~f
-f
]. Rough minutes of a meeting called by the National Council
of Churches to discuss the Mississippi Project.
September 18, 1964
People present: Gloster Current, Jack Ginsberg, Joe Rauh, Bruce
Hansen, James Farmer, Anna Hedgeman, Al Lowenstein, Jack Pratt, Andy
Young, Robert Spike, John Morsell, Courtland Cox, and Mendy Samstein.
Spike: Meeting died to discuss ways of cooperating in Mississippi
in the future.  If possible let us try to avoid raking the coals
of the past.
Kerns:  Questions about SNCC.  Attacked by Ivanhoe Donaldson at
a panel discussion in Cleveland last niqht. Accused of not
cooperating in Summer PROJECT, OF OPPOSING DIRECT ACTION, I would
like some evaluation of the Summer Project, for instance, the role
of the Lawyers Guild.  I object to Johnny-come-latelies.  Questions
about the FDP.  All compromisers castigates as appeasers.  Problem
specifically in Jackson.  And Moses. Refused to come up and see
executive board in Jackson in July he finally came and mumbled.  He
t left a very negative impression.  NAACP nomilly part of COFO, but
joriginal purpose seems to have been subverted. Many ministers are
^   returning to the North with complaints of the NAACP for non-cooper-
.  ation.  If we are going to be partners, lets be partners. Lets s
- . settle around the table inhere we are going in 1965.  Lets determine \
"? I the extent of Cooperation.  NAACP has 1/4 million tied up in Miss.
Young: At our last meeting we expressed our frustrations with
FDP and generally. Meeting eneded up that we, whether we like it
or not, can't escape our responsibility to make our work as smooth
as possible. We don't understand each other. Must develop structure
of cooperation.  FDP, or COFO, or some other ad ho£ organization
for funneling projects into Mississippi.
In evaluating the summer project we must recognize that it ushered
us into new phase of civil rights struggle, from public accommo-
-> dations to'"^^xtl^^7^^1!f^l^^^^tm^ms^ttre  of the" economic issue,
but political change, as implied in the MSP, must preceed
economic change.  Our work in Alabama and Georgie will take cue
from Miss -- develop mass political movement.  Now we must work
to reestablish coalition we had on Saturday and Sunday in Atlantic
*7 City.  Our main concern must be to put this back together.
Spike: Mississippi is no longer a local problem.  Tension is
created between those who are moved by local considerations and
those who must heed national considerations.  Resources
and attentions have been funneled into MISSISSIPPI.  Question now
is how to funnel them without on the one hadn manipulating local
people and on the other without abdicating responsibility to
national picture. We mst come to peace, eliminate the suspicion
that exists among us. Mississippi has now become so large, it
exerts leverage on national scene: this is the problem.
Young: At Convention we had combination of moral (Hamer) and
political power (King, Farmer and Wilkins).  If this
had been maintained could have been used in election. Made vote
for Mississippi an issue. Now lost for this election.  But we must
->