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Kenneth ClarkKenneth Clark
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fact, it seemed as if Phil made Bayard his surrogate, or gave Bayard sort of a blank check.

[end of tape one, side one]

Q:

Dr. Clark, you were mentioning that you sensed Bayard Rustin became more and more of a surrogate for A. Philip Randolph as [he] aged.

Clark:

Yes, it seemed rather clear that Bayard was going to receive the “power of attorney” for Phil Randolph. I don't know whether this meant that as Phil became older he became more conservative, but certainly the Bayard Rustin I know was much more conservative than the Phil Randolph I knew. I don't mean conservative necessarily in the political-ideological sense as much as conservative in terms of perspective on race, and how one deals with the problem. I think that there's every evidence that Bayard is among the more conservative of the known leaders of blacks. Specifically, he's the only black I know who was invited to certain receptions or dinner for the former Ambassador to the U.N. from the Reagan administration-- Jeane Kirkpatrick. I don't know that Phil Randolph would have identified himself that way with Jeane Kirkpatrick in the earlier days--if there were a Jeane Kirkpatrick around in the earlier days. But Bayard publically says that he believes that blacks have to develop alliances even with those individuals who identify themselves as conservatives or neo-conservatives. Now this might be wise--I don't know--except that I find it difficult, just as I find it





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