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Moe FonerMoe Foner
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Session:         Page of 592

Then Murray Kempton wrote a column in which he said, among other things, that Ray Corbett would sell his soul for twenty plumbers. Corbett never forgave me for that, that I was responsible for Murray's statement. But anyway, I remember his opposition and how gloomy I was about it.

Let's see now. Some of the other things. In 1965, when we struck in Bronxville, it was a tremendous strike, but I don't want to discuss that.

Q:

You've given the details earlier.

Foner:

But I met in that strike a couple, people who lived in Bronxville, who formed a Citizens Committee for the hospital strikers, two Protestants, devoutly religious, very wealthy, part of the society there and more. Well, Harold Turner was in the library, taught library science at Columbia. His wife, Virginia, she was at home taking care of the kids. You know, their wives never worked.

John Richardson, Jr., and his wife Bonnie, John Richardson was a very important person. He was the head of Radio Free Europe. He was for some time an advisor to the government on security issues, the CIA. And yet they supported us.

Two things I remember. Three things. First, we became very good friends. They were taking the heat. People wouldn't speak to their kids. People would drive by and break their windows.

Q:

This is the Turners?

Foner:

This is in Bronxville, 1965. And while we were having demonstrations every Saturday, big demonstrations, Ossie [Davis] was arrested, the only time in Bronxville. But I want to keep that separate from this.

I got to know them very well, to a point that I got them to be interviewed. Jimmy Wechsler did a column interviewing Bonnie Richardson, and not saying anything about her husband's background. But I remember Bonnie Richardson would come to the picket line wearing a mink coat. [Laughter] I'd go over and say, “Bonnie, please do me a favor. It's good to have you in the picket line, but don't wear a mink coat.” [Laughter]

And she was amused. She said, “I wear it all the time.” So that I will never forget.

Q:

What conclusions did you draw from the fact that people like that were allies, could be allies?





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