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Moe FonerMoe Foner
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Session:         Page of 592

McCarthy period, because you're talking about, going to work in 65 at the height of McCarthyism.

Foner:

Yes, but if you look back, you'll find that the Hollywood situation was a violent attack on actors and actresses. There was the period -- I don't have the years anymore -- but in the Wallace campaign there was a very strong effective utilization of intellectuals and performers, etc., for Wallace I remember--and this hurt her for a long time afterward--Lena Horne with pictures with Paul Robeson.

Q:

For Wallace?

Foner:

Yes. You see, Robeson played a very important role in the Wallace campaign.

Q:

I wasn't aware of that.

Foner:

Yes, he went on tours, singing, you know. Yes, he did. Whether it was Lena Horne on the Wallace campaign, but with Robeson, you see, these issues sort of dovetailed and moved in and out. One of the problems I have is trying to fix dates for the things, so that I will make some serious blunders on dates.

Q:

Now, you went to work for 1250, you said, in 1947, which was the year that the Taft-Hartley Act was passed. Do you recall the impact of the passage of the act? It was very close. I mean it was almost --

Foner:

Yes. I remember outdoor demonstrations on 23rd Street, Madison Square Park. I remember, I think, a rally, may have been at Madison Square Garden. But you had a feeling that it was going to happen, that you couldn't stop it, that it was coming. Now then the question is, what impact. To tell you the truth, since I did not deal with bargaining, it didn't have that kind of impact on me and my work. But it did have impact in terms of the section on communist affidavits. That created a great deal of concern. What are you going to do about this? And how are you going to get the members to approve? I remember that the issue had to come to the membership, they had to vote on whether the people would sign the affidavits, and we campaigned to avoid signing. It was a big deal.

Q:

And what about the Wallace campaign? [tape interruption] Wallace campaign.

Foner:

Wallace campaign. It must have been shortly--let's me think. When did I come in?

Q:

You came in '47.





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