Mr. Langston Hughes
20 E. 127th St.
New York 35
N.Y.

Jenkins
5742 S. Maryland
Chicago 37

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 E. 127th Street
New York, N.Y.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th St.
New York 35, N. Y.

February 26, 1958

Dear Tom:

Congratulations on the wonderful news of your pending engagement. Certainly your fiancée sounds like a delightful girl indeed and I hope that I shall have the pleasure of meeting her soon.

Now, as to my coming to Chicago this spring, it is impossible for
me at the moment to say that I could do so. There are several
complications including rehearsals of my show in London and
innumerable things to do here in New York in relation to it. I'm
now in the midst of writing new songs especially for English
audiences. Than, I am due in California sometime early in March
and will probably be so pushed for time that I will have to fly
directly there. On April 25, I am to be at Fisk for their annual
Spring Art Festival so I shall probably stay in California until
that time. This would mean I would not be back in the East until
sometime early in May, so I regret that I cannot promise to be
in Chicago at all within the periods you mention as much as I
would like to participate in such a surprise announcement party.
Certainly I am grateful to you for thinking of me in this connec-
tion as nothing would make me happier than to be a part of such
an occasion. If I were a freee agent, instead of just a hard-
working writer, and if I had a lot of money, I could ignore some
of my other commitments and do some of the things I would like to
do. But, unfortunately, I have a contract for work in California
in March and here in New York I already have more on my hands than
I can see my way to complete before I leave so I will be pushed up
until the very last moment.

I am delighted to hear about your sister's record and TV program.
I was away on a lecture tour when the notice of your record party
came but have been meaning to write her ever since. Please give
her my very best regards and also the same goes for Maggie and
Joe.

With all good wishes to you, my ever,

WESTERN UNION

TELEGRAM

W. P. MARSHALL, PRESIDENT

1201

The filing time shown in the date line on domestic telegrams is STANDARD TIME at point of origin. Time of receipt is STANDARD TIME at point of destination

SYA169 MA033

1959 JAN 30 AM 4 04

M CBO14 NL PD=CHICAGO ILL 29=

LANGSTON HUGHES=

20 EAST 127 ST NYK=

WE PLAN TO SEE YOU AND MAHALIA HERE NEXT MONTH WILL YOU
SPEND ONE EVENING WITH PAT AND ME MAYBE DINNER CAN GET
MAGGIE AND JOE DO YOU NEED TO BE PUT UP WHILE HERE

PLEASE ANSWER=

TOM JENKINS 5028 SOUTH ELLIS AVE=.

THE COMPANY WILL APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS FROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE