Evening star., 1951-01-20
Mrs. Buck Says
Her Racial Stand
Banned Talk
DR.. Corning Denies
Charge in ConceIing
Speech at Cordozo

ton. The charge was denied i'm
mediately by School Supt. Hobart
M. Corning as absolutely false. y
Mrs. Buck, Pulitzer and Nobel
prizewinner, had been invited - to
speak at Cardozo High School. DR.
Corning announced in a state
ment yesterday the engagement
was Cancelled because Mrs. Bucks
record was mot clear"
DR.. Corning said his decision fol-
lowed consultation with the House
Committee on Un-American Ac-
tivities. It was based, he said, on
committee files which included al
legations that articles by Mrs.
Buck had appeared in Communist
or Communist-front publications
and that she sponsored or ad-
dressed Red-front groups.
Segregation Issue Denied.
DR.. Corning said the move was
made on recommendation of DR..
Ernest c. Wilkinson. first assistant
superintendent in charge ~of COL
ored schools. DR.. Wilkinson, like
DR.. Corning, said the segregation
question "had absolutely nothing
to do with the decision"
II am opposed to segregation, -
DR.. Wilkinson told a reporter, "but
that's not the issue in this case" "
Mrs. Buck, in a telephone inter-
view with The Star from her home
near Perkasie, Pa, called the
House committee file an "old, dis
credited record and declared:
ut is my opinion that all this
is a trumped-up excuse and that
the real reason the engagement
was broken is because of my pri-
vate. public and steadfast stand
against racial discrimination in
our Nations Capital, which has
done the cause of American de-
mocracy throughout the world un-
told damage.
Invitation Held Violation of Rule.
Il shall not change my position
as long as I live"
Mrs. Buck said she had not
been planning to speak on the
segregation question Tuesday.
DR.. Corning said Cardozo High
School had violated an established
rule in inviting Mrs. Buck to speak
without prior consultation with
higher school officials.
when the school finally did
request permission" he stated,
"the usual inquiry was made by
the central Office concerning the
individuals record.
Because the record proved not
to be clear, and because the es-
tablished regulation had been vio-
lated by the school. it was the
Judgment of the first assistant
superintendent in charge and the
superintendent that the school
should cancel the engagement.
Allegations Listed.
The superintendent told a re-
porter there were 40 or IL items
listed in the House committees
record which were the basis for
the decision.
These included allegations that
articles by Mrs. Buck had ap-
peared in New Masses, Champion
and Soviet Russia Today, period
icals cited by the committee as
Communist or Communist
'front.'; that she was a sponsor
of the Congress of Soviet-Ameri-
can Friendship in 1912, and that
herb book, Talk About Russia, -
was on the recommended list of
the Washington Co = operative
Bookshop, cited as a Communist
organization.
Charges Denied.
Mrs. Buck declared:
81 never have written for the
New Masses. I never heard of
the magazine called Champion.
I never have written for Soviet
Russia Today. These are old,
old charges that were denied sew
eral years ago by my lawyers on
my behalf. They originally ap-
peared in the discredited Tenney
Report in California"
Mrs. Buck also denied being
a sponsor of the Congress of
Soviet American Friendship and
said she knew nothing of the
Washington Bookshop.
Mrs. Buck, author of "The Good
Earth" and other books about
China, also has written and lee
tured on racial discrimination.
She has lectured at Howard Uni
versity, and received an honorary
doctor of laws degree there in
1912.
Wilkinson Made Decision.
DR.. Wilkinson, who is colored
received a similar degree at the
same exercises at Howard. He
said Mrs. Buck had been invited
December Is by Miss Jennie Mus
tapha, assistant Cardozo principal
to appear at Tuesdays commence
ment, and that she accepted De-
cember 20.
1t was not until January 2, he
said, that he received a request
for permission for this. and it was
several days later that he learned
the invitation already had been
sent and accepted, the assistant
superintendent said.
1-. Wilkinson said he decided
himself Mrs. Buck should not ap-
pear, and that the decision ther
was confirmed by DR.. Corning. C
Melvin Sharpe, School Boarc
president, was informed on the
matter, he said.