Letter, Barrie M. White, Jr. to President Dwight D. Eisenhower Regarding Operation Statehood

3 OPERATION STATEHOOD ANCHORAGE CHAPTER P. o. BOX 407 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA THE WHITE HOUSE JUN 7 9 24 AM '54 23354 The President The White House Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. President: On behalf of the 50 Alaskans who flew to Washington at | their own expense on the Operation Statehood charter flight, and of their 15 representatives who met with you, I wish to thank you for taking time to discuss Alaska statehood with us. While we agree that Alaska and Hawaii statehood are second in importance to very few of the programs on the administration's agenda, we are very conscious of the tremendous burden you carry. You may be sure your interest in meeting with us was not lost upon all Alaskans. If our plea was couched in strong terms, we are sure you realized it was merely a measure of our intense sincerity. In turn, we came away with the strong feeling that you are in sympathy with our cause. This leads us to hope that the problems you mentioned can be solved, so that statehood may become a reality at this session of Congress. Coupled with the recent decision on segregation by the Supreme Court, I cannot conceive of any stronger record of progress by this administration in the field of human rights. Sincerely, Banich which C. Barrie M. White Jr., "pres. A Non-Partisan Association Devoted to Immediate Statehood for Alaska