Yet Biden invited Eastland to speak on the Senate floor in support of his anti-busing bill. "I want to personally ask your continued support and alert you to our intentions," Biden wrote on Aug. 22, 1978. The letters, which are filed away in Eastland's archives at the University of Mississippi, offer a window into the robust nature of Biden's support of anti-busing bills. "His long commitment to civil rights has repeatedly been recognized by many of the most important civil rights organizations in America." After reviewing the letters from Biden to Eastland, Dunn said he was surprised at the degree to which Biden was soliciting support from such a known segregationist leader.

Source: CNN April 11, 2019 19:52 UTC