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Dear Mayor Allen, I just want to send along my apology for the actions of a few hoodlums in your cit, y]the other night and to let you know their thinking is not the thinking of respectable citizens, Negro and White, in Atlanta or elsewher e. I for one, sincerely hope this incident wil l not dim your si ghts for Equality , nor reduce your efforts to make Atlanta the grea t city it can become. I'm certain t he Good Will Committee hastily organized, is an indication of the strong desire of Atlantans to hel p you. I've be en in at least thirty major South ern cities i n the past four years and none, absolutely none, ha s yet reached the climate of good will t hat exists in Atlanta. The neares t in spirit and cooperation to Atlanta that I found, was Roanoke, Virginia. You may not remember me but in 1961 the late Trezzvant Anderson, Reporter f or the Pittsburgh Couri er , introduced you to me and we chatted at your Mayoral headquqrter s for al most an hour. I recall so well you saying •••• "A few y ea rs a go I was an avowed s egregationist but I know now, tha t we must get on with the job of building a gr eater Atlanta, a grea ter Georgi a , a grea ter Southland, and t hus, a grea ter America." Henry Aaron of your bas6ball team, is a go od friend of mine, and h e ha s said many nice t hings abou t you and your efforts to bring about equality fo r all people in the city. I also know you have been forced to bear considerable abuse, a s has Ral ph McGill and others , for your policy in this r egard but you hav e held your ground. Plea se don 't count t his as f lattery, I just want you to know you have t .ou sands of fri ends a cro ss the coun try who appr eciat e what you have done i n r ecent years . Moreover, we woul d not like to s ee you become discouraged . I hav e been wi t h t he American Broad cas t ing Company, stationed a t the Unived Nation s , since 1962 but this l etter is sent on a personal ba sis. Maybe one of these days we can ar range an i nt erview to tal k abou t the Winds of Change " in At lanta. Good luck . I counted the l ate Br anch Ri ckey a s a good friend and was privileged to tal k with him many t i mes i n the f ities when he r es i ded in Pitts burgh. He gave me a copy of Frank Tannenbaum ' s book entitled "Citi zen and Slave " and on t he l as t pa ge , in the l a st chap ter he under s cored the words •• "We shal l some day l ook ba ck and wonder what the is sues were all about". Thi s I bel ieve be cau s e t here are Ivan Al lens , Ral ph McGi l ls, Marlin Brandos, Burt Lanca sters , Shelley Winters, Governor Scranton s , and t : ous ands who believe that "God hath made of one blo od all na tions of menand we are Hi s children, brothers and sisters al l ." Si n c erel ~ R- ~ Mal vi n R. Go ode 80 Howl and Avenue Teaneck, New Jers ey �