the primary, I gather, in the primary struggle with respect to the governorship, which is reported to have been as follows-on March 17, 1963, you were reported to have said in your gubernatorial campaign: There will be no necessity to abolish the public schools. Nor will there by any mixing of the races in none of the State-operated educational institutions.

Mr. COLEMAN. Senator, I made that statement during that campaign. However, I could not have made in in March because I did not become a candidate until about the 15th or 20th of May, but regardless of the date, did I make that statement?-I did make that statement. But I want to point out that nowhere in that statement did I say that that would be accomplished by defiance of the Supreme Court of the United States or by open rebellion against this country. I had in mind actually trying to operate as Governor again as I did the first 4 years on the basis of personal peace and good will among the people of Mississippi which worked very beautifully during those 4 years.

Senator JAVITS. And also, you were quoted as having said back in 1956, and I give you both of these things because it is a bracketed date, in your address to the Mississippi Legislature on January 17, 1956: I am pledged to maintenance of the separation of the races at all costs. But I want to say this further word to the Negroes of Mississippi, as Governor I shall always give sympathetic consideration to any of their problems which deserve the assistance of the State government. If you accept this opportunity it will mean better days for all of us. If you reject it the responsibility must be yours.

Mr. COLEMAN. That was in my inaugural address when I was sworn in as Governor and in that same address I stated it would be one of my duties as Governor that Mississippi be a State of law and order and no violence, and so forth. That inaugural address was addressed to three people, three sets of people to the white citizens of Mississippi, to the Negro citizens of Mississippi, and also to the people of the United States of America in which I pointed out it would my desire and hope and ambition that we could so manage our affairs in Mississippi that we would enjoy the respect of the rest of the country. That was certainly my purpose, although we were operating the State on the basis of local institutions as they had existed prior to May 17, 1954.

be

Senator JAVITS. Now, in respect to this matter of desegregated education, I show you an advertisement which allegedly was used in your 1963 campaign, and ask you to notice especially what is written at the very bottom of the advertisement in very small print. I will ask you whether this is a legitimate and authorized advertisement of your primary.

(A document was handed to Mr. Coleman.)

Mr. COLEMAN. Yes, sir; this is an advertisement that was issued by my State campaign headquarters over the approval of my State campaign manager.

Senator JAVITS. Mr. Chairman, I ask that it may be included in the record insofar as it can practicably be introduced. I do not know whether it can all be reproduced. It has a picture and some other things on it.

Senator ERVIN. Without objection, so ordered.

Mr. COLEMAN. Could I explain this just briefly?

Senator JAVITS. Yes; but first, the photograph there is a photograph of one of your primary opponents, is it not?

Mr. COLEMAN. Yes.

Senator JAVITS. Who actually was successful in the primary?

Mr. COLEMAN. Yes, sir; he defeated me in 1963 as I defeated him in 1956. He was my second primary opponent in 1956 and again in 1963. I won the first time and he won the last time and I guess the last one is the one that counts.

Senator JAVITS. Not necessarily, Governor, you got the last one.

now.

Mr. COLEMAN. Beg your pardon.

Senator JAVITS. You are now up for higher office yourself.

Mr. COLEMAN. Well, I know that rests in the will of the people. Senator JAVITS. Would you explain that advertisement for us? If I may read it, then perhaps my colleagues will understand what it is. (The document handed to Mr. Coleman was returned to Senator Javits.)

Senator JAVITs. This is a picture of the Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor Johnson and U.S. Marshal James McShane, allegedly taken at the University of Mississippi and on the top banner headline it says, "Let's tell the whole truth" and it really is, "Let's tell the whole truth, Paul," and I assume that means Paul Johnson and the rest says, "when the fist came down the hand went out," and then it says, "Meredith went in." "Elect a man you can trust, J. P. Coleman, the man for Mississippi," and on the very bottom as has been identified, submitted to and approved by A. F. Summer, State campaign manager.

Mr. COLEMAN. Senator Javits, that campaign for Governor eventually revolved around two things. No. 1, my support of the Democratic ticket in the national campaign of 1960. It was made that was made a great issue by my opposition.

No. 2, the lieutenant governor said that since they put out a picture showing him with his fist up in Mr. McShane's and he was saying, on that account he ought to be elected Governor of Mississippi. About 3 days before the crisis at Ole' Miss I was sent for and was asked for my advice about what ought to be done and the Governor said at that time, and I don't want to reopen any controversy with him, he beat me and that's it, and I have no further words to say about it, except he said he heard me in that conference advising the Governor and others to obey the court order and to let Meredith in the university which in the meantime as I say, he stood for us in this picture and we suggested that he tell the whole story about what went on in that gesture, but he didn't do it and that's a closed chapter. I got beat for Governor myself in Mississippi and that's all over with. Senator JAVITS. That picture shows Lieutenant Governor Johnson shaking hands with the marshal?

Mr. COLEMAN. Yes.

Senator JAVITS. The chief marshal. Now, that had the clear implication, did it not, Governor, that you were not favorable to the admission of Meredith to the University of Mississippi in 1963, did it not?

Mr. COLEMAN. Well, I don't think that necessarily follows; no, sir. I think we just took a picture there that Mr. Johnson had been using

and to his advantage as he saw it politically and he gave it another interpretation as the people wanted to accept it. A great deal of controversy about what went on and how come. As I say, I lost that race and I have never said a word of regret about either running or getting beat, either, and I have expressed no regrets over the thing that caused me to get defeated. I feel when you submit yourself to the body public and you get defeated, you got to take your licking like a man and say nothing about it.

Senator JAVITS. I am sure that would be your nature and character, but I do not think that is the point of my particular inquiry.

Mr. COLEMAN. What I was trying to tell you all-I was trying to remember all about that circular. We put out lots of circulars as you might guess. That's the first time I have seen it since.

Senator ERVIN. I have not seen the circular.

I would like to find out exactly what the circular shows. I think it would be appropriate to have it.

Mr. COLEMAN. The point, Mr. Chairman, was, that picture shows the Lieutenant Governor shaking hands with Mr. McShane whereas he is showing a fist in Mr. McShane's fist, and he is showing the fist in his face, but he was shaking hands with him. That's the whole point. Senator ERVIN. I think that elucidates and illuminates the situation sufficiently.

Senator JAVITS. Governor, do you believe and feel that there is some other moral standard which you will have-which you had as candidate than what you will have as a judge?

Mr. COLEMAN. If the Senator will allow me to say so, I doubt very much that I should go into moral beliefs and moral standards. As I understand our Government and our country, the church is separated entirely from the State and the State from the church. I, of course, am a member of the Baptist Church, have been since I was 14 years of age. I have my moral beliefs and all, but I ascribe to every other American's right to his belief in the moral field, whatever they may be. I just propose, if I am a judge, to do my duty according to the Constitution of the United States, the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States and the acts of Congress.

Senator JAVITS. I only asked the question, sir, because it leads, it seems to me directly from the assertion that in the future—that in the turmoil and heat and opposition of a political campaign, views espoused with which to be the most charitable, in my judgment, the one who espouses them should not be charged 100 percent with their full import because he is in a political campaign and it is needed to win. Now, I am trying to find out whether that is or is not your attitude.

Mr. COLEMAN. My feeling is that a campaign for Governor in Mississippi or any other State is quite a different matter to being selected for a judgeship of any court. One is partisan on the face of it and the other should be and in my book is nonpartisan and it depends entirely on preparations and qualifications for the office and the spirit with which you approach the duties of the office.

Senator JAVITS. So that you would say that there is another standard to your conduct as a candidate from your conduct as a judge and that is what I asked in the first place.

Mr. COLEMAN. I don't believe that I could agree to make any statement yes or no on that proposition. I think that my race for

50-678-65——11

Governor stands for itself and I think that my nomination for the judiciary stands for itself, whatever it may be.

Senator JAVITS. Governor, have you during the luncheon recess checked up on the quotations which seem to raise some questions as to veracity this morning, that is, not your veracity, but as to whether or not they were accurate quotes? May I just read them to you again?

This was allegedly published in the Clarion-Ledger on December 19, 1955, page 1, reading as follows, "Let there be no misunderstanding. I am for segregation."

Then, another quotation was read which allegedly came out from the same source and it was in 1956 and it said, "I do not now favor the Negro voting in Mississippi. He is wholly unprepared to assume this responsibility."

Then the third one came out of the questions, the collective questions of Senators, here which were mainly asked by my colleague Senator Kennedy, "When I stood alone before a hostile U.S. Supreme Court and showed those Communist lawyers they could not fool with the great State of Mississippi."

That was in the case that you were talking about.

I asked you specifically about the two to which I referred. I will repeat them.

December 19, 1955, "Let there be no misunderstanding. I am for segregation."

Mr. COLEMAN. Would you like me to discuss that?

Senator JAVITS. Either one.

Mr. COLEMAN. I will take them one at a time because I can't tell them when they are separated. I had no opportunity during the noon hour to look these up. My files are all down at my home in Mississippi where they have been since I went out of the Governor's office. But I am inclined to think, based on recollection that I made this statement on December 19, 1955, and if my recollection serves me correctly, that is also the same date on which I said that the proposed nullification of the decisions of the Supreme Court by resolution of the Mississippi Legislature was legal poppycock and it wouldn't work. I think that I made that statement in connection with the other.

In other words, I was expressing my legal opinion of the doctrine of nullification but at the same time I had some assurances to make as to how we were going to operate our schools. That was on the 19th of December, I think-I believe you say, and that was the date that I had a meeting in Jackson and if I had the whole story in front of me I was not going to be sworn into office until the following January when these proposals were suggested. Even though I said that I considered it worthless and foolish and legal poppycock there were members of the legislature who said they were going to introduce it anyhow and have it passed. This did not come to pass. Now, they immediately, after I took office-I was invited up to Governor Stanley's at Richmond, Va., and I went up there along with a number of other southern Governors-not just three or four of us-as I recall, if I had my memorandum books here I could tell you who was present in which they were talking about this interposition idea and I agreed to go along with the other basis so long as the whole thing was stated on the face of it that it was by lawful and constitutional and peaceable means.