Statements by President Eisenhower and Governor Orval Faubus Following Their Newport Meeting on Little Rock Crisis (1957)

Date: September 14, 1957

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Governor Orval Faubus

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Civil Rights, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: Kevin McCann Collection of Press and Radio Conferences and Press Releases, Box 20, September 1957; NAID #17366732

This document contains the official public statements issued by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus following their meeting at the U.S. Naval Base in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 14, 1957. Released by the White House through Press Secretary James C. Hagerty, the statements summarize each leader’s interpretation of their discussion concerning the enforcement of federal court orders requiring the integration of Little Rock Central High School during the Little Rock Crisis.

In his statement, President Eisenhower expresses satisfaction with Governor Faubus’s assurances that he would respect the decisions of the federal courts, maintain law and order, and cooperate with federal officials in carrying out the court’s desegregation orders. Governor Faubus likewise states that he recognizes the authority of the federal courts and affirms his intention to comply with their rulings while emphasizing the need for patience and an orderly implementation of school integration. Although the two statements project an image of cooperation and mutual understanding, events in the following days revealed that Eisenhower and Faubus held fundamentally different expectations regarding how and when the federal court’s orders would be enforced.

The meeting at Newport represented a pivotal turning point in the Little Rock Crisis. President Eisenhower initially believed he had secured Governor Faubus’s commitment to uphold the Constitution and allow the integration of Central High School to proceed peacefully. However, when violence erupted and court orders were again obstructed, Eisenhower concluded that federal intervention had become necessary, leading to the issuance of Proclamation 3204 and Executive Order 10730 later that month.