Manson letters sent to Lincoln museum

[davg2000]

I doubt that the decision to accept Manson's letters to Peoria Journal Star reporter Phil Luciano was made lightly.

Here is ALPLM's Mission Statement: "The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum interprets the life and times of our nation’s greatest president and its relevance to modern America: it fosters scholarship, preserves the documentary and visual history of Illinois and supports historical literacy through an ambitious agenda of changing exhibits, theatrical performances, conferences, lectures, educational programs and on-line content."

The name of the museum and library can be confusing because it suggests that the museum deals mainly (only) with Lincoln-related material. But ALPLM is really the main historical library of Illinois; it considers accepting material that has only to have some kind of Illinois connection. Charles Manson spent time in Peoria, IL, in 1949. So, apparently, his letters qualify, no matter how odious, under the "the documentary and visual history of Illinois" clause of the mission statement.

One may disagree that the letters deserve inclusion, but there is a written rationale for it.

Manson's letters will never be on display in the Museum or the Library. They will not be auctioned off or sold because Illinois may need money. (Actually, Illinois will always need more money, but the funds won't come from the sale of these letters.)