Thank you Mick and Bob for your kind words. I am totally a union supporter. I know that
Pete has always been one. He cut his teeth on picket lines. I have never crossed a line
and would always prefer to join one.

I know that Lee was a union man too.

Will, I sat next to Dalton Trumbo (One of the Hollywood Ten) the night before he was to be sent to jail. He wrote a masterful "Johnny Get Your Gun" (the title based on the George M. Cohan song, "Over There").It is a necessary read in my opinion about the futility of war. It was at a meeting by the Left Wing Arts Sciences and Professions in Hollywood.

We lost some great talent in the movie business during that period thanks to the drunk Senator from Wisconsin and Jack Tenney (who wrote the song Mexicali Rose) and formed the Tenney Commision in California to investigate Communist Activities in the movies and TV.

The casualities included Morris Kornofsky (a marvelous actor who ran the Actor's Lab Theater Group in Hollywood), Will Geer, a great actor who was forced to give up acting and supported himself as a landscaper and botanist but came back in the media as Grandpa Walton, Don Murray, another fine actor, who was forced to run a laundromat, Jeff Corey ,actor extraordinaire, acting teacher and director who went back to school to get a degree in speech as a teacher since he couldn't find work in Hollywood, Gail Sondegard, an impressive actress, Waldo Salt (Hollywood Ten) who penned the notable and memorable "Midnight Cowboy" who was very encouraging to me in the early days, Earl Robinson, who tried to get into the Hollywood composer scene but was unable to, Howard Da Silva, a fine actor who also suffered under McCarthy, Hershel Bernardi and so many other fine and talented folks. It was a heartbreaking time.

Josh White was threatened by the FBI. He had those "phone calls". Pete has forgiven him
for his cooperation with HUAAC. Burl Ives and Elia Kazan were unabashed informants.

So you see, the Weavers really didn't have a chance on the pop market scene. The local papers in Hollywood such as the L.A. Examiner ran headlines about "Reds invading Topanga Canyon". Will Geer, Bess Hawes, Rich Dehr all lived there.

It was a terrible time for talented people. I can't describe it accurately because it was such
a vicious attempt by hysterical officials. Today, Steve Earle, as I understand it has problems with Right Wingnuts as did the Dixie Chicks.

The Weavers represent courage in the face of the corruption in the 50's. This is an important part of American History that they won't teach kids in high school. This, and
the legacy of the battles of the labor movement to succeed for the working people of this country as well.

The US didn't officially torture anyone during that period, though, as they do today.

We need more groups like the Weavers to release the American Conscience from its prison by corrupt Right Wing ideologues. The Weavers remind us of how far we need to go to preserve American democracy. I'm off my soap box now but I just didn't realize how emotional I was on this subject until now.

Frank Hamilton