White House Considers Responding to Public Letters and Petitions About Racial Violence and the Emmett Till Case (1956)

Date: January 6, 1956

Created By: Maxwell M. Raab

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, Civil Rights

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: NAID #12224530

In this January 6, 1956 memorandum, White House official Max Rabb writes to Colonel Andrew Goodpaster about the large volume of correspondence President Dwight D. Eisenhower had received concerning racial violence in the South and the Emmett Till case. Rabb reports that approximately 3,000 letters, telegrams, and cards had arrived on the subject, along with petitions containing roughly 11,000 names and addresses.

Rabb argues that the administration might be “missing the boat” if it failed to respond to this public concern. He suggests using statements from Eisenhower’s recent State of the Union Message as the basis for a constructive reply. Rather than answering the petitions, Rabb recommends responding to individual correspondence whenever possible. Because of the large number of letters, he proposes creating a standardized form letter, potentially using a facsimile of the president’s signature, to make the process manageable. The memorandum provides insight into how the Eisenhower White House considered responding to public pressure over racial violence and civil rights following the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. It also demonstrates how public correspondence could influence discussions within the White House about presidential communication on controversial national issues.