◆ SpookStack

+ aca, yee eS mi be eee Ne ) | “ ve aneeen min oes eens a D.3 PEAKASIE, PENNSYLVANIA August 2, 1950 os Mrs. Adria Beaver Lynron Vice President and Director Washington School for Secretaries, Inc. 1346 F Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. Dear Mrs. Lynham: ’ This is a personal letter which I am writing to a few leading persons and groups in our Capital, asking for honest advice. . . I have lived most of my life in Asia and I know those peoples well. I know that with them acts rather than words are believed. Somehow or other they must now, and soon, be persuaded to believe that democracy, our way of life, has reality for them as well as for us. They will not be persuaded by the Voice of America alone, however much money we spend upon it. They are themselves past masters in words and talk, fer better at it than we are. If the Voice of America is to be of sufficient value to us, it must be accompanied by some visible and determined act of human equality. I know, from years of experience, that what the peoples of Asia distrust most in our democracy is our racial prejudice. They know all about it, and very recently, because their representatives in Washington tell them about it. Some of these representatives are dark-skinned and have themselves had unpleasant experiences. I know that it is not possible to change quickly the racial situation in the South. This is improving — Slowly and will doubtless continue to do so. But in Washington, the Capital of our nation, I would like to ask if in your opinion it would be possible for leading persons, and groups, to break the racial segregation pettern by declaring that they will follow it no more, and acting upon the declaration forthwith. This act, performed by American citizens, would have great significance abroad in the very areas where our men are fighting and in other areas where they may have to fight. It would be the sort of propaganda that really In India something of the sort was done, when the “se, — PRG uy 62-0 Gis - iy | GG=G= LSI = 18> ae ee ep cee es ame mes te ene eee eee cae me ee ean ee a