DescriptionLetter sent to Reverend William A. Holmes at Northaven Methodist Church from William H. Tagg of Dallas.
Tagg refers to events "at the start of the situation" that are not fully explained in the letter, although it seems clear he is referring to Holmes' controversial sermon given the Sunday after President Kennedy's assassination.
Reverend Holmes revealed for the first time in a 2008 program at The Sixth Floor Museum that a teacher in his congregation who spoke to him of schoolchildren who cheered upon hearing of Kennedy's death was Carol Tagg, the writer's wife.
Letter is typewritten on cream-colored letterhead paper and reads as follows:
"William H. Tagg
3939 Deep Valley Drive
Dallas 34, Texas
December 2, 1963
Dear Bill:
I have waited until now to write, not because you have not been uppermost in our thoughts and prayers, but because you have had a full share of details to care for.
Carol and I both feel quite proud of your role in these last puzzling days, and we also have felt such sympathy for Nancy and your family.
I talked at length with Jane who said that the service yesterday was filled with your people who wanted to affirm your stand and, of course, this makes us happy. Forgive us if we in any way contributed dishonestly at the start of the stituation. I hope that the facts were exactly as we stated.
Now that we all have had a chance to give this some proportion, I am sure many others will agree with Carol and I in our pride that a Dallas minister provided some thoughts for our personal re-evaluation rather than having it done by a Chicago union leader or a California housewife.
Ever onward!
Bill" (signed)
Envelope is type-addressed to:
"The Reverend William A. Holmes
Northhaven Methodist Church
11211 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas"
From (printed on back):
"William H. Tagg"
Curatorial Commentary
When I first interviewed Rev. Holmes in March 2007, he was surprised to hear that there was still historical interest in his controversial sermon from the weekend of the Kennedy assassination. He and his wife soon decided to donate to the Museum the collection of more than 450 letters and cards that they received from around the world after excerpts of the sermon were broadcast on CBS.
Although several letters were critical of Holmes, the vast majority supported his beliefs as expressed in the sermon. Holmes was most proud of the letter he received from Christian philosopher Paul Tillich (1886-1965), while his children were thrilled with the letter from actor Hugh Brannum (1910-87), who played "Mr. Green Jeans" on the children's program "Captain Kangaroo." - Stephen Fagin, Associate Curator
