June 10, 1963 - President Kennedy appealed to Governor George Wallace today to stay away from the campus of the University of Alabama. In a sternly worded telegram, the President said the Alabama Governor’s plan to physically bar the admission of two Negro students to the University of Alabama tomorrow was “the only announced threat to orderly compliance with the law.” President Kennedy’s telegram noted that the Governor’s plan would be “in defiance of the order of the Alabama Federal District Court and in violation of accepted standards of public conduct.” Governor Wallace replied almost immediately. HIs telegram from Tuscaloosa, Ala., read: “My presence here guarantees peace. This is the opinion of all here familiar with the facts, including the Legislature of Alabama and the president of the University.”
Comments