The Omaha guide., 1942-03-14
lot SHOWS
With
DEAN ICKENS
WON'T REPLY
TO NAACP
SMEAR
REPORT DEAN WILL DEMAND
SHOW DOWN BY BOARD

~ ~
REPORT DEAN WILL DEMAND
SHOW DOWN BY BOARD
Washington, March 10 amp
Although pressed from all sides
to make a statement in defense Of
his position, Dean William Pick
ems, for the past 80 years an Of
ficer of the NAACP, persistently
refuses to take up the cudgels in
his own behalf. Refusing to be
Interviewed on the matter in his
office here in the treasury depart
ment, where he is now assigned as
a promotion specialist, Mr.. Pick
ems says that in April when the
board meets everybody will know
his stand.
Accused by the secretary of the
lNAACP of making statements
approving segregation, the same
being published in the Amsterdam
News Star Of New York City, Mr..
Pickens is confident that when the
showdown comes, he will be vim
Dictated and it will be proven that
his article was not printed as it
was released through the Assoc
lated Negro Press For a number
of years, Mr.. Pickens has been a
valuable contributor to that organ
ization and his feature articles
have had wide spread circulation
In an original copy Of his story
discussing the situation under the
caption Fort Huachuca and the
goth Pursuit Squadron, it is in
Dictated that his words were "the
army is planning to win a war, in
spite of segregation or of those
who oppose segregation" The
printed story left out the words
in spite of segregation" which
made it appear that Mr.. Pickens
was striking at the anti-segregat-
ionists.
The original intent of the MA
ACP, it is reported, was to sum-
marily dismiss Mr.. Pickens, but
after considering the matter, it
was decided to act differently.
The board of directors, before
which the dean is scheduled to APP
pear at the April meeting is COM
prise Of AZ members from all parts
of the country. Because of the
difficulties in assembling this en-
tire group, the rules Set a quorum
at six and this gives the board an
opportunity to pass resolutions an
adopt measures with only a mai
ority voting-four votes being the
majority in the six member meet
ing.
BY virtue of this. many things
are accomplished. However at
the last meeting, ont Of the larg-
est held, IA members of the board
were present, evidently to hear
the Pickns case.
However, it has been learned
that each member Of the board
has received a letter from Dean
Pickens in which he insists that
the members have been imposed
upon-by whom I don not know"
But not until today did I rec
Give and read the mimeograOhel
matter called Pursuit Squadron,
by William Pickens" and compar-
ed It with what 1 wrote under
Fort Huachuca and 99th Pursuit
Squadron, his letter said.
The matter mimeographed,"
the letter continues, land sent TO
you is not my article. Somebody
imposed upon the mimeographers-
Compare it with my article; It is
lifted out of the first two-thirds OF
my article-when the last one
third is the most important. And
some little phrases are left out of
the two-thirds from which the
Monograph Of the NAACP was
made.
Il know this indebtedness il
not Of u NAACP, for the assoc
iation does not do that
"And I a mnot trying to change
your mind about anything, Dat
only aiming to get the truth be
fore you. If the truth makes ar
change, that is as it should be-"
When Dean Pickens was frs
mentioned as a possibility for hi:
present post with the Treasury
Continued on page E73l