Aug. 1, 1962 - President Kennedy said today he could not understand why city officials in Albany, Ga., could not sit down with Negro citizens to work out racial problems there. At his news conference, the President said he found the position taken by the Albany City Commission “wholly inexplicable.” The commission has persistently refused to negotiate with Negro leaders in the southwest Georgia city where hundreds have been arrested in recent demonstrations. “The U.S. Government is involved in sitting down at Geneva with the Soviet Union,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I can’t understand why the government of Albany — the City Council of Albany — cannot do the same for American citizens.” The President said he had received “more or less daily reports” on the Albany situation from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
