Hazel writes about their unexpected trip to California's Central Valley, specifically to Hanford, the Nevis familial home. Bill's brother-in-law (Arnold's uncle) Manuel Mello passed away. Manuel's widow Laura took it badly.
The anticommunist incident she describes in the letter was an invasion of the Crescenda-Cañada Democratic club in a private home by twenty men, who wore American Legion hats, threatening the host and his guests. The police were summoned by the Legionnaires said that the Democrats were communists and no charges were filed. The host was Hugh Hardiman, a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union, was incensed and made a big noise in the media the next day. Because some Legionnaires wore their hats they could be identified as belonging to Glendale Post 127. It grabbed national attention, and eventually went to trial. Even Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling heard the radio broadcasts and saved the transcripts of the radio interviews and newspaper clips in his archive. Nine of the accused were reporters and photographers and had the charges dropped, but twelve Legionnaires were convicted of disturbing the peace and subsequently got fined.
next post November 25, 1947
previous post November 22 & 24, 1947
first post in Arnold's Story July 1943
first post in blog Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943
