The following letter (dated June 30, 1977) claiming to be from Joe Biden is currently floating around social media. Is this real?
asked Jun 28, 2019 at 17:26
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1 Answer
It appears to be real and not just on “social” media.
CNN treats this letter as genuine: Letters from Joe Biden reveal how he sought support of segregationists in fight against busing:
“Dear Mr. Chairman,” Biden wrote on June 30, 1977. “I want you to know that I very much appreciate your help during this week’s committee meeting in attempting to bring my anti-busing legislation to a vote.”
–– Letters from Joe Biden reveal how he sought support of segregationists in fight against busing. By Jeff Zeleny, Senior Washington Correspondent Updated 1149 GMT (1949 HKT) June 28, 2019
The Washington Post had a few of these documents, including:
The letters were obtained from the University of Mississippi, which houses Sen. James O. Eastland’s archived papers.The correspondence from 1972 to 1978 shows Joe Biden, at the time a young senator, trying to establish a relationship with Eastland, a staunch segregationist. The letters highlight Biden’s committee assignments and antibusing legislation.
–– Washington Post: Joe Biden’s letters to segregationist Sen. James O. Eastland, Updated Jun 21, 2019 at 3:28 AM (PDF)
And finally, while Biden sees a few qualifiers to be applicable for how, why etc he supported the policy back then, when confronted in a recent debate, Joe Biden knew what it was about and didn’t bring up doubt over any authenticity:
answered Jun 28, 2019 at 21:21
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3Here's an article with the full context, if anyone is interested. Summary is that Biden was extremely influential in stopping busing, and his segregationist allies were very helpful. politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/04/…– AveryJun 29, 2019 at 1:43