Evening star., 1949-08-10
Board Pursues
Poo|Negotiation
0fferFai
Interior Rejects Plan
ForOperotion Of Two
On Biruciul Busis

The District Recreation Board
has offered to operate two Inter-
ior Department swimming pools
on an inter-racial basis, but the
Interior Department says this
compromise is not enough.
This latest development in the
controversial swimming pool sit
uation here was revealed yester-
day at the monthly meeting of the
Recreation Board by Harry S.
Wender, board chairman. Nego-
tiations for an agreement under
which the Recreation Board may
take over the pools continues.
Meanwhile the Anacostia swim
ming pool. closed since June by
Interior Secretary Krug after
racial disturbances there, is full OF
water and waiting for Mr.. Krug's s
decision as to whether it will be
opened.
; Reports on Negotiations.
Mr.. Wender revealed the COM
promise of the Recreation Board s
position as he reported to board
members on the progress Of the
negotiations with Mr.. Krug. Pre-
viously, the Recreation Board had
said it would operate the six pools
In question only on a non-segre-
gated basis.
The boards committee offered
to operate the Mckinley pool and
the Benneker pool on an open
basis, if Anacostia was reopened
as a white pool and If the others
continued on the same basis as
before. Takoma and East Poto-
mac Park as white pools and Fran
els as colored.
Although the pools theoretically
have been non-segregated for sew
eral years. in practice Mckinley
(until this summer when colored
swimmers began using it0 Anacos-
tia, East Potomac and Takoma
pools were used by whites only
The other two were used by COL
ored.
Mr.. Wender said that, in a con-
ference with Mr.. Krug yesterday
morning, he was told the compro-
mise offered by the board was not
satisfactory.
Other Proposals Disappr0ved.
He reported that certain parts
of the boards counter-proposal for
operating other Interior Depart
ment recreation facilities also met
with disapproval from Mr.. Krug
This matter, too, will be the SUBJ
ject of further negotiations, he
added.
j Mr.. Wender told board members
that Government Services, Inc,
which operates the six pools for
Interior, has indicated it was ready
to turn over the pools to the Rec
reation Board. GSI is willing to
amortize $4,000 investment
through it's other concessions so
the Recreation Board would not
have to put up any money. he
said.
Although Mr.. Krug has turned
down the compromise proposal on
the swimming pools, Mr.. Wender
said he feels the matter still is
open and that Mr.. Krug has not
reached a conclusion.
Board Pursues Negotiations.
The Recreation Board proposal
to operate two of the pools on an
open basis is "dignified" and one
that Mr.. Krug should accept, Mr.
Wender declared.
The pool situation will be q
"thorn in the side of Interior De-
partment for a long time" he de-
clared, unless Interior recognizes
that the Recreation Board is in q
better position to determine what
the citizens of Washington want
i. He said that Anacostia could not
be operated as a non-segregated
pool because it is located in a
white neighborhood and ugly in
cidents" would arise If it were
4 Mckinley, on the other hand. is in
a neighborhood where the colored
population is large. he said. An
open pool there should be work.
able. he added.
b The Recreation Board instructed
its committee to continue nego-
tiating with Interior on both the
pools and the control of the other
recreation facilities
t# Hits Critics of Lohman.
H Meanwhile, Mrs. Alice C. Hunt
er, colored member of the District
Recreation Board. took exception
with those who have criticized the
Interior Departments seminars
on inter-racial problems being
conducted by DR.. Joseph D. Lob
man of the University of Chicago.
liiW Mrs. Hunter is one of II Negro
Headers invited to sit on a newly
formed Citizens Inter-Racial
Committee. On Monday John H
i Connauglton. president of the
/ Federation of Citizens Associa-
IHtions. and Clifford H. Newell, act
| ing chairman of the new commit
|, tee, said this group should handle
oil racial problems.
/ In Today Mrs. Hunter said that Mr.
4 jConnaughton cannot speak for
\ the suggested Committee on Inter-
racial Relations since no meeting
of the persons invited to be men,
bers has been held" She added
that such statements can "only
iserve to prevent any real organ
illzation of the proposed committee. -
,.li She praised the Interior Depart
!ments action in bringing DR.. Lob
man to Washington to talk to
police and others. saying it showed
a sincere desire" to implement the
national policy on the use of public
4 recreation facilities.
'Gs.