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From Richard Nixon to Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957 June 15

 undefined — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1_1_0_34770

Scope and Contents of the Subseries

From the Series:

The subseries contains correspondence between Martin Luther King, Jr. and various individuals and organizations from 1950 to 1968. There are letters, telegrams, greeting cards, carbon copies, postcards, invitations, and hate mail. The correspondence is primarily professional often accompanied by enclosures, with few personal letters. Among the topics discussed are civil rights, discrimination, SCLC activities, politics, equal employment, education, housing, passive resistance, poverty, religion, riots, voter registration, the Vietnam War, and other social issues. There are also requests for speeches, information, visits, assistance, critiques of other writers, autographs, reprints of his work, and other invitations. Some letters praise King’s activities, offer encouragement, convey donations, and congratulate him on the Nobel Prize while others are critical of his positions or overtly hostile. In the outgoing correspondence, there are both carbon copies and handwritten drafts of letter from King and his secretaries. The subjects discussed in these communications include thanks for contributions, responses to requests, non-violence, status of the movement, fundraising appeals, his stance on the war in Vietnam, and personal messages.

Within this portion of the subseries, there is correspondence with civil rights leaders, academics, and prominent politicians. Correspondents include Thurgood Marshall, Benjamin E. Mays, Floyd B. McKissick, James Meredith, George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Daniel P. Moynihan, President Richard M. Nixon, William Stuart Nelson, Adam Clayton Powell, A. Philip Randolph, Jackie Robinson, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Bayard Rustin. These papers discuss Dr. King’s work, discrimination, the civil rights movement, government policies, and the activities of various organizations. In addition, there is correspondence with literary agent Maria F. Rodell and editor Hermine Popper about King’s early books.

Many of the items in this subseries have annotations written on them, presumably by King’s secretaries. There are terms indicating the topic of the correspondence, stamps indicating the date of receipt, directions on how to respond, shorthand passages, underlining, circles, check marks, and numbers. These annotations are written in an unknown hand unless otherwise noted in the item description. There are some instances where King himself wrote instructions on the letters and they are described accordingly. In addition, notes about a letter’s content were occasional attached by the staff as well.

Dates

  • Creation: 1957 June 15

Language of Materials

From the Series:

Materials are in English,French, German, and Spanish.

Physical Description

typed letter signed, 1p with enclosures "Report by the Vice President of the United States", 1953 December 23, printed document, 6pp, "Delaware Hears Nixon Fight Bias", 1954 October 1, photocopy of newspaper clipping, 1p, "Excerpts from Remarks of the Vice President of the United States Before the Twelfth Annual Capital Press Club Dinner", 1955 May 19, carbon copy, 3pp, "Excerpts from Address of the Vice President of the United States Before the Global News Syndicate Press Awards Dinner", 1955 June 24, printed document, 2pp, "NAACP", 1955 June 26, carbon copy, 3pp, "Remarks of the Vice President of the United States Before Baptist Home Mission Conference, Ridgecrest Assembly Presbyterian Men's Council, Synod of Appalachia, Tontrat Methodist Summer Assembly", 1956 August 5, printed document with annotation, 9pp, "Acceptance Address of the Vice President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, at the Republican National Convention", 1965 August 23, leaflet with annotations, 4pp, "Text of Address by Vice President Richard M. Nixon, Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner", 1965 October 18, printed document, 6pp, "In The Cause of Peace and Freedom: Address by Vice President Nixon", 1956 December 6, pamphlet with annotations, 15pp, "Remarks of the Vice President of the United States at the Joint Defense Appeal of the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith", 1957 April 30, printed document with annotations, 8pp, "Address of the Vice President of the United States before the Sixty-Sixth Annual Convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs", 1957 June 5, printed document with annotations, 5pp, and "Address of the Vice President of the United States at the Ninety-Ninth Annual Commencement Michigan State University", 1957 June 9, printed document, 9pp

Restrictions on Access

Access is restricted to digital surrogates available in Archives and Special Collections Department of the Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Extent

From the Series: 8.5 Linear feet

Physical Description

typed letter signed, 1p with enclosures "Report by the Vice President of the United States", 1953 December 23, printed document, 6pp, "Delaware Hears Nixon Fight Bias", 1954 October 1, photocopy of newspaper clipping, 1p, "Excerpts from Remarks of the Vice President of the United States Before the Twelfth Annual Capital Press Club Dinner", 1955 May 19, carbon copy, 3pp, "Excerpts from Address of the Vice President of the United States Before the Global News Syndicate Press Awards Dinner", 1955 June 24, printed document, 2pp, "NAACP", 1955 June 26, carbon copy, 3pp, "Remarks of the Vice President of the United States Before Baptist Home Mission Conference, Ridgecrest Assembly Presbyterian Men's Council, Synod of Appalachia, Tontrat Methodist Summer Assembly", 1956 August 5, printed document with annotation, 9pp, "Acceptance Address of the Vice President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, at the Republican National Convention", 1965 August 23, leaflet with annotations, 4pp, "Text of Address by Vice President Richard M. Nixon, Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner", 1965 October 18, printed document, 6pp, "In The Cause of Peace and Freedom: Address by Vice President Nixon", 1956 December 6, pamphlet with annotations, 15pp, "Remarks of the Vice President of the United States at the Joint Defense Appeal of the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith", 1957 April 30, printed document with annotations, 8pp, "Address of the Vice President of the United States before the Sixty-Sixth Annual Convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs", 1957 June 5, printed document with annotations, 5pp, and "Address of the Vice President of the United States at the Ninety-Ninth Annual Commencement Michigan State University", 1957 June 9, printed document, 9pp

Repository Details

Part of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. Repository

Contact:

404-978-2052
404-978-2109 (Fax)