- Collection:
- Land of (Unequal) Opportunity: Documenting the Civil Rights Struggle in Arkansas
- Title:
- Herbert L. Thomas Explains Arkansas Plan to Daisy Bates
- Publisher:
- Fayetteville, Ark. : University of Arkansas Libraries
- Date of Original:
- 1958-04-28
- Subject:
- African Americans--Arkansas
Civil rights--Arkansas
Race discrimination--Arkansas
Segregation--Arkansas - Location:
- United States, Arkansas, 34.75037, -92.50044
- Medium:
- documents (object genre)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Herbert L. Thomas writes long letter to Mrs. L.C. (Daisy) Bates highlighting points of contention between over The Arkansas Plan
Racism -- Desegregation -- Integration -- Little Rock Central High School -- African-Americans -- Blacks -- Little Rock (Ark.) -- Little Rock -- Pulaski
Mrs. L.C. Bates -3- April 28, 1958 I didn’t believe it. I had talked to numerous Negro leaders. A few I had known personally and held in high regard. Others I had never met before; but I had heard of them as people of character and understanding. Not one with whom I talked failed to endorse my pro- posal in principle. Of course, there were some differences of opinion, both as to content of the proposal and as to the suggested procedure, but those points of difference were not so great but that we could have sat down together and talked the whole matter through to a solution. The solution probably would have differed in a number of respects from The exact form of my plan, but it would have been a workable solution Behind which we could have all joined. But when I went back to those same Negro leaders for further discussion and advice, their whole demeanor had changed. They were aloof. They would express no opinion. Some were as men afraid. Then I began to wonder. Were the rumors correct? It is true that individual Negroes are not free to express their own opinions? Is the principle of democracy which the Negro race is claiming for its people, and for which it has professedly longed for so many generations, smothered with- in the affairs of the race? I went to that meeting with you, and the few other represent- atives of both races, with considerable eagerness. I wanted to get from you some promise, some hint, that we would be able to work together toward a solution of the problem. A surprisingly great amount of my life has been spent at the conference table, both in business and in public affairs. I long ago learned to listen- to every work, to every phrase, to every viewpoint. I could not afford to misunderstand or to misinterpret what was said. And throughout my conference with you I listened intently, but not one syllable of encouragement came from you, even though I had hoped to hear such encouragement. I gained a very definite impression from you in that meeting, and since that time nothing has been said or done to cause me to doubt the corrections of my impression. I gainedthe impression that it is your firm intention to ride the Federal courts and the strength of the Federal government for every advantage which you now think you will be able to gain from them, regardless of the bitterness, the heartbreaks, the tragic sufferings which may well follow both races in the wake of such tactics. I believe it is an indisputable fact that at that small meet- ing which you and I attended not one suggestion which would have called for any compromise on the part of the Negro race received discussion. One suggestion was advanced to the effect that the Negro pupils now in Central High School be permitted to remain until graduation, but that others would not be enrolled. That suggestion was vetoes without dis- cussion. I passed along a suggestion – not an original one with me but one which had been suggested to me by a Negro leader – that possibly - Metadata URL:
- http://digitalcollections.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/1270
- IIIF manifest:
- https://digitalcollections.uark.edu/iiif/2/Civilrights:1270/manifest.json
- Additional Rights Information:
- Please contact Special Collections for information on copyright.
- Contributing Institution:
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Libraries
- Rights:
-
