CLOSING BOWIE STATE COLLEGE 751

A. Well, I'm going to leave that up to Colonel Lally and the Police.
They'll be allowed to enter the dormitories to get what effects they
need and we will try to be nondisruptive as we can be.

Q. Governor, is the campus now secured under the State Police?

A. The State Police have been instructed to secure the campus.

Q. Was that at 7: 30?

A. Well, yes.

Q. Governor, getting back to the point of outside influence again
(garbled).... Governor. I'm sorry I couldn't understand that. (Ques-
tion garbled — ends):.... danger to the public welfare?

A. Well, I think it's perfectly clear that when they made the state-
ments that no one will refute that they made, that they were going
to take such actions as utilizing the switchboard of the college —
wasting water — certainly turning on lights — this is the beginning
of other more serious steps that might involve the actual destruction
of property. And when people embark upon a course of action that's
deliberately calculated to inflame and provoke other action in re-
sponse to it, there's no end to how far they can go. And I don't feel,
in my position, having the responsibility in this State to protect the
public property and the public health, safety and welfare, I don't
feel disposed to see some drastic thing happen at that college campus
tonight and then have people ask me tomorrow: "Why didn't you
take action to secure it?"

Q. What would constitute the normalcy you spoke of?

A. Well, I think the condition of normalcy would indicate that con-
ditions that prevailed on that College campus in a day-to-day situa-
tion two or three months ago, restored, would be normal in my
opinion. In that regard, I do intend to meet with Dr. Myers and the
Board of Trustees tomorrow to discuss the situation. I don't want to
keep the school closed any longer than is absolutely necessary, be-
cause I recognize that this causes a great hardship to the students,
particularly those who have not been involved in the lawbreaking.

Q. Governor, do you have any idea what the situation is at Bowie at

this moment?

A. Well, I talked to Dr. Myers no longer than 15 minutes ago, and

it was quiet.

Q. Have you alerted the National Guard?

A. I alerted the National Guard this afternoon, and it's a matter of

routine that whenever any kind of dispute of this type, involving a