[Letter from John W. Stanford to the American Civil Liberties Union, March 21, 1964] Page: 1 of 2
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1118 W. Rosewood
San Antonio, Texas 78201
March 21, 1964
American Civil Liberties Union
156 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10010
Dear Sirs:
I enclose a $6.00 contribution to the ACLU. I wish I were
able to send much more. Certainly this check is pitifully
small when compared with the ACLU's expenses in handling my
case before the 57th district court here and in appealing
the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. On the other hand,
the contribution and the ACLU's handling of my case are not
really connected. I would have sent the contribution, in
support of the ACLU's over-all defense of civil liberties,
regardless of the ACLU's position in my personal case.
As in the past, I wish to request that I not be considered
a member of the ACLU. I again make this request as a pro-
test against your statement that you welcome the support
of only those "whose devotion to civil liberties is not
qualified by adherence to Communist, Fascist, KKK, or other
totalitarian doctrine." I believe that Communists have been
among the most consistent defenders of civil liberties. I
believe that this characterization of Communism as a to-
talitarian doctrine is a misrepresentation; and at a time
in our history when the main attacks against civil liberties
are made in the name of anti-Communism, K think that this
misrepresentation hurts, rather than helps, the cause of
civil liberties. I hope the ACLU will soon reconsider its
position in this matter.
Although I am not able to make a large contribution personal-
ly, I would be able to raise some money for the ACLU should
you want me to do so. Through fund appeals I have been able
to raise several hundred dollars for the Gus Hall-Benjamin J.
Davis Defense Committee, which is handling my McCarran Act
case. However, I would not want to make any appeal for funds
for the ACLU unless you requested me to do so; and Mr.
Maury Maverick, ACLU attorney, has specifically requested
that I not make such fund appeals.
Sincerely yours,John W. Stanford, Jr.
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Stanford, John W., Jr. [Letter from John W. Stanford to the American Civil Liberties Union, March 21, 1964], letter, March 21, 1964; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1261253/m1/1/: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Private Collection of Mario Marcel Salas.