Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1

AF files, lot 58 D 459, “Memoranda 1953”

Memorandum by the Director, Office of African Affairs (Utter), to the Chief of Protocol (Simmons)¹

[Washington,] September 4, 1953.

[Subject:]

• Recommendations for White House Reply to Mr. A. Philip Randolph.

Reference:

• Memorandum from S/S–PR of September 3, 1953 attaching White House Correspondence.

In his letter to the President dated July 9, 1953, enclosed with the attached White House correspondence,² Mr. Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, suggests that the President receive himself, Representative Adam Clayton Powell of New York and three other leading Negro American citizens prior to the holding of the Bermuda Conference to discuss what the United States can do with regard to the problems in Africa and more particularly with regard to the racial situation in Kenya and the Union of South Africa. At the time Mr. Randolph wrote his letter his understanding was that although the Bermuda Conference had been postponed it would take place at some future time.

It is the view of AF that the ideas of Mr. Randolph and his associates insofar as they can be understood from this (and a previous letter to the President dated June 17, 1953, to which the attached reply was sent by the Department on July 28, 1953)³ do not accord in a number of important respects with the Department’s understanding of the complex of factors underlying these issues. AF is, however, fully aware that he and his associates are influential citizens whom it is desirable not to offend.

It is, therefore, recommended that a reply to Mr. Randolph’s suggestion be along the following lines: (1) There is no present expectation that the Bermuda Conference will be held or that there will be a meeting involving the same principals at some other place; (2) the attitude of the United States towards African issues is under continuing review by the Department of State and, from time to time, is made public as, for example, by the United States Delegation to the United Nations whenever African problems are under consideration by the United Nations; (3) the President appreciates Mr. Randolph’s interest with regard to African affairs and hopes that Mr. Randolph will feel free to express his views to the appropriate officers of the Department of State should the occasion arise in the future.

1. This memorandum, drafted by Feld (AF) and presumably cleared by phone in the Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs, was sent through the Director, Executive Secretariat, Scott. The source text is a carbon copy with no identifying marks to confirm that it was actually sent to Simmons.
2. Neither Randolph’s letter of July 9, 1953, nor the attached White House correspondence, nor the memorandum of Sept. 3, 1953 from the Protocol Staff (S/S–PR) was attached to the source text and none has been found in Department of State files.
3. For Randolph’s letter of June 17, 1953, see p. 43; the text of Deputy Assistant Secretary Jernegan’s letter of reply of July 28 is presented in footnote 1, thereto.