Telegram from Governor George C. Wallace to President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C.
In the message Wallace asks the president why he plans to send federal troops to handle the violent situation in Birmingham. He insists that local government officials and state troops have the matter under control, and he suggests that federal involvement would be both unconstitutional and insultin...
| Format: | Electronic |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History
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| Online Access: | http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2954 |
| Summary: | In the message Wallace asks the president why he plans to send federal troops to handle the violent situation in Birmingham. He insists that local government officials and state troops have the matter under control, and he suggests that federal involvement would be both unconstitutional and insulting: "Your complete bypassing of state officials is an affront to me as governor, as well as to people of the state of Alabama. We have sufficient state and local forces to handle the situation and law and order will be maintained. In my judgment your statement has tended to aggravate and inflame the existing situation rather than to alleviate the same as we have done. I respectfully ask you to conform to the constitution of the United States in this matter and leave it to state and local governments." |
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