American Committee on Africa, Inc.

4 West 40th Street • New York 18, N. Y. • L'Ackawanna 4-9738

Cable:
AMCOMMAF

STAFF

George M. Houser, Executive Director

A. C. Thompson, Representative to U.N.

Catharine Raymond, Office Secretary

Dale Harrison, Staff Assistant

NATIONAL
COMMITTEE

Donald Harrington
Chairman

Roger N. Baldwin

Stringfellow Barr

Jane Bolin

Mrs. Chester Bowles

*Dorothy Dunbar Bromley

*Marguerite Cartwright

Allan Knight Chalmers

Frank Crosswaith

Max Delson

*Martin Dworkis

*George Edmund Haynes

*Herbert Hill

*Keith Irvine

Harold B. Isaacs

Homer A. Jack

*Gilbert Jonas

*Bill Kemsley

Rayford Logan

*Conrad J. Lynn

Will Maslow

*Benjamin F. McLaurin

*Frank C. Montero

*A. J. Muste

*C. Kilmer Myers

*Elliott Newcomb

*Walter Offutt

F. D. Patterson

Clarence Pickett

A. Clayton Powell

Dallas Pratt

A. Philip Randolph

Ira De A. Reid

James H. Robinson

*Bayard Rustin

*William X. Scheinman

*Adelaide Schulkind

*George W. Shepherd, Jr.

J. J. Singh

*William Sorsby

Edward J. Sparling

Mark Starr

*Irwin Suall

Norman Thomas

Howard Thurman

Channing Tobias

Willard Townsend

*Robert Trentlyon

*Gladys Walser

*Noah C. A. Walter

J. Waties Waring

*Peter Weiss

*David Williams

GENERAL COUNSEL

Robert Delson

6 May 1957

Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We would very much like to have you review the book, *Drum*, by Anthony Sampson for our bi-monthly magazine, *Africa Today*. We are planning a special issue of the magazine for Sept-Oct., on South Africa and believe that a review by you of *Drum* would go very well with the articles we are planning.

Since we do not have a great deal of space, a review of
about 1500 words would be just about right.

I will send you the book under separate cover if you should give the good word. Unfortunately, on our limited budget we can't pay, so there's that to consider in making your reply. I would appreciate an early answer so that we can make our final plans.

Thank you for your consideration of our request,

* Members of
Executive Board

347

CO-CHAIRMAN

Donald S. Harrington
A. Philip Randolph

VICE-CHAIRMAN

James A. Pike

PRESIDENT

Peter Weiss

VICE-PRESIDENTS

Sophia Yarnall Jacobs
Hope R. Stevens

SECRETARY

Farrell Jones

TREASURER

Nelson Bengston

NATIONAL COMMITTEE
(partial listing)

Sadie T. M. Alexander

Thurman Arnold

Roger N. Baldwin

Stringfellow Barr

Richard Bolling

Mrs. Chester Bowles

James B. Carey

Marguerite Cartwright

Allan Knight Chalmers

Max Delson

Peter De Vries

Charles C. Diggs Jr.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Lewis S. Gannett

Carlton B. Goodlett

Henry W. Hobson

Arthur N. Holcombe

Elmer J. Holland

Hubert H. Humphrey

Martin Luther King, Jr.

George M. Leader

Rayford W. Logan

Eugene J. McCarthy

Robert J. McCracken

John A. Mackay

Will Maslow

Alexander Meiklejohn

Howard M. Metzenbaum

Wayne Morse

Reinhold Niebuhr

F. D. Patterson

Clarence Pickett

Sidney Poitier

Paul A. Porter

Melvin Price

Ira De A. Reid

Jackie Robinson

James Roosevelt

Robert St. John

Francis B. Sayre

George W. Shepherd

Ralph W. Sockman

Edward J. Sparling

Mark Starr

William E. Stevenson

C. Sumner Stone, Jr.

Rex Stout

Norman Thomas

Frank Thompson, Jr.

Howard Thurman

Mark Van Doren

J. Waties Waring

EXECUTIVE BOARD

James Baldwin

Robert S. Browne

Elsie Carrington

Elmer Carter

Mark Cohen

Winifred Courtney

James Farmer

Joseph Jablow

Forrest Johnson

Clarence B. Jones

David D. Jones

George Lawrence

Stanley D. Levison

John V. Murra

Andrew E. Norman

Victor G. Reuther

Cleveland Robinson

James H. Robinson

Bayard Rustin

William X. Scheinman

Adelaide Schulkind

Frederick A. O.Schwarz, Jr.

Mason Sears

Hugh H. Smythe

Percy Sutton

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

George M. Houser

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

James R. Robinson

PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR

Collin Gonze

STAFF ASSOCIATES

Catharine Raymond
Emma Thomas

GENERAL COUNSEL

Robert Delson

WEST COAST

Mrs. Mary-Louise Hooper

publishers of AFRICA TODAY

AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON AFRICA

211 East 43rd Street • New York, N. Y., 10017 • (212) TN 7-8733 • Cable AMCOMMAF

February 10, 1966

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Mrs. Catherine Count Basie and the Reverend Robert Ross Johnson, of the Queens Planning Committee, have asked me to invite you to be our guest at a fund-raising benefit for the South African Defense and Aid Fund, at the Jamaica High School, at 7:30 P.M., on the 27th of March. We would be most honored if you would consent to read some of your writings at that time. Mr. George Shirley, of the Metropolitan Opera, has agreed to be with us and sing that evening. We are hoping that Miss Abbey Lincoln, and the Spenono dance group from South Africa, will be able to join us as well.

As you must know, conditions in South Africa are, if anything, more oppressive than ever. The money from this benefit will go into the South African Defense and Aid Fund, to give legal and financial aid to the victims of apartheid in South Africa.

If you find that it is possible for you to be our guest, I will send you the remaining pertinent information. Thank you.

WF:mb

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