Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Walter White, Director of NAACP, March 10, 1936

President Roosevelt’s wife was supportive of the growing campaign to pass federal anti-lynching legislation. In this letter, she acknowledges President Roosevelt’s lack of support and suggests other strategies. FDR was concerned that pressing for a bill such as Costigan-Wagner would decrease the chances of his New Deal legislative agenda passing Congress.

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

March 19, 1936

My dear Mr. White:

Before I received your letter today I had been in to the President, talking to him about your letter enclosing that of the Attorney general. I told him that it seemed rather terrible that one could get nothing done and that I did not blame you in the least for feeling there was no interest in this very serious question. I asked him if there were any possibility of getting even one step taken, and he said the difficulty is that it is unconstitutional apparently for the Federal Government to step in in the lynching situation. The Government has only been allowed to do anything about kidnapping because of its interstate aspect, and even that has not as yet been appealed so they are not sure that it will be declared constitutional.

The President feels that lynching is a question of education in the states, rallying good citizens, and creating public opinion so that the localities themselves will wipe it out. However, if it were done by a Northerner, it will have an antagonistic effect. I will talk to him again about the Van Nuys resolution and will try to talk also to Senator Byrnes and get his point of view. I am deeply troubled about the whole situation as it seems to be a terrible thing to stand by and let it continue and feel that one cannot speak out as to his feeling. I think your next step would be to talk to the more prominent members of the Senate.

Very sincerely yours,

Eleanor Roosevelt

Source: www.assumption.edu/acad/ii/Academic/history/Hi113net/ERphotocopy.html. (Document 5.10.10)