Dear Mrs. Richardson:
We have received from Florida a remarkably interesting collection of autobiographical stories by ex-slaves. Such documentary records by the survivors of a historic period in America are invaluable, both to the student of history and to creative writers.
If a volume of such importance can be assembled we will endeavor to secure its publication. There undoubtedly is material of this sort to be found in your State by making the proper contact through tactful interviewers. While it is desirable to give a running story of the life of each subject, the color and human interest will be greatly enhanced if it is told largely in the words of the person interviewed. The peculiar idiom is often more expressive than a literary account.
We shall be very glad to know if you have undertaken any research of this sort, or plan to do so.
Very truly yours,
George Cronyn
Associate Director
Federal Writers' Project
GWCronyn/a
[File 2: Handwritten version]