President Eisenhower's Handwritten Notes During the Little Rock Crisis (1957)

Date: September, 1957

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Civil Rights, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Papers as President, Administration Series, Box 23, Little Rock, Arkansas (2)

This document consists of handwritten notes prepared by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Little Rock Crisis in September 1957. Written on White House stationery and marked with the President’s initials (“DDE”), the notes are undated but are believed to have been written on or shortly before September 24, 1957, when Eisenhower ordered federal troops to enforce the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The notes provide a rare glimpse into Eisenhower’s personal decision-making process as he considered whether to deploy the U.S. Army during one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Rather than presenting a formal policy statement, the document captures the President weighing competing constitutional principles, the responsibilities of the federal government, and the consequences of the choices before him.

A complete transcription accompanies the handwritten notes to improve readability. The transcription preserves the original formatting as closely as possible, including words that were underlined, crossed out, or otherwise edited by President Eisenhower.

Transcription

“Troops—not to enforce integration but to prevent [violent] opposition by violence to orders of a court.

In Arkansas. Governor ordered out troops, armed & equipped and patrolling, maintained by Fed. Government until instructions [orders] to prevent execution of a plan performed by School Board, approved by Fed. Judge.

President can stand in the face of organized & totally {unknown word} opposition to the entire court system {unknown word} (meaning destruction of our form of govt.) or he can carry out his oath of office.