Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701 of 824

first we had to get a nut together to test this whole thing. I remember, I put up a fifty thousand check to used if everything went bad, to be returned if everything went good. And we started what essentially became a big direct mail operation to get members. And the return was absolutely fantastic. We tested a whole variety of lists and in no time at all we had fifty thousand members and a hundred thousand, and two hundred and I think we peaked at about three hundred thousand. And Common Cause became a lobby for all sorts of causes, not just that one. As a matter of fact it finally became the lobby against Nixon. And I remember warning my colleagues, I was on the board-

Of Common Cause?

Oh, yeah, I was on the board--I was one of the starting directors. The board of Common Cause was consisted of relatively few important names. It was mostly young people representing a variety of organizations. All moving in the direction of trying to improve society, solve racial poverty, all the litany of problems that effected us. And it became extremely powerful. It had a really big influence on the Congress. And it had a one strong ally in the Executive branch. And that's how I came to know Pat Moynihan, because it's hard to believe now, but Pat Moynihan was in the Nixon administration.