To Julian Bond from Bob Allen, 27 Mar 1968, with Bond's draft response

[Letterhead company name and logo circled]: NATIONAL GUARDIAN an independent radical newsweekly

19 [hole punched in part of address] FOURTH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y. 10009 ORegon 3-3800

[circled text]: 185 East Third St. #2G 212 475-0573 March 27, 1968

Rep. Julian Bond Georgia House of Representatives Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Julian,

I am writing to ask your advice and possible assistance concerning my future plans. I have decided (for personal, not political reasons) to leave the Guardian before the end of this summer. Among other things, I'm considering moving back to Atlanta. This however, would depend on whether I could become involved in movement or other politically relevant work. For example, I have inquired about working in the SNCC Communications Dept. but have been informed that the national office situation is not particularly healthy at this moment.

I am proimarily interested in working in some area of journalism. This is the field in which I've had training and experience, and I'm increasingly coming to see journalism as a possible life-time career. I also have a master's degree in sociology and could do teaching (in fact, I'm also considering returning to school to work on a Ph.D.), but this idea does not grab me.

Please drop me a note at my home address (above) and let me know if you think there is any prospect for a black radical journalist to find useful work in Atlanta. Thanks in advance for your advice.

[signed] Bob Allen Bob Allen

P.S. For obvious reasons, please keep this letter confident.

^{Bob Allen 185 East 3rd St # 2-G N.Y., N.Y. 10009}

Dear Bob:

Please forgive me for taking so long to answer your letter. Things have been jumping down here, and my wife and I have just had our fourth child.

There are several outlets you might want to consider, none of which would meet any test as a "radical" journal.

The first is the ATLANTA INQUIRER. You know this paper, I'm sure. It operates with a part-time staff, and might want a full-time editor or editorial staffer.

If you're interested, contact:

Jesse Hill, Jr. Publisher Atlanta Inquirer 787 Parsons Street Atlanta, Georgia 30314

Then*there's the ATLANTA VOICE, another weekly, very poor, but worth a try. Contact:

J. L. Ware ATLANTA VOICE Station B Atlanta, Georgia

Then there's something very nebulous that is just beginning to develop here.

I've been talking with a group of your professionals about beginning a magazine of sorts, one with a local focus, a sort of localized, black oriented NATION or NEW REPUBLIC, printing articles of fact and analysis that have some relation to the local scene.

We have been thinking so far about no staff at all, once a month publication, a fairly inexpensive publication.

However, your desire to return here makes me vbelieve that perhaps with your help this last idea might become sometjing a little stronger than we had anticipated.

Finally, you might try SCLC's publicity department. If you're interested there, write:

William Rutherford SCLC 334 Auburn Avenue Atlanta.

SNCC has next to no staff and next to no money and would probably be a losing proposition for you. The INQUIRER is probably your best bet for a journalistic job.

Write back faster that I've written you, and let me know what you think.

Sincerely,