ALEXANDER ALLAND

509 Hudson Street, N.Y.C.

Chelsea 3-0763

March 25, 1942.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I was happy to see your name among those of the editors board of Common Ground, of which I am photo-editor. For many years, ever since I helped Robert Magidoff with the translation of your poems, I have been anxious to make your acquaintance.

I have an idea for a book which I would like to talk to you about. Perhaps we can collaborate on it. If you recall, "You Have Seen Their Faces", and "Twelve Million Voices", quite vividly portray the struggle, the suffering and humiliation of the Negro people in the U.S. There can be no argument but that books of such nature are necessary and important. I myself have done a lot in that direction.

However, it seems to me, that now, after the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, a book showing the achievement of the Negro in all fields of life, arts, and sciences would be concrete proof that in spite of adverse conditions and oppression, the Negro can, and did contribute, on his own, a great deal to American life.

I visualize with great enthusiasm, the combination of dynamic verse and drammatic photographs as a positive work on the Negro. Conditions and mental attitudes of today make this a moot suggestion.

Would you be kind enough to let me know if you are interested in this idea, and whether we might meet at my home some time early next week.

Good Shepherd Community Center
5120 South Parkway
Chicago, Illinois

April 13, 1942

Mr. Alexander Alland
509 Hudson Street
New York, N. Y.

Dear Mr. Alland:

Your letter of March 25th has just been forwarded
to me here in Chicago where I have been for the past six weeks
engaged in a production of my new play "The Sun Do Move" for
the skyloft players at the above Community Center.

I shall be back in New York in early May and I would
be delighted to meet you then and talk about your proposed idea
for a book. Such an idea seems very much in the wind these days
as Gordon Parks a Negro photographer here had spoken to me about
a similiar project, as well as another photographer in New York
who wrote to me last Fall regarding a book of photographs present-
ing the positive aspects of Negro life in Harlem. Also it has
been reported in the Negro papers that one of the Government Bureaus
is now preparing such a book for distribution in Africa and Asia,
in fact a photographer from Washington recently visited this Center
and took pictures for this particular publication. It seems that
the Government wishes to show Colored peoples elsewhere how well
the American Negroes live.

Looking forward to meeting you when I come East,

I am,

LH:og