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    "label": "Memorandum, Maxwell Rabb to Sherman Adams",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum, Maxwell Rabb to Sherman Adams",
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            "day": 12,
            "logicalDate": "1957-11-12",
            "month": 11,
            "year": 1957
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    "ocrText": "November 12, 1957\nLibrary\n241\nMEMORANDUM FOR GOVERNOR ADAMS\nDIMBER\na\nFROM: Maxwell M. Rabb\nAt the meeting of staff members held Monday morning, the following points\nwere suggested for the President's consideration in connection with his\nconference with Justice Reed at 9:00 A. M., Wednesday, regarding the Civil\nRights Commission:\n1. It was agreed that while a meeting between the President and Justice\nReed would be highly desirable at this time, the White House should\nbe careful to have Reed realize that the initiative for action rests with\nhim. The President could tell Justice Reed that he has an opportunity\nto perform a very valuable and challenging service to the United States\nand that he has his blessings.\n2. The President should express his willingness to help the Commission\nbut he should emphasize that it would not be advisable to have the\nrelationship of the White House and the Commission too closely knit\nfor fear of incurring adverse criticism from Congress and the press.\nThe White House can and should be of assistance, but it should not\nattempt to give Justice Reed a binding set of directions.\n3.\nThe most important subject to be discussed is the position of Staff\nDirector. The filling of the other staff positions is also of vital\nimportance. Mr. Rogers and I have drawn up the attached list of men\nwhich might be submitted to Justice Reed as suggested guide lines.\n4. The President should mention to Justice Reed the advisability of his\nmeeting with the Congressional leaders because the Commission bears\na considerable responsibility to this group and it would help him with the\nimplementation of the program if he would confer with them from time to\ntime.\n- 2 -\n5. While it would be advisable for the Commission to look into the Little\nRock situation and should be encouraged to do so, Justice Reed should\nnot get the impression that the White House is forcing him to take up\nthe matter. The President could point out that there is a possibility\nthat the Little Rock officials will invite him and the other members of\nthe Commission to Arkansas to consider the situation.\n6. It would be helpful if the public had an idea of the limits of Department\nof Justice jurisdiction and action. At the present time there is profound\npublic ignorance on what the Government can legitimately do, and this\nhas been a source of considerable embarrassment. The President\ncould suggest that the Commission is in a position to give the people of\nthe United States a much better idea of the manner in which the Department\nof Justice functions in Civil Rights cases.\n7. A sphere of action in which the Commission could be most helpful would\nbe the highly explosive situations (e.g. the Autherine Lucy matter and\nthe Montgomery bus boycott) . An early analysis of the problem might\nwell prevent the outbreak of violence as the result of some hothead's\nprecipitated action.\nLibrary The .9 DWIRAT\nMMR:sw"
}