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Afice of the Bepaty Attorney General oo February 19, 1951 Wr. Myles Horton Os Do Director, Highlander Folk Schook © = 0° tye Vonteagle, Tennessee Ste : My dear Mr. Hortont sit , - _ a Bink Pe ae This will acknowledge your letter of Jamary 81, 1951, ae! dressed to the Attorney General, requesting advice about @ probe -‘ lem growing out of the attendance of negroes at the Highlender | nA Folk Schoole You advise that the Highlander Executive Council - members are disturbed by the exchange of correspondence with Er. Hugh H. Clegg, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Ine” vestigation, and comment that if agents can deny what they have ©:. ee said, they can likewise report things they have not been tolde aint 2 You quote-a motion which was made by Miss Lucy Randolph Mason, -)“."': = which provides that the Highlander Director shall speak for the staff and shall ask that all questions posed by any Fat agente ps be put in writing and shall make his replies in writing prow) S84 vided legal counsel] advises this action. You then request the 14 -; Attorney General's advice as to the legality of the council's I “ proposal that interviews be carried on in writings §». 9 =f. 4 he ih * * ~ I should first porns to you that the Attorney General **,) is authorized by law to give,wtvice only to the President of the |“; United States and to the various Departaent heads, in view of (© 2 which I regret that the Department cannot advise you regarding - the legal situation involwed. It occurs to me, however, that 4 there should normally be no serious objection to having Special | Agents contact the Highlander Director when desiring information | from the staff of the school as contemplated by the motion quoted : in your letter. Furthermore, I would suppose that written re- - * plies to questions, either in the form of stencgraphic recording ©. of the questions and answers, or in the form of affidavite, would be quite satisfactory. I believe that you will find the agents =<): quite willing to accede to your desires in this respect. a Yours ‘sincerely, Peyton Ford Depoty Attorney General