[Letter from John W. Stanford, Jr. to Melvin L. Wulf, September 27, 1963] Page: 1 of 4
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1118 W* Rosewood
San Antonio, Texas 78201
September 27, 1963
Mr. Melvin L.. ulf, Legal Director
American Civil Liberties Union
156 Fifth Avenue
New York 10, New York
Dear Mr. kulft
Texas Attorney Jeneral Waggoner Carr now states, according to
Tt Hs 1UcSTQN ChRONICLE, September 27, that he intends to prose..
cute me under both the Texas Communist Control Law (Article
6889-3) and the law outlawing the Communist Party in Texas
(Article 889.3A). These are the two laws I referred to in
my recent open letter to President Kennedy. They carry a
combined penalty of up to 30 years imprisonment and f30,000
fine.
You have stated that the ACLU would be willing to refer me to
a local attorney in San Antonio if I am indicted under the
Texas Communist Control Law. Please let me know whether the
ACLU would also be willing to refer me to a local attorney in
San Antonio if I am indicted under article 6889-3A.
It does not appear likely that action under either of thee
laws will be taken in the near future, since the state attorney
general has stated that he will await the outcome of my lcCarran
Act case before proceeding. In the meantime, of course, it is
also possible that a more liberal state administration will be
elected, one that would not went to attempt enforcement of
these unconstitutional laws.
A more imminent threat to civil liberties in the state is the
possibility of hearings by the House Un-American Activities
Committee or the Sennte Internal security Sub-Committee to
investigate communism in Texas. This possibility was referred
to on radio broadcasts today. PBI informer William J. Lowery
(who testified at my McCarrnn Act hearing) stated that he did
not spend 18 years in the Communist Party to testify at just
one hearing. And Lowery is apparently laying the groundwork
for such hearings with statements to the press that the Com-
munist farty is growing in the state and that it has conducted
successful recruiting drives among college students, trade
unions, and minority groups.
I would, of course, also like to be able to be represented
by an attorney it either of these Congressional committees
held hearings in Texas. If the subject of the investigationj
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Stanford, John W., Jr. [Letter from John W. Stanford, Jr. to Melvin L. Wulf, September 27, 1963], letter, September 27, 1963; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1261392/m1/1/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Private Collection of Mario Marcel Salas.