At noon that day I
discussed this with some of my colleagues in Congress and with sone
officials in the Department of the Arny charged with the responsibility
of roburial for World Var II veterans. At 5:30 that afternoon, I C hecked
again with the Congressman and found that he had been unable to re-
ceive a report from Three Rivers.
I then placed a long distance telephone call to Texas
and talked to tiro disinterested, objective persons who were familiar
with the facts. They told me (1) that the newspapers in Texas had
already carried an Associated Pross story saying, a A funeral home
at Three Rivers, has refused to allow the body of a Latin-American
soldier killed in action to enter the home because 'the whites won't
like it.' The soldier is Felix Longoria, killed in the Phillippines
in
1945. The body is en route home. T. W. Kennedy, manager of the
Rice Funeral Home told a Corpus Christi Caller-Tines reported Monday
by telephone that twe just never malce a practice of letting them
(Latin Americans) use the chapel, and we don't want to start now. llost
of then don't want the chapel service'."; and (2) they had both checked
the facts and found this to be true.
[11 of 18]
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"ocrText": "COPY\nMy dear Friend:\nI an glad to lonow of your interest in the true facts\nconcerning the reburial of an American soldier.\nMy part in this matter was small, but I know that\nyou would like to have the facts concerning it.\nOn January 11 at 8:49 I received a wire from\nthe President of the GI Forum at Corpus Christi saying: \"In direct\nconversation, the funeral home manager, T. W. Kermedy, stated that\nhe would not arrange for funeral services and use of his facilities\nbecause, he said, tother white people object to use of the funeral\nhome by people of Mexican origin'.\"\nUpon receipt of this wire, I telephoned the Congressman\nfrom the District and asked him to ascertain the facts for me if it\nwas possible to do so. He assured me he would place a call to certain\npeople in Three Rivers and give me a report. At noon that day I\ndiscussed this with some of my colleagues in Congress and with sone\nofficials in the Department of the Arny charged with the responsibility\nof roburial for World Var II veterans. At 5:30 that afternoon, I C hecked\nagain with the Congressman and found that he had been unable to re-\nceive a report from Three Rivers.\nI then placed a long distance telephone call to Texas\nand talked to tiro disinterested, objective persons who were familiar\nwith the facts. They told me (1) that the newspapers in Texas had\nalready carried an Associated Pross story saying, a A funeral home\nat Three Rivers, has refused to allow the body of a Latin-American\nsoldier killed in action to enter the home because 'the whites won't\nlike it.' The soldier is Felix Longoria, killed in the Phillippines\nin\n1945. The body is en route home. T. W. Kennedy, manager of the\nRice Funeral Home told a Corpus Christi Caller-Tines reported Monday\nby telephone that twe just never malce a practice of letting them\n(Latin Americans) use the chapel, and we don't want to start now. llost\nof then don't want the chapel service'.\"; and (2) they had both checked\nthe facts and found this to be true.\n[11 of 18]"
}