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Letter 22
703 East 50th Place,
Chicago, Illinois
29 December '42
My dear Christian,
This part of my reply to your Christmas day special is a bit tardy, but rest
assured the more vital part was given immediate attention. I am sure that by now
you have received one of the two sets of blank applications sent you by the
Fund. One went in care of Lyle Saxon, along with the letter
Mr. Embree wrote. The other Miss Utley, secretary to Wm. C. Haygood, sent
directly to you at my request. Incidentally, I saw the Saxon letter to Mr.
Embree and the answer. In fact, Mr. Embree discussed it before replying.
Now for the subject matter. Your chance of getting the fellowship is
excellent this year. Age worked against you more than anything else in your last
try. This year the requirements will be relaxed as a result of the war. I
suggest that you outline a project something like this: a) completion of the
Negro in Louisiana study, b) some historical research that you may decide upon,
for example, 'collecting biographical material concerning free men of color in
Louisiana', c) assembling and writing first draft of 'b'. If the above doesn't
get it, nothing will.
It would probably be best to leave the Illinois study out of the project.
There are several reasons. 1.) Jack Conroy and I have been given permission to
rework parts of it in another connection. This has been done, and the manuscript
is now in the agent's hands. 2.) My own plans are obscure for the moment. Being
on fellowship now, I will not have to decide whether or not I'll re-apply till
March.
In the meantime two or three irons are in the fire, and I'll want to see what
comes of them before I commit myself to another fellowship application. One of
these irons is a job which it was more or less understood I would take following
my present year's work. So you see I'm hogtied for the present. But that is no
cause for worry. I will speak in behalf of your candidacy and thereby bring to
bear any strength which I may have.
You will perhaps need to send representative sections of the Louisiana book
to the director of fellowships. I suggest that this be done now rather than
waiting for the 'additional evidence' call. In my opinion it is the stuff that
comes in early that exerts the influence. That is the stuff that gets thoroughly
read by the ADVISERS. Only when the issue is in doubt is the 'additional
evidence' called for. Two strikes are already against the candidate in such
cases. I strongly advise that you present about two or three hundred pages of
the most interesting historical sections of your book right away.
Tomorrow I'm going East on an errand connected with Yale and the James Weldon
Johnson Memorial Collection. The Yale Gazette has asked me to do an article
about the collection. My hope is that both you and Lyle Saxon will have made a
contribution to it by the time my article is published. An opportunity for a
good 'plug' would thus be afforded. I expect to be back in Chicago by January
7th.
Something in Mr. Saxon's letter makes me curious. He spoke of some passages
in the NEGRO IN ILLINOIS which he thought might perhaps be regarded by some as
controversial. As an amateur investigator, I am excited by that. Could you give
me a hint as to which sections gave this impression? We have had a bit of fun
with reactions like this. Frankly, I'm blissfully unaware of any questionable
history in the book, though its other shortcomings and additional requirements
are only too plain. But the history part is like a game to me--since my approach
is strictly nonprofessional--and I can't wait to find out where we have rushed
in where the angels would have hesitated.
I spoke of having fun with similar reactions. Well, not to lay any traps, we
caught a couple of the more academic historians (in a prankish way) on some of
the stuff which they thought sure was bogus till we brought in the
documentation. Did the bibliography accompany the copy of the manuscript which
you saw? Mind, I'm not saying the manuscript doesn't contain doubtful or
debatable material, but only that I'm unaware of it.
Finally, a word about your suggestion of appearing before the committee. That
is something which I would suggest that you take up with Mr. Haygood well in
advance. You see, one never know who will be on the committee from year to year,
the time or place of the meetings, etc. Moreover, there may even be some policy
about personal appearances by candidates before the committee.
All in all, I don't see how you can miss this shot. Give it a try.
Ever sincerely,
Bontemps
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