Dear Mr. Griffin:
The President has asked me to acknowledge your letter to him of August twentieth. He appreciates your interest in writing concerning the difficulty being experienced in respect to the integration of the public schools of Prince Edward County.
The Supreme Court decision did not, as some suppose, require the States to have public schools. It merely held that if a State or locality did operate public schools, it could not deny admission to such schools solely on the ground of race or color. While the President deplores the action of the Board of Supervisors in depriving the children of Prince Edward County of opportunity for public education, he is powerless to take any action since public education is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the States—subject only to the requirements of the United States Constitution. The President is fully sympathetic with the reasons that prompted your letter.
Sincerely,
Gerald D. Morgan
The Deputy Assistant to the President
Mr. L. Francis Griffin
President
Prince Edward County Christian Association
Farmville, Virginia
