The aim of the present Administration in the field of Indian affairs is not to "detribalize" the Indian or deprive him of his identity but to give him a wider range of choice and a greater opportunity for fulfilling his own potentialities than he has previously enjoyed, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay emphasized today in making public a letter he wrote November 30 to Oliver La Farge, president of the Association on American Indian Affairs, Inc.
The Secretary's letter was in response to a letter addressed to President Eisenhower by Mr. La Farge on November 10 criticizing many aspects of current Federal policy and practice in Indian affairs.
In his reply Secretary McKay covered a broad range of topics. These include the Indian Bureau's voluntary relocation program, efforts to improve economic opportunities near the reservation, the right of Indians to retain their tribal identity if they wish, the policy of consultation with Indians, background of the so-called "termination" policy, the Indian Bureau's credit program, fee patent policy, and several other matters.
