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PART EIGHT The Nixon Foray CHAPTER 30 THE ROAD IN "YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS] ME work in the Nixon administration?" "I am serious, Jim," spoke Robert E. Finch, Nixon's secretary-designate for Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). "I appreciated your serving on my advisory committee after I was nominated, and sitting in on the briefings I received from HEW officials. Your comments were very helpful . I would be very pleased if you would accept an appointment to a top post in HEW." I sipped black coffee while waiting for breakfast in the dining room of a midtown Manhattan hotel. I had never met Finch before his nomination and I was a member of the Liberal Party of New York State, not a Republican . I had not supported Nixon, but had endorsed Hubert Humphrey, despite the fact that I had Republican endorsement in my congressional campaign. The invitation from Finch took me completely by surprise. I think I pondered for minutes those words he had just dropped on me. "I will not reject it out of hand, Bob," I finally said, "but it will be a very difficult decision for me. Ninety-five percent of the blacks in this country are Democrats and Nixon is very unpopular among blacks. For me to work in that administration might be political suicide. I would be painting a bull's eye on my chest, my back, and both sides. "However, I will give it some thought. For a long time, it has been my conviction that blacks achieve maximum political leverage by not being 'in the bag' for either party. Consequently, I see nothing wrong with working for a Republican administration. I need to know specifically what the job is that I am being offered. I also need to know what authority and responsibilities I would have, and the extent to which I will have the backing of the secretary in fulfilling those responsibilities." 316 LAY BARE THE HEART "I'm glad to know you'll be open to consideration of an offer from us," he replied. "I'll get back to you regarding the specific job we have in mind." A week later, Finch phoned to inform me that I had my choice of three jobs: assistant secretary for administration, deputy commissioner of education in charge ofcivil rights, or personal consultant to the secretary. The advantage of the assistant secretary's job, he pointed out, was that it had the sweep of the entire department, covering all the operating agencies. Along with it went considerable power and influence, since personnel actions would come across my desk for signature. The deputy commissioner of education post had the advantage of a clearly defined jurisdiction and was an area in which I had much experience . He told me that he was unable to offer the spot of assistant secretary for education because Dr. James Allen, who was to be the new commissioner , had accepted that appointment on condition that the commissioner 'sjob be combined with the post of assistant secretary for education. The consultancy assignment would have the advantage of allowing me complete freedom of schedule since I would be paid on a per-diem basis. I would also be free to accept whatever lecture engagements and writing engagements I chose and the fees would be mine. I told him I would get back to him within thirty days with my decision. The month's delay allowed me to consult with many persons before deciding whether to accept a position at HEW and, if so, which one. I talked with Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young, and both of them urged me to take one of the jobs; they felt it would be a real advantage to have someone they could count on in a key spot at HEW. Although they were not pro-Nixon, it was their opinion that black Americans could not boycott any U.S. administration that would be in the seat of power for at least four years. I talked with my former colleagues at CORE and elsewhere in the movement, and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. I then made a two-week lecture tour, speaking on college campuses in various parts of the nation, and used those appearances to touch other bases. Black college students, including the so-called militants, almost without exception urged me to take an HEW job. As some of them put it, "We have got to have somebody there who knows where the bodies are buried. Also...

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