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[[image]] 4 men and 2 women sitting at a table all facing one direction with a microphone in front of them. [[/image]]

L. - R. Edwin R. Embree, Miss Margaret Mead, Dr. Peter Marshall Murray, Gen. George C. Marshall, Mrs. Mildred McAfee Horton, Brooks Emeny, Ira De A. Reid

america's stake in the educated negro
a symposium

Mildred McAffee Horton, 
Chairman

-Speakers
General George C. Marshall 
The International Significance of Negro Progress

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
The Negro College Graduate in America

-panel
Edwin Embree
Brooks Emeny
Margaret Mead
Ira DeA. Reid
Channing Tobias

hunter college assembly hall 
69th street and park avenue
tuesday, november 29, 1949
8:30 p.m.

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This was the first Symposium. It was designed to "send" New York. At the time, the biggest name in the United States was General George C. Marshall, who had recently resigned as Secretary of State after successfully launching the Marshall Plan. Ambitious plans were under way to approach the great man through "channels" when "Pat" came into Headquarters one day. Someone casually mentioned to him that the Committee was trying to get the General as the principal speaker for this first big undertaking. "Pat" just as casually said, "I know him and I'd be happy to ask him to do it, if you'd like me to."

P. S.  General Marshall said in his speech, "I think I should explain in the introduction to my remarks this evening my reasons for accepting this invitation. Since my retirement I have endeavored to avoid occasions requiring me to make public addresses and the only exceptions have been when I was duty bound to speak in accepting some generous or complimentary award. Therefore, I would have declined the invitation for this evening, but for two very special reasons I decided to accept....The invitation was delivered to me by Dr. Patterson, the head of Tuskegee Institute. During the war years I was brought into frequent contact with Dr. Patterson and formed a very high regard for him. What was more important, he was of great assistance to me in meeting many of the complications involved in raising our great war Army. He was wise and objective, unselfish and courageous, and I felt when he called on me to speak tonight that I owed him my acceptance."