Box 8, Folder 21, Document 20

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* 6 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20410

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AUG 27 1969

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY
FOR MODEL CITIES AND GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS IN REPLY REFER TO:

Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.
Mayor of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Dear Mayor Allen:

As you know, this Administration believes that ultimate
responsibility for the Model Cities program rests with local
elected government. With the program activity increasing,
nationwide and in individual cities, attention will increas-
ingly be directed to proposed projects and their conduct.

In this connection, | would like to call your attention to
the enclosed news article from the Washington Post of

August 3, 1969. It deals with a federally funded project

at the local level which, on its face, held out considerable
promise. Unfortunately, as the report indicates, that
promise was not fulfilled. Incomplete review at the planning
stage, and insufficient monitoring during the execution phase
of the project, undoubtedly contributed to this result.

Without crippling innovation and initiative, we must all
work to avoid the kind of situation outlined in the enclosed
article. Should a similar situation arise in a project
funded under the Model Cities contract, the local government
would be held responsible in the manner detailed by the en-
closed memorandum from the HUD Office of General Counsel.


| am sure that you share our concern that all projects funded
in connection with the Model Cities program in your community
receive the most careful scrutiny possible during the planning
stage, and an equally vigilant monitoring during the execution

phase. Your continued deep interest and commitment to the

program in your community will be a crucial factor in this

regard.
Sincerely,

Bam
Robert H. Baida
Deputy Assistant Secretary, MCGR

Enclosures


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