Details
KING, Martin Luther, Jr. Typed letter signed ("Martin"), to literary agent Marie Rodell, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, 30 November 1960. 1 page, 4to, on King's personal stationery.
A CONTROVERSY OVER THE N.A.A.C.P. AND KING'S "MORAL OBLIGATION TO PRESERVE A PUBLIC IMAGE OF UNITY IN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL WORK"
King responds candidly to a proposal that he co-author an article with a recent vocal critic of the N.A.A.C.P.: "....I am quite interested in the article proposed by CORONET magazine...it could serve a real purpose. However, there is one little problem...It grows out of the person that CORONET has chosen to assist in writing the article. Some months ago Mr. Louis Lomax wrote an article for HARPERS magazine strongly criticising the N.A.A.C.P. As you can well imagine, this brought about a great uproar from N.A.A.C.P. officials. Actually, the article aroused the ire of N.A.A.C.P. supporters probably more than anything in recent years. While I privately agreed with many things that Mr. Lomax said in the article, I feel a moral obligation to preserve a public image of unity in our organizational work."
"I am afraid that my writing an article with Mr. Lomax will be construed by N.A.A.C.P. officials as an endorsement of his views. Consequently, I do not think it will be judicious to undertake the project at this time. I might say, however, I will be more than happy to do the article with someone else. Or, as an alternative, I would be happy to take a few days off during the Christmas holidays to write it myself..."
A CONTROVERSY OVER THE N.A.A.C.P. AND KING'S "MORAL OBLIGATION TO PRESERVE A PUBLIC IMAGE OF UNITY IN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL WORK"
King responds candidly to a proposal that he co-author an article with a recent vocal critic of the N.A.A.C.P.: "....I am quite interested in the article proposed by CORONET magazine...it could serve a real purpose. However, there is one little problem...It grows out of the person that CORONET has chosen to assist in writing the article. Some months ago Mr. Louis Lomax wrote an article for HARPERS magazine strongly criticising the N.A.A.C.P. As you can well imagine, this brought about a great uproar from N.A.A.C.P. officials. Actually, the article aroused the ire of N.A.A.C.P. supporters probably more than anything in recent years. While I privately agreed with many things that Mr. Lomax said in the article, I feel a moral obligation to preserve a public image of unity in our organizational work."
"I am afraid that my writing an article with Mr. Lomax will be construed by N.A.A.C.P. officials as an endorsement of his views. Consequently, I do not think it will be judicious to undertake the project at this time. I might say, however, I will be more than happy to do the article with someone else. Or, as an alternative, I would be happy to take a few days off during the Christmas holidays to write it myself..."