Text Version of Letter, Dated October 10, 1921

Letter, dated October 10, 1921, from Sanger to Tarbell asking Tarbell to serve on the First American Birth Control League Conference Committee.


October 10
1921

Miss Ida Tarbell
120 East 19th Street
New York City

My dear Miss Tarbell:
During the past few years a number of economists, doctors, and social workers have urged me to arrange for a wider investigation of the subject of Birth Control in the United States. This request, together with the thousands of letters asking for contraceptive information which come to me through the mail, makes it impossible for me to ignore the demand any longer. I am arranging, therefore, with the help of a Committee, a National Conference to be held in New York City November 11th, 12th and 13th.

Harold Cox, former Member of Parliament and Editor of the Edinburgh Review, will come from England to speak at the Mass Meeting which will be held at the Town Hall on the last evening of the Conference. We have received, already, promises from delegates representing twenty-three States that they will be present to attend the different sessions.

From these meetings, we hope to form an American Birth Control League to stimulate sufficient interest and leadership so that organizers and speakers may be sent out over the country to form branches in the several States. We want to go first to those States where there are no laws restricting contraceptive information and establish clinics, and later into the other States to do Legislative work.

We are most anxious to have you become affiliated with this group and to have your permission to add your name to the Conference Committee. I realize, however, that you would not be willing to have your name used for any project with which you are not thoroughly familiar, so I am writing to ask if you will designate a convenient time that Miss Clara Louise Rowe, who is in charge of the detailed arrangements for the Conference, may call to see you and explain our program in full.

Hoping that you will see your way clear to granting this interview, I am
Yours very sincerely,
[SANGER SIGNATURE]
Chairman

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