The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has presented Republican Presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon with the names of 10 Jews and 10 Negroes who have expressed interest in joining the allegedly racially restricted Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. and asked him to support their applications with his recommendation.
Mr. Nixon’s membership in the exclusive club, which denies it is restrictive but admits that it has no Jewish or Negro members, was disclosed when the Nixon entourage held a reception there for Republican leaders during his campaign for the nomination last month. Mr. Nixon said at the time that he disapproved of membership restrictions by any club but that if they existed he would prefer to work for reforms from the inside rather than make a public gesture of resigning. He said he would be glad to sponsor appropriate people to Baltusrol. He could not be reached for comment today but a Nixon aide was quoted as saying he probably would not answer their request because “members are simply not brought into the club by recommendation.”
In a letter to Mr. Nixon last Friday, Stephen Nagler, ACLU executive director, said “your recommendation and your active support for membership in Baltusrol could help in combating discrimination.” The list he submitted included Rabbi Martin Freedman, of Patterson, N.J., president of the local chapter of the American Jewish Congress. Mr. Nagler said that if Mr. Nixon could not get other club members to back recommendations of the 20 applicants, “I would not think that you would wish to remain a member of the club if you really oppose its discriminatory practices.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
