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| . “jan asl, Highlander Defended At Meeting BY RALPH GRIFFITH Those who attack Highlander Research Center are destroying themselves, for Highlander is jdeing nothing more than speak- ipg’out for Negroes, Rev, Frank AGordon said last night. “Mr. Gordon, pastor of Shiloh .|Presbyterian Churth and for- mer state president of NAACP, 1 {warned that Knoxville could be-[ come another Atlanta, Harle or Waits" unless Negroes g Jeconomic equality. ‘ He was on a panel of four aj)’ a meeting booked as one © | ‘Freedom of Speech in Knox- ville and the Highlander Cen-j, ter.” About 300 attended the meeting, which had to be switched from the American Red Cross Chapter House to Hotel Andrew Johnson when Red Cross officials decided the meet- ing was controversial. Serving on the panel with Mr. Gordon were Dr. Seti, French professor at Uhiversity of the South, Dr. Forres cey : of the University of Tennessee Law School, Lewin, TVA economist, and Dr. Frege¥en- djtti, associate professor in the — Le eesemettll * Continued on Page 2, Col. 8 DATE is 4__BY ire TEIEWAT Highlander Defended =|: College of paveation at UT, was moderator. f7 Al, VERGTY Oo, While the meeting hh Loe ry race Se the community, much of the/¢ time was spent castigating The|4 Knoxville Journal for the ar-|t ticles it has published about the): ‘center. a : Myt@horton, Highlander]: ‘lfounder who was in fhe audi- Jence, charged that in The Jour- nal articles there is “never alt conclusion and never a word of |t truth.” ; During a question and answer \ session foliowing the reading of ] \tprepared statements by all but Mr. Gordon, the panelists were asked from the audience if they were Communists. ‘1 Mr. Gordon, Dr. Lacey and]. Sinclair said they were not Com-|- _lmunists. Dr. Bates said he first _|went to Highlander when it was -|at Monteagle hoping to meet & ,/Communist so they could ex- Lichange ideas, “I was disap >|pointed when I went fo High- tllander and didn't find a Com- munist, I am not a Commu- | 1! | FBI ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN JS UNCLASSIFIED fad billed to explain Highlander tol, i NOT IMYUNmem Joh kridge, a Knoxville lawyér, said he had heard the es words libelous and slanderous used in connection with The Journal's treatment of High- lander. He ssid he knew The Journal was not immune to the laws of Tennessee and asked if these charges were true why hadn't the newspaper been sued. such a way you can sue,"’ Mr. Gordon answered. Dr. Bates gave @ history of Highlander, Dr. Lacey gave his version of what is meant by freedom of speech and Sinclair ‘ttold of the troubles Highlander ) | has had through the years. Dr. Bates said that Highland- er had been cleared by the Fed- era] Bureau of Investigation, but during the question and answer session he conceded that the FBI does not clear or core mn questionable organiz “The papers never say it in ns. ‘EFENSE But it was Mr. Gordon who came the closest to talking about what he believes the cen- ter accomplishes, . “Tt teaches us how to organ- ize and get ready,” he said. “We are going to stick with those who try to free us. Ask those who castigate Highlander if they are willing for a Negro to buy a home next to theirs. “We are not against any ar- ganization which seeks to raise the Negro from slavery to free- dom,” he said. ‘It teaches Ne- groes how to read and write so they can vote. © .’ “Negroes don’t believe any- thing is Communist unless the gays 60," be shimmer te -——s eo parry \