Evening star., 1949-08-04
WenderCharqes
Inferior Delays
Accord on Pools
Letter to Krug
Cites Protests Over
Anucostiu Closing

been blamed py Harry .. WenQer
president of the District Recrea'
tion Board, for the lack Of prog
ress" in settling the unsettled
swimming pool situation here
which has kept the Anacostia poo
closed during the hottest spell O.
the year.
In letter to Interior Secretary
Krug yesterday Mr.. Wender notee
the numerous protests over tn,
closing of Anacostia pool, aftel
racial disturbances there. He sale
the Recreation Board Is ready tt
talk at any time the Interior De.
partment presents a proposal II
accordance with the first offe!
made by Mr.. Krug on July /.
Mr.. Wender said Mr.. Krug a
that time stated the Interior De.
partment was ready to turn ovel
operation of all recreation facili.
ties in the city controlled by In.
terror if the Recreation Boart
would change its bylaws, which
forbid a nonsegregated play pro.
gram.
1t was also at that time that Mr.
Krug closed the AnacoStia poo
indefinitely. Although the six In.
terror Department public swim.
ming pools have been unsegre-
gated theoretically for severa
years, Anacostia was used only by
white people until then.
Colored Take Over Mckinley.
Mckinley pool now is used al
most exclusively by colored peo.
pie, although it was considered 6
white pool until late in June.
Mr.. Vendors lengthy letter was
partly a response to press re-
lease of Tuesday, put out by A. E
Demaray, associate director of the
Interiors National Park Service
in which Mr.. Demaray said In
terror was awaiting counterpro-
posals from Mr.. Wender on terms,
under which the Recreation De-
partment could take over the play
facilities, but not the swimming
pools. Mr.. Vendors letter also was
a summary of the whole confused
dispute since the July l meeting
with Mr.. Krug.
Mr.. Wender pointed out that
Mr.. Demaray's statement appeared
to make the execution of swim
ming pool agreement contingent
upon the joint action of a general
agreement on the other facilities. :"
TT is extremely difficult to un-
derstand the strained reasoning
behind this announcement. which
would appear to justify continuing
the present unsatisfactory SWIM
ming pool situation, pending
termination of a written under
standing on the use of facilities,
which in most respects have been
operated since the Recreation
Boards inception without diff
Guilty" Mr.. Wender stated.
Held Emergency Situation.
The Recreation Board president
termed the swimming pools an
emergency situation"
Many children continue to risk
their lives swimming in the nearby
hazardous streams. lakes and
rivers" he said. Numerous protests
and petitions have been received,
including one from Representative
Mcmillan. Democrat. of South
Carolina, chairman of the House
District Committee, demanding re-
opening of the Anacostia pool, Mr..
Wender explained.
Mr.. Wender said no swimming
pool agreement has been proposed
to the Recreation Board by the
Interior Department.
II such proposal is received
in time for study. it can be pre-
sented at the next regular meet
ing of the Recreation Board next
Tuesday, he continued, adding he
would convene the board immedi-
ately if a proposal were received.
You may be sure that we are
willing to cooperate with you
on the basis of our original un-
derstanding and that we are espe-
cially desirous of expediting the
use of all public bathing facilities
so that they may be. utilized by
the public to their maximum ex-
tent" he told Mr.. Krug.
Reminds Krug of Agreement.
In tracing the history of the
controversy, Mr.. Wender pointed
out that it was clearly understood
at the July meeting with Mr..
Krug that Interior desired all
pools to be operated by the Recre-
alton Board as quickly as pos
Sible.
Mr.. Wender said it was clearly
pointed out that the Recreation
Board could not be expected to
accept the grave responsibility of
unsegregated swimming pool oper-
ation," but would assume the re-
sponsibility only if all questions
of race policy were left to the
board.
with this you agreed" Mr..
Wender told Mr.. Krug.
The Recreation Board then
changed its bylaws. inserting a
statement promising an elimina-
ton of segregation in recreation
as fast an possible.
The Interior Department then
issued a statement to the press in
dicating there would be no back
ward steps in the elimination of
segregation, but not mentioning
pools specifically, Mr.. Wender
stated. This was open to conflict
ing Interpretation, he added.
After some other meetings and
correspondence, Mr.. Wender said.
he and other members of the Rec
reation Board met on June 81 with
Mr.. Demaray and other Interior
ocials.
1--WE were told that the Interior
Department was not ready to dis
clISS the imminent swimming Y,oo1