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visit rapped By JACK NELSON Undersecretary of State Dear Acheson first function would rey negregationist: sen- _ ” Phe Les Angeles Times mentioned the European recovery program. timent. Pas WASHING TON—Mississippi civil rights that a bit later was unfolded by Secretary of After irst protested, M vis, Jeaders Thursday launched @ campaign for a. State George C. Marshal] and became known — Jr. of Indianola council president, e him es the Marshall plan. In his book, ‘Present “Fietter saying that if the council's meeting is at the Creation” Acheson wrote af the Delta all-white “It will be only because no Negroes Council meeting: want to attend. Atour annual meetings in the “Once a year the Delta Council meets on pest Negroes have attended and at no time the tree-shaded lawn of the teachers college were they denied admittance. . .The Delta at Cleveland, bringing families andrelatives Council bas never had any restriction on with them to discuss their own area’s in) Negro membership.” terests and problems and to hear about the A spokesman for Mitchell sald the attorne great world to which historically their general, after receiving # copy of Lewit products have gone. Those most im- letter, decided the council was not racial], mediately concerned listen to the speaker in exclusive. the large gymnasium of the college. His - ‘A former council official who has been | massive demonstration to protest a scheduled speech by Atty. Gen. John Mit- ebell to the Delta Council—the epitome of the state's upper-crust white society. Aaron E. Henry, Mississippi NAACP president said he bad failed ir quiet efforts to persuade Mitchell not ‘o address the Chamber of Commercetype organization, which Henry branded “segregationist and racist.” . . A spokesman for the atiorney general sald Mitchell does not consider the organization words are carried to many more thousands on the surrounding lawn while they eat sandwiches, drink pop, and keep an eye on the sleeping children. The scene.is an easy- going, good-natured, shirt-sleeved, thoroughly American one. . & be reacially exclusive and plans to make the speech at its annual meeting on May 19 in - Geveland, Miss. ta Jetters mailed to other civil rights figures Thursday, Henry accused some Delta Council members of supporting thwart school By the 1960s, however, the heat ‘generated by the civil rights movement persuaded pational politicians that the scene might not ao easy-going and they stopped ad- dressing the council. One of the last invited — was Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman. A former council official recalled that “Freeman was supposed to come at about the time the freedom rides started and he suddenly decided be had to inspect the cranberry, crop somewhere and couldn’t- come.” For more than two months Henry, a jong- time civil rights leader, tried te convince Mitchell that lending the of the _sttorney general's office to the Deita Council | emurch and civil rights Jeaders, as well as some political leaders, to convene in Cleveland on May 18 and 19 “for a demon- stration of civil. disobedience against Mr. Mitchell's * For years sationa) “political figures : to speak at the te Por member for more than 20 years told the Lo Angeles Times, “T’ve never seen a black face in the audience at one of our mecting Negroes are not excluded by the by-laws, b they aren't included as members. It's ju Bike Jews are not excluded by our count: club's by-laws, but they're not admitted . members." Council President Lewis, who is Jewisr said in an interview that be financia™ @ private school at Indianola. said he also has supported public school ” He said he does not know how many of | W-eounty council's 4,000 members i Negroes “because our membership ca don't show race, but-1 recognize one or (: pames as friends of mine who are Negror “I can say uncategorically J have s fhem quite a few times at the meetin, Lewis said. “I. can't recall whether I saw the last year or the year before, but I pld by people I know that they saw some