[Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech.] Correspondence of A. R. Hattersley of Sale, including letters to him from his MP Anthony Barber and Conservative leader Edward Heath's office, and copies of Hattersley's own letters (one to Powell).

The seven items are in good overall condition, on aged and lightly-worn paper. ONE: Mimeographed typed press release from Conservative Central Office: 'The Rt. Hon. Edward Heath, M.B.E., M.P. (Bexley) | Leader of the Opposition | Statement about the Rt. Hon. Enoch Powell, M.P.' 'Release time: 22.30 Hours/21st April, 1968'. 2pp., foolscap 8vo. Begins: 'I have tonight been in touch with Mr Enoch Powell and told him of my decision, taken with the greatest regret, that he should no longer be invited to attend the Shadow Cabinet. | I have told Mr Powell that I consider the speech he made in Birmingham yesterday to have been racialist in tone and liable to exacerbate racial tensions.' Sent to Hattersley by Barber (see Item Three). TWO: Typed Letter Signed to Hattersley from John Stevens of the 'Private Office of the Leader of the Opposition'. On Heath's House of Commons letterhead; 3 May 1968. 1p., foolscap 8vo. Stevens writes that Heath is 'naturally sorry, on personal grounds, that he had to decide that Mr Powell should no longer remain a Member of the Shadow Cabinet, but he cannot accept the inflammatory nature of his approach to the very difficult problem of race relations.' The proceeds to state 'the policy of the Conservative Party'. THREE: Autograph Letter Signed to Hattersley from his Member of Parliament Anthony Barber. 1p., 4to. On House of Commons letterhead; 24 April 1968. 'As you will have seen in the press, we debated this whole problem yesterday, and I cannot do better than to enclose herewith a copy of Mr. Quinton [sic] Hogg's speech, which expresses the view of my colleagues and myself in the Shadow Cabinet.' He encloses copies of Item One above, and Item Seven below. FOUR: Carbon of typewritten letter from Hattersley to Enoch Powell. From Marsland Road; 22 April 1968. 1p., 4to. 'I feel that for the first time in my life, I must write to a member of Parliament over an issue of the day. | My thanks go to you, as being the first man in public life to speak his true mind over the coloured problem. [...] This is a white country & we will not have it turned into a black monopoly in any way, by the hypocrisy of both parties, & no laws will ever change us. I served in the last war, out east, to keep us free, & I will not give way one inch over this black problem, so I pray for you to keep up the good work.' FIVE: Typed copy of letter from Hattersley to Barber. On letterhead of 'Lynthorpe', 100 Marsland Road, Sale, Cheshire; 28 April 1968. Hattersley is described at the foot of the page as 'Member of Soc. for Nautical Research, Soc. for Army Hist. Research, Confederate High Command, Brit. Model Soldier Soc., Middleton Ship Model Soc., Hakluyt Soc.' He thanks Barber for sending him Items One and Seven. 'It is hard to understand them, the issue is clear to me & 90% of our white population that this bill must not be passed, as it gives privileges to the coloured people that we do not have. As it stands, I can refuse to sell my house to Anthony Barber, but I am unable to refuse a coloured man, without him taking action against me. | No law or bill, will ever make me like or mix with coloured people, [...] This country is a FREE WHITE country [...] In a few years time we do not want 20% or more blacks in our population, we do not want even ½ %. We do not want to learn & live with them, as Mr Heath request[s] that we should, this will never happen, so why not face the fact, & STOP ALL COLOURED IMMIGRATION NOW. [...] This is a white country & we will not have it turned brown in any way'. SIX: Typewritten draft of letter from Hattersley to Barber. No place; 1p., 8vo. On creased paper. 'My friends and I in Sale, which you represent, will not vote Conservative again unless something is done about the colour problem; and of the thousands of people I speak to in business the opinion is the same: that the vast numbers of coloured people being allowed into this country, and the numbers already here, are putting in jeopardy the rights of native-born citizens. Every word Enoch Powell said is true: we do not want to turn this country into a black monopoly. He deserves support for his realism and lack of hypocrisy.' SEVEN: Cutting from Hansard of a speech by Quintin Hogg, 23 April 1968. On eight pages (columns 67-81). Sent to Hattersley by Barber (see Item Three).