To John F. Kennedy
Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.; Anderson, William G.; Abernathy, Ralph
Date: December 17, 1961
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Genre: Letter
Topic: Albany Movement
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Arrests
Details
King, Abernathy, and Anderson urge President Kennedy to issue a second Emancipation Proclamation and to use his influence to free those arrested in Albany.1 No reply from the White House has been located. On 18 December, negotiations between Albany officials and the Albany Movement resulted in the release of King and all jailed protesters, and King left Albany later that day.2
the president
the white house
we urge you issue at once by executive order a second emancipation proclamation to free all negroes from second class citizenship. for until the government of this nation stands as forthrightly in defense of democratic principles and practices here at home and presses as enceasingly for equal rights of all americans as it does in aiding foreign nations with arms.3 ammunition and the materials of war for establishment defense of human rights beyond our shores, then an only then, can we justify the claim to world leadership in the fight against communism and tyranny. we urge you further to use every means available to release at once the hundreds of persons now in jail in albany georgia for simply seeking to exercise constitutional rights and to stand up for freedom
dr martin luther king jr
pres sclc
dr w g anderson
pres albany non-violent movement
ralph d abernathy
sec of treas sclc.
1. This telegram was likely sent from Atlanta by Abernathy, who had bailed out of the Sumter County Jail on 16 December. King had previously called for Kennedy to sign a second Emancipation Proclamation (see note 18, King, “The Negro and the American Dream,” Emancipation Day Address Delivered at Municipal Auditorium, 2 January 1961, p. 118 in this volume).
2. Following seven hours of closed-door negotiations, the Albany Movement agreed on 18 December to cease all protests in return for the immediate release of protesters on bond, an opportunity to present their demands to the Albany City Commission, and police compliance with the ICC’s ruling against segregated bus and rail terminals. King’s bond was signed by William G. Anderson (Bill Shipp, “Albany, Negroes Seal Peace; Prisoners to Go Free on Bail,” Atlanta Constitution, 19 December 1961; “Dr. King Is Freed,” New York Times, 19 December 1961). Attorney General Kennedy called Albany mayor Asa Kelley to congratulate him on reaching a settlement “under difficult conditions” (Shipp, “Albany, Negroes Seal Peace,” 19 December 1961). Before leaving Albany, King told a crowd gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church that “it wasn’t necessary” for him to remain in jail since one of his goals, the desegregation of bus terminals and train stations, had been achieved. In addition, King did not want “to stand in the way of meaningful negotiations,” by remaining in jail. King also denied rumors of a rift between SCLC and the Albany Movement leadership (Shipp, “Albany, Negroes Seal Peace,” 19 December 1961; “Dr. King Is Freed,” 19 December 1961).
3. Congress passed, with strong backing from the Kennedy administration, an expansive foreign aid program of nearly $4 billion, with $1.6 billion earmarked for military aid—several hundred million below what the administration called its “rock bottom” acceptable figure (Felix Belair, “Defense Leaders Demand Arms Aid,” New York Times, 9 June 1961; Belair, “Congress Votes Aid Compromise of $3,900,000,000,” New York Times, 27 September 1961).
Source: JFKWHCSF-MBJFK, John F. Kennedy Presidential Papers, White House Central Subject Files, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, Mass.