NEW YORK—November 11, 1957—With the re-election of Mayor Robert F. Wagner of New York and Governor Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey, it looks as though the Democrats really gained last week. It was sad to see that Virginia elected a segregationist Governor who will be completely subservient, according to news reports, to the Byrd machine. One could not hope, I suppose, for anything different. Virginia once was the leader in freedom and it is sad to realize that this leadership now applies only to white people. In Thomas Jefferson's time, it applied to colored people as well.
In New York City, Stanley Isaacs was the only Republican reelected to City Council, and I for one was pleased to see that the voters of this big city were discriminating enough to re-elect a Republican who stands by his principles and whose loss to the city would have been incalculable.
Experiment in International Living, an educational organization which this year celebrates its 25th year of student exchange work, has presented an award to Chester Bowles, who was United States ambassador to India in 1951-53. This award not only cited the outstanding contribution of Mr. Bowles but that of his whole family in furthering international understanding on a people-to-people level.
News reports have announced that Mr. Bowles is hoping for the nomination for U.S. Senator from Connecticut. I have been thinking for some time that Connecticut is fortunate in having two Democrats who would make outstanding candidates for the Senate—Mr. Bowles and William Benton.
Either one would be a great addition to the Senate, and whichever one is nominated, I will be hoping greatly for his election.
There is a book that I have had in page proof for a long time, but it was not until my trip to Russia that I finally managed to read it. Written by P. Friedman, it is called "Their Brothers Keepers."
This book is inspiring reading in spite of the fact it brings back the horrifying days of Hitler's unbelievable cruelty to the Jewish people. I wish many people would read this book, for it gave me the feeling that if all of us have the courage to protest immediately when we feel something is wrong, we perhaps could prevent such tragedies as Hitler brought about.
The stories in the book show that there were human beings who had the courage to live by the democratic and Christian tradition and to believe in the value of the human personality and spark of divinity that are present in all human beings, which certainly cannot be denied because of race or color.
These stories are about people who had great courage, great faith and lived according to their beliefs.
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