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Office of Indian Affairs
Merchandise Mart Bldg.
Chicago (54) Illinois
November 25, 1944

Mr. W. B. Johnson, President
National Congress of American Indians
Claremore, Oklahoma

Dear Mr. Johnson:

Those of us in the Indian Office arrived home happy and non the worse for the excitement at the Denver convention. Everyone in the Indian Office was eager, from the top officials to the lowest messengers, on the outcome of our meeting. Believe me the Office has been stirred deeply.

As you know my office was the coordinating and nerve center of this organization movement up to the Denver convention. I have some three volumes of files that I will turn over to you as soon as I can get them in shape. In the meantime, however, another matter has arisen that I consider of utmost importance. Correspondence is coming in from parts of the country inquiring about the Denver convention. These matters have been referred by the Office to those of us here who have been associates with this Indian movement, Since the correspondence in question has been directed to the Government for attention, it will be rather difficult, of course, for the several of us, in differing capacities, to handle this work with any degree of coordination and intelligence. Since the foregoing has been anticipates by several of us, I have mentioned to authorities here that one of the divisions in this Office, preferably Tribal Relations, serve as a liaison between this Office and the National Congress of American Indians.

There will be numerous exchanges of communications between this Office and the national office of the NCAI and, therefore, it would seem important that such a liaison be set up without delay. Miss Hicks, secretary of the convention, is an administrative assistant to the director of this unit and thus would be qualified to oversee the handling of such routine assignments. I shall endeavor to see what can be done in this direction from this end and suggest that it might be appropriate if some letter could originate from officers of the NCAI without reference to this letter taking cognizance of the fact that some working relationship be set up between the two organizations. For example, many of the resolutions growing out of the convention induing perhaps the NCAI's program should be transmitted formally to the Indian Office for information and action if necessary.

This letter is written personally and is merely suggestive and, of course, does not commit the Government in any way. Don't hesitate to call on me as I shall be glad to help in any way I can.

Sincerely yours, 
[[initals]]
Charles E. J. Heacock

cc: Dwight Phinney