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said okay and I drafted a statement and I gave it to Van Arsdale. Van Arsdale then brought it to the meeting of the leaders of the labor movement. Of course, we had somebody there. Bill Taylor was always sitting in there. Van Arsdale said, “I have something I want to read.” He read the statement and he said, “Are there any questions? Now this question is closed. I don't want to hear it any more.” That was the end of that issue.

Specifically where were the attacks coming from?

Obviously, they came from some people in the labor movement.

It never affected the workers or anything?

Oh, no! Those worker's didn't know a communist from a hole in the ground.

I remember articles being written by Victor Reisel comparing Davis -- I think I told you he once called me. I once got a call from Reisel at home. It was a Sunday, late in the afternoon. And I was home that Sunday afternoon. It must have been about six or seven o'clock. I would only go home after press time closed, you see. I was down in the basement painting some furniture and Anne said, “Victor Reisel is on the phone.” I said to myself, “It was bound to happen.” I knew Reisel from way, way back, City College days. So I said, “Hello, Victor.” I figured, “Okay, the red issue is gonna be raised.” He said, “Now why am I not on the list to get press releases?” I said, “Victor, I don't even have a list. I just call up people and tell them. If you want, I'll call you every day.” He did a column comparing Davis with Castro coming out of the hills, Davis in hiding coming out to lead his workers, you know, this great crusade.

But it was positive then? It was the time of the Castro crusade?

Oh, yes. Castro was a mythical figure fighting against oppression. Now, I think Castro came to the United States in 1959 and stayed at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem. I think it was 1959. But life was going by. We could not follow anything but this.

The other thing that happened was that, because the Mayor had to show that he was in the thing, he arranged with some other people and through Van Arsdale and William H. Davis -- William H. Davis had been the chairman of the War Labor Board and he was a rather distinguished labor arbitrator. He was called in to see if he could arbitrate. He held some hearings and he made recommendations. He