To Julian Bond from John Britton, 5 Sept 1968, with Bond's draft response

THE CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

1527 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

------

232-4883

(AC 202)

232-7023

September 5, 1968

Mr. Julian Bond

162 Euharlee Street, S. W.

Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Julian,

I caught your show on television last week. You got pretty high Nielsen ratings in this area. Enclosed are a few clips from the Washington Post regarding your star quality.

I only caution you of one thing: the folks are using your performance at the Convention as an excuse to whitewash you and to clean you up. For a man of fairly radical philosophies like yourself, too much ink of the type in the enclosed articles can prove to be a harsh detergent. Your job as a lecturer requires that your image remain that of a radical dissident.

Since you know what our Project is about, let me know by phone very soon whether or not you think we need to interview you further, with emphasis on the events leading up to and through the Convention struggle. I would like for you to call me--collect--anyhow so I can at least have an understanding personally of what went on in the case of Georgia in general, and Leroy and Ben and Johnnie Yancey in particular. I'm told by an authoritative source that Leroy was calling the radio stations in Atlanta three times a day at his own expense to report his version of events and to ask what people were saying about him. I know this to be true of Station WAOK because a top executive there told me so.

Also, just so your list of important contacts will be current, I'll tell you that beginning Monday, September 9th, M. Carl Holman will be vice president for program development of The Urban Coalition, headed by John Gardner. The top man at the Civil Rights Commission, William Taylor, is also resigning, effective the same day Carl leaves, to become a senior fellow at Yale Law School.

You were looking good at the Convention, brother. Keep on pushing!

Oh! One more thing. WAOK might, if management takes my suggestion seriously, offer you a nightly or weekly public affairs program (for

-2-

pay) on which you can do your own thing in your own way and with your own format. Burke Johnson bought the idea. He has to convince Zenas Sears now. If it is offered and if you want such a deal, you can build a good thing for yourself.

I talked to God last night, and He's a busy Cat. Let me hear from you occasionally, too. Hang on in there.

Sincerely,

(signed)"Britt"

John Britton

Associate Director

Enclosures

Britt:

Thanks for your letter.

Things have picked up a bit since the convention - a story in Life and other good things.

But I'm trying to take it easy. I was in DC about a week ago and did talk breifly to Mr. Holman at his new job. ccdccciczcsomeiszuzd

There are many things breaking my way now, and I'm trying to take a little bit of time in sorting them out.

I haven't heard from WAOK, but then, I've had my phone off the hook since I got back from Chicago. It was a wild scene; you should have been there.

Leroy played a shaky role at the convention, but not as shaky as some others; more about that in person. There is a lot to be told, so perhaps another interview might do the trick.

Why don't you apply to:

Dr. Vincent Harding

Spelman College

Atlanta, Georgia

for a job with the new Martin Luther King, Jr. library doing what you're doing now. In fact, you ought to propose a "living record" of the King years, documented on tape, with you as director of the project and me as consultant at $500 a day.

Harding is director of the library; they will have a lot of bread/.

Keep in touch; so will I.

Bond