D R A F T

April 9, 1947

Mr. Allen W. Merrell Assistant to the Prosident Ford Motor Company 300 Sch&efer Road Dearborn, Mich.

Dear Mr, Merrells

Since the talk we had with you, Mr, Newsom, Mr. Erwin, and the others about two weeks ago, a number of thoughts have occurred to us in relation to the idea of a Foundation of Human Relations

Tivhioh v

Among other things, ne recall what V.r. Hewsosi said to the effect that similar ideas had been presented to you on a number of occasions in recent months. The more we have thought of this, the more significant this fact becomes. For it does seem that the need for a large scale orderly aporo'aoh to the problem of inter-group tensions has been felt by many widely separated individuals during this post-war period. In other -words, the idea has taken form spon- taneously in many minds* Distinguished men in all vmlks of life have been expressing themselves in no uncertain terms along these lines.

As Eric Johnson has put it: "Viewed from the narrowest vantage point of the nation's well-being, quite aside from human and moral consid- erations, the growth of doctrines of race and group hatreds represents

HERBtRI n. LEHMAN PAPEi S N. Y. PUBLIC LIBRARY COllFCTlON -2- a major economic throat." Lee Bristol of Bristol-Myers has only re- cently organized a committee of the Advertising Council devoted to cor.bfcitting inter-group tensions• Thomas Llorgan of the Sperry Gyroscope

ComD&ny has assumed the chairmanship of the Negro College Fund.

The following are only a few additional names v.hich cone to mind in this cormeotion:

Business and Industry

Ytelter S. Gifford, President of American Tel. & Tel.j

H« J« Heinz, Jr», of H* J» Heinz Products; Paul G. Hoffman,

of Studebaker Corporation; Thomas H« Lamont; Fowler MoCormick;

Beardsley Kuml; Philip D« Reed and C« B« Wilson of General

Electric; Nelson Rockefeller; Spyros Skouras of Twentieth

Century Fox; Thomas J« Watson of International Business

Machines; Mar shall Field; Lee DeForost ;scsjt Philo T«

Farnsworth of Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation*

Educators

President Conant of Harvard; Carl T« Compton of M.I.T.j

Clarence Dykstra of University of Wisconsin; George H«

Shuster, President of Hunter College; "William Allen

Nielson of Smith College; Harold Dodds, President of

Princeton; Robert G» Sproul, Ifaiversity of California.

Public Figures, Journalists, etc.

Governor Dewey of Yen York; Governor Sigler of Michigan;

Charles Evans Hughes; John Foster Dulles; John G# Tdnant;

Yu V.« Waymack of the Atomic Energy Commission; Niles Trammel, President of NBC; Edward Kobak, President

of Mutual Broadoasting; Edward J« Noble, American Broad-

oasting System; Roy Howard; Gardner Copies; Senator

Saltonstall at Large of Massachusetts; Senators Vandenberg

and Ferguson of Michigan; Senator Taft of Ohio; Senator

Capper of Kansas; Senator Thomas of Utah; and Senator

Tobey of New Hampshire.

This spontaneity with which the idea of combatting inter-group tensions is being proposed serves to emphasize another point, namely, that v-hatever is done alonr these lines should be such as to enlist the suooort of all groups in nerican life. It should not bs the

concern of any special group alone, certainly no one of the so-called minority groups*

This means, it seems to us, that no Dart of the program should be channeled through &ny of the existing; religious or racial organiza- tions, our own included. A real job can be done only by a nev/ly formed

organization, or perhaps by a number of new organizations, conceiving

of the problem in the broadest terms and capable of presenting it to the American people with the maximum impartiality and effectiveness.

You may be interested to know that, since our meeting, we have

discussed the matter with Governor Lehman, and that he responded most

enthusiastically to the possibilities involved in the entire project.

The thought has thus occurred to us 'jhfct it Bight be extremely useful

if he and Mr. Ford could discuss this matter at greater length, together with as many of those present at our last meeting as you night wish.

Perhaps you -will drop me a line as to your reaction to" tjhli ;Ldea» . .. ,, NY P Cordially yours.