(Columbia-AP) Dec. 16, 2003 - The late Senator Strom Thurmond's family will not contest a California woman's claim that she is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of the one-time segregationist.

US Attorney Strom Thurmond, Junior, told The State newspaper that he has no reason to believe 78-year-old Essie Mae Washington-Williams was not telling the truth. Thurmond says he would like to meet the retired Los Angeles schoolteacher and establish a relationship, but would prefer to do it in private. No meeting has been set.

Official Thurmond Family Statement:

As J. Strom Thurmond has passed away and cannot speak for himself, the Thurmond family acknowledges Ms. Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ claim to her heritage. We hope this acknowledgment will bring closure for Ms. Williams.

He is declining all media requests, saying he has nothing to add to earlier an earlier statement acknowledging Williams' claim. Thurmond adds that he would very much appreciate the media respecting the privacy of the family.

Williams will hold a news conference at 11:00am Wednesday at the Adam's Mark hotel in Columbia. Thurmond's widow, Nancy, would not speak to the media.

Williams broke a decades-long silence over the weekend to claim she was the daughter of Strom Thurmond and a 16-year-old maid working in his father's home. Thurmond would have been 22-years-old at the time. Williams came forward over the weekend at the urging of her family.

Williams' lawyer, Frank K. Wheaton, says Williams is grateful the Thurmond family acknowledged her claim. He says she may not release all her alleged evidence supporting the claim because of the family's announcement. Williams says she has documents to validate her claim, including cashier's check stubs, mementos from Thurmond and a letter from an intermediary who delivered money from the senator. She declined to name the intermediary, citing privacy concerns.

J. Mark Taylor, an attorney handling the Thurmond estate, said he has had no contact with Williams. Thurmond's will did not acknowledge Williams or her heirs.

Walters spoke more about the closure Williams' wants, "One, this is not about embarrassing the family. Two, this is not about money. What this event really is about is closure for Essie Mae Washington-Williams. For all of her life, she could never acknowledge her father. She could never step forward and says 'My father is US Senator J. Strom Thurmond.'" Williams has struggled financially over the years, and in 2001, court records show, she declared personal bankruptcy.

The late senator's family on Monday issued a statement saying the family "acknowledges" Williams' claim. The statement says the family hopes the acknowledgement will bring closure for her. Williams has long been rumored to have been Thurmond's daughter, but she always denied that she was Thurmond's daughter.

In an interview with The Washington Post , Essie Mae Williams says that Thurmond acknowledged her privately as his daughter and provided financial support for her starting in 1941. Williams says she didn't come forward sooner because she worried it would harm Thurmond's political career. Thurmond died in June at age 100.

Williams gave the Washington Post a copy of a 1998 Thurmond letter thanking her "for the nice Father's Day note you sent me" as proof that she is Thurmond's daughter.

Reporting by Nicole Bell and Jack Kuenzie
updated 12:32pm by Chris Rees

Additional information from The Washington Post