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■^3 ATTORNEY GENERAL BROWNE! 1
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The Honorable
Herbert Brownell, Jr.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
is asked . . .
• What is your responsibility in implementing the segregation decision?
• Were Republican chances in the South hurt through
briefs your office filed in support of desegregation.
• Do you take the position that it is within the right of
the Executive branch to classify anything it wishes os
confidential?
President Eisenhower's statement
in a September press conference
that when the courts call "properly" on the Attorney-General in segregation troubles "he will assist in
every way possible," formed the central point of discussion in a recent
Reporters' Roundup interview of
Attornev-General Herbert Brown-
P ell, Jr.
i Mr. Brownell, considered one of the
K Administration's key spokesmen,
served as chairman of the Republican
Ijj National Committee from 1944 to
1946. Born in Nebraska in 1904, he
was graduated from the University of
Nebraska in 1924, and from Yale Law
School in 1927. Entering the practice
of law following graduation, he was
elected to the New York State Legisla-
h tore five times from 1932, et seq. The
Attorney-General is a member of the
American Bar Association and the bar
LR associations of New York State and
the City of New York.
Interviewing this prominent guest,
under the moderation of Mr. Robert F.
Hurleigh, veteran commentator of the
Mutual Broadcasting System, were Mr.
Clark Mollenhoff of the Washington
Bureau of Look magazine and Cowles
newspapers, and Mr. Arthur Sylvester
of the Newark News.
Mr. Sylvester, opening the questioning, referred to President Eisenhow-
Page 12
er's press-conference statement that if
and when the time comes when the
segregation of any district court must
be implemented, it would be more or
less the responsibility of the Attorney-
General, working with the U. S. marshals, and asked if Mr. Brownell
would outline the procedure which
would be followed.
"Well, let me start this way, Mr.
Sylvester," replied Mr. Brownell: "At
the present time we have one case in
court in which the Department of Justice is appearing as 'friend of the
court,' involving the action that was
taken by the Hoxie, Arkansas, Board
of Education, to integrate the grade
schools there. The Board of Education
acted to comply with the Supreme
Court opinion and then, as alleged in
our brief, outsiders came in and disrupted the orderly handling of the
local situation. As a result, the Board
of Education obtained an injunction
from the Federal Court there to allow
them to go ahead in an orderly way
and conduct an integrated school.
"The .court granted that request," he
continued, "and an appeal has been
taken to the Court of Appeals. We are
appearing there to support the courageous action taken by the local board
of education to operate the schools."
Mr. Brownell pointed out that in
due course the Federal Court of Ap
peals will decide whether the action
taken was proper and effective 'n
supporting the school board, and expressed the opinion that this case may
establish a pattern for other parts ot
the country where the school boards
take similar action. As a result, he felt
the action taken by the Federal Colin
of Appeals would be watched with
great interest.
"This is the only case of its kind that
I know of that is in the federal courts
at the present time," he concluded.
"The President indicated that what
will happen," stressed Mr. Sylvester,
"will be that a court will find someone
in contempt and that that person ot
persons will be cited, following which
action will be taken through the U. 5.
marshals. As I understand it, Mr-
Brownell, the U. S. marshals are i°
your department, and are, as a matter
of fact, responsible to you?"
"Yes," replied the Attorney-General,
"they are responsible primarily to the
courts, of course, for the enforccmen
of the court orders."
"Well, then, how do you implement
it?" inquired Mr. Sylvester. "How a°
you plan that the U. S. marshals wi"
carry out a court decision on tha
assumption?"
Mr. Brownell opined that this was
getting into the speculative realm, ancj
(Continued on page S3)
Facts Forum News, December, 195"
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