"Letter Regarding Religious Bigotry in Political Campaigns: Response from John J. F. McDermott", 1952-03-26

John J. F. McDermott, Senior Vice President of First National Bank of Omaha, received a letter regarding religious bigotry in the political campaign involving Senator Kerr of Oklahoma. Despite being aligned with the Republican campaign of Governor Peterson, McDermott was concerned by the newspaper article enclosed in the letter which raised the issue of religious bigotry against Senator Kerr. McDermott reached out to a Catholic layman in Oklahoma who assured him that Senator Kerr was a representative of American tolerance and that the accusations were false. McDermott, though not involved in the Democratic campaign, felt strongly about the injection of religious issues into politics and wanted to share his findings with the recipient of the letter, Mr. Boyle.