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350 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS
MR. WILKINS:
Yes, I'll be very glad to speak about that particular sentence. That
sentence did not say that any of the — if you go back and read it
again — it did not say that the Mayor of Newark started the riot. It
said that he has ignored advice from the Negro community on an ap-
pointment to the Board of Education, and that the housing situation
in Newark was terrible, which it is. The percentage of substandard
housing occupied by Negroes in Newark is something like the third
highest in the United States. This does not say that they started the
riot, but it says that they made no effort to correct conditions that
contribute to unrest and dissatisfaction that finally could be triggered
into a riot. I would like to have you read that resolution and be care-
ful about saying that the NAACP had adopted a resolution which
said that the Mayor started the riot. Don't use such shorthand. That's
too short.
QUESTION: Mr. Wilkins, have you been in Baltimore recently or have
you firsthand knowledge of conditions in Baltimore? Are you com-
petent, and if so will you assess Baltimore's flashpoint?
MR. WILKINS:
I will not assess the Baltimore flashpoint because I don't think I
know enough about Baltimore's flashpoint. I didn't come here to
talk about Baltimore's flashpoint.
QUESTION; Governor, what is your reading about the Baltimore and
Eastern Shore problems?
GOVERNOR:
I am glad you asked me that question because I don't think there
is any such thing as a "flashpoint. " I believe that the talk about a
flashpoint and a "dynamite situation" and the preoccupation of
people who reflect this point of view can cause more trouble than any-
thing else that would trigger a riot. The people are malleable and in
a constant state of flux, and they are not interested in rioting for the
sake of rioting. But when the suggestion is constantly made that there
is a flashpoint, that we're living in a room full of volatile fumes that
a single match can ignite, is repeated and reiterated over and over
again, you have too many people believing it and you can cause riots
with that kind of philosophy.
QUESTION: Governor, as a result of your meeting with Mr. Wilkins,
have you made plans to do anything specific?
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