The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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NEW YORK—The story of Montgomery, Ala., shortly will be released by Harper and Brothers and will be "must" reading for every American who wants to understand the change that the Southern Negroes have undergone.

That the Negro people of the South are walking with heads higher and learning to help themselves is something new to be reckoned with and should be understood by everyone.

The Southern Negro does not want violence. I doubt if the Negro has ever believed in violence. He wants dignity as a human being, the chance to grow and to learn, and finally to feel that he is equal among all men.

That day is certainly coming, and I don't think anything done by white people in the North or South can stop it.

Everyone waits anxiously to learn what the Soviet Union and President Gamal Abdel Nasser of the United Arab Republic intend to do about Jordan. If, in the event they can persuade the Americans to leave Lebanon and the British to leave Jordan, they plan a coup in the latter country, then I am afraid we are in for real trouble in the Middle East.

No one is saying it bluntly, but it is apparent that Israel is concerned for its own safety. If the West really faces up to the question of Israel's safety, it must know that, like it or not, that country is in the Middle East to stay and is prepared to protect itself if it has to deal only with its Arab neighbors.

The danger there is that the Soviets might go to the aid of the Arab nations, in which case the West would feel obligated to protect the one nation in that area that has an understanding of democracy. This fact gives us pause, for the consequences might be serious.

It seems to me, therefore, that one of the first things we must ask in considering the Mideast question is: What happens to Jordan?

Just what Robert Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State, told President Nasser in their conference recently has not been revealed. But if, as reported, Nasser is more irresolute than he previously had been, it might be that he was warned of certain things that would make him cautious in his next move.

In any case, the Western powers should speak clearly of their intensions to protect the borders of Israel, as they would do in any other Middle Eastern country. This would prove helpful in any negotiations.

In the past few days I have read another Claudia book by Rose Franken—a sensitive and detailed picture of the relationship between two people who, because they love each other, can be hurt by each other.

At times the details seem a little too meticulous, but the full effect of the story achieves understanding and interest on the part of the reader, and Rose Franken should be congratulated for having pointed up many little things which may either hurt or improve a relationship.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1958, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 19, 1958

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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