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7930 ROSELAND DRIVE LA JOLLA.CALIFORNIA September 8, 1966 The Honorable Ivan Allen Mayor of Atlanta City Hall Atlanta, Georgia Dear Mr. Allen: Last · night I sent you the telegram in the paragraph following. Seeing y our courage, calmness, and common sense on television made me proud that I had known your father. Stop. When last in At l anta I le arned from colored peopl.e themselves of the - esteem they still had for ·my friend and classmate, William B. Hartsfield. You both add glory to the city of Grady, Harri s, Mitchell, Woodruff, arid hundreds of thousands more great and good pe ople . Resurgens Edwa rd Des sau Clarkson My thought was tha t p erhap s my dear f r iend Bill Harts f ield cou ld gi ve valuable h elp towards maintai n ing the reputa tion and n ame of t h e c ity of . which I still con sider mysel f a citi zen in s entiment. In t h e s p r i ng of 1944 whil e I was r ecuperating from W. W. II i njur i es in an army hospit a l t he p ersuasi on c ame to me that unle s s something were done to prevent it there would be great racial t r oubl e s f ollowi ng the close of the war . I f ound that Washington, J effers on, and Linco l n had had ideas along the l ine s which I thought were original with me . That is, of patriatin g our colored population in t he land of their ori gin. I found that the late Senator Bilbo had presented idea s along this line in the u. s. Senqte. I did a great deal of Wlt'k on the matter and m.en suffic i ently re covered vis i ted Senator Bilbo at his home in Poplarville,. Mississippi. �Senator Bilbo was very anxious for me to allow parts of' my work to be pub lish ed in the congressional record, but f or various reasons I did not think it advisable at that time. However, no w I feel a compulsi on that my ~ork be available to help this situation which confr onts our nation., I know how very occupied you are at this time, hence will await your rep l y before go ing into t h e matter further. Again with congratulations on your splendid stand and efforts now I am Edward D. Clarkson P_µ/1,{/)/trr~ o ~ -cl/ A AC - ~ , Cc C i fJ k> (:; �