1-The court refused to enjoin Casey, holding that he had full authority to reorganize the council. 2-Steinmetz, formerly president of the Central Labor Council is out. The California State Board of Education examined the "red" charges. Not guilty. Steinmetz ran for Mayor of San Diego and came in third in a field of 9 candidates. 3-A. C. Rogers, formerly Secretary of the Central Labor Council, has been expelled from the A. F. of L. for misappropriation of funds. Rogers' friends made good the shortage (approximately $300.00) so no legal action was taken. 4-The conservative elements are in control. 5—Organization work is practically at a standstill. The Machinists are working on the aircraft boys but progress is very slow. I hear that some of the more rebellious members of the San Diego local are attempting to force more intensive action but are apparently under control. Bridges of San Francisco Longshore fame is apparently in control of the I. L. A. It remains to be seen whether the new responsibility will curb him or add to his aggressiveness. We are having a most interesting time-plenty of work but its all of a different kind so there is no let up in interest. We are somewhat discouraged over the way our hearings have dragged on, particularly the American Potash and the Samson cases. Mrs. Nylander is keeping busy. She is engaged in some psychological research that has her so engrossed that she doesn't even notice that her husband is too busy to keep regular hours. I hope things are well with you-and that if the Hawaiian Island case develops (as it might-the I. L. A. are establishing a local in Hilo) you and the Board will find an opportunity to come West, if not before that time. Sincerely, 808 U. S. Post Office Bldg. & Courthouse Spring & Temple Sts., Los Angeles, Calif. Please submit to Allen Rosenberg at once a list of cases in your region which in your opinion the A. F. L. may use at the hearings as the basis for complaint against the Board either because of treatment by the regional office, the trial examiner, or the Board. NATHAN WITT. National Labor Relations Board. A. F. L. [Postal Telegraph] LOS ANGELES, CALIF., April 28, 1939. To Allan Rosenberg, National Labor Relations Board, Washington, D. C. Detailed report being airmailed April 29. Charge to: N. L. R. B. 808 U. S. Postoffice & Courthouse Bldg. TOWNE NYLANDER, Activities in connection with the La Follette Committee: [R. C. A. Radiogram] WASHINGTON, D. C., Los ANGELES, CAL., Oct. 17, 1936. Mr. BENEDICT WOLF, 205 Federal Bldg., Los Angeles, California. Board appointed Ralph Seward regional attorney for Los Angeles office today he will arrive in ten days or two weeks stop please inform Nylander Boards action and direct that no publicity be given out regarding appointment regards. N. L. R. B. B. M. STERN. [Copy for Mr. Ralph Seward] NOVEMBER 5, 1936. Mr. CLINTON J. TAFT, DEAR DOCTOR: It was good to receive your long and interesting note of October 29. I have taken up your suggestion of a thorough investigation of the denial of civil liberties by the La Follette Committee and hearings by the Committee to be held in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California, with Mr. Robert Wohlforth, Secretary of the Committee, who is sympathetic with the idea. Mr. Edwin Smith, a member of our Board, who has been to the Pacific Coast recently and who is very deeply interested in the whole Coast situation, is also strongly enthusiastic for such an investigation and such hearings. There are difficulties, as you know. The appropriation the Committee received. $15,000, is first being depleted; the Committee hopes to receive more funds from the next Congress. Until then it is spending no more money than is absolutely unavoidable, and is making use, as you know, of personnel from other Government Agencies. That accounts for my connection with the Committee. Herbert Solow is also associated with the Committee and has prepared a rather elaborate outline for Mr. Edises, who is the Regional Attorney at our San Francisco Regional office, and for Ralph Seward, who is our new attorney at Los Angeles. Seward has been instructed to visit and confer with you. This, I am sure, he will do if he has not already done so. I know Seward personally. He is a member of the Civil Liberties Union here in Washington, is thoroughly reliable and very competent. My suggestion is that you arrange to get as many requests as possible to Senator La Follette and to Mr. Wohlforth, urging the Committee to conduct an investigation and particularly to hold hearings in California. Resolutions from organizations will help; so will letters from liberals in California, particularly members of the State Legislature and California Congressmen. This suggestion is not original; doubtless you have considered it yourself already. In any event, it should not be made public that my name is connected with this suggestion in view of my association with the Committee. Did the election have any effect upon the make-up of the California legislature? In your opinion, is there any possibility of the California Legislature considering the passage of a State Labor Relations Act modeled after the Federal Act. Cordially yours, ALW: SL Mr. RALPH SEWARD, NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Natl. Labor Relations Board, 21st Reg., 205 Federal Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. DEAR RALPH: I am enclosing a copy of a letter to Dr. Taft of the Los Angeles A. C. L. U. I hope you will be able to find time to visit him shortly. You will find him a very agreeable person and one whom you must know if you expect to be interested in A. C. L. U. work in Los Angeles. Taft will be glad to arrange to have you meet the members of the Los Angeles A. C. L. U. Committee. Subject: Supplement to Memorandum in Re Investigation of Eugene Ivey's Friend. We have just come across the torn remnant of a letter sent by some friend to Ivey on August 14, 1936. Said friend, whose name we have not yet been able to make out, was then traveling near Albany, Georgia. The gentleman is arranging a date to go to a dance, at which he expects to see Mr. Ivey. The gentleman expects to go with someone named Shealy, and says "I take it that you are to bring the Adcock girl." There is a little uncertainty as to the exact spelling of that girl's name. Subject: Suggestions for Los Angeles Investigator. 1. Attached is a copy of a letter sent by a person named Bill to Eugene Ivey. The letter is written on stationary of the Los Angeles Times, where said Bill was employed in the advertising department. Said Bill resides at 207 South Manhattan Place, Los Angeles. The letter was written in May 1936. 2. The contents of this letter reveal that Bill is an intimate friend and drinking companion of Ivey. Anyone who studies this letter will be in a position to represent himself as being well acquainted with the personal life of Ivey and could thereby win the confidence of Bill. Such representations could be made more easy by a person acquainted with Atlanta, but that is not essential as Mr. Ivey travels not infrequently through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee and he might have met the hypothetical person on one of his trips. 3. Bill is now employed as sales manager of a California packing corporation. Having been thus employed since May 19 or earlier, he has been through at least one packing season. Consequently, he may be presumed to have considerable information about the activities of employers' associations, vigilantes, etc., in re strikes. 4. We do not know Bill's last name but discreet inquiry of members of the newspaper guild in Los Angeles, or of the packing corporation will reveal that. 5. Information valuable to the committee could almost certainly be obtained by someone who could successfully present himself to Bill as a visitor from the east acquainted with Ivey. Said person could open the conversation with references to the pleasant drinking parties at the Piedmont Driving Club, “Mac”, the family, etc. He might then work around to a remark about the unpleasant time Ivey had on his recent trip to Washington. This would lead naturally into a discussion of Ivey's line of work, and similar activities in California. The friend might himself show some familiarity with strikebreaking activities in some remote region, and this could lead to swoping stories. The primary object should be to get stories on California but incidentally Bill might let out a few things about Ivey and activities in the east. 6. It should be noted that Bill attended (and perhaps graduated from) “Illinois"-probably the University of Illinois at Champaign. He seems to be sentimental about the matter, and if the person who approaches him can also yap about dear old Illinois, the wheels will go around faster. 7. If you think that there is anything in this idea, you might send this on to Mr. Seward. Attachment (1). 207 So. Manhattan Place, Los Angeles, Calif., Tuesday, May 19, 1936. DEAR GENE: Sorry as hell I haven't acknowledged your very prompt reply to my post card before now. Things have been in a bit of a dither for me for the last week—hence the delay. The storm has cleared away however, revealing yours truly as the new assistant sales manager in charge of merchandising and advertising of the Treesweet Products Co. of Los Angeles and Santa Ana-world's largest packers of canned orange, lemon and lime juice. The whole thing came along out of a clear sky last Thursday when Treesweet called the national advertising manager of the Times,Mr. Hartford, and asked for a man they could break in and build up with their fast-moving-ever-increasing business. Fortunately, Mr. Hartford picked on me and I had my interview Friday morning. Of course, lucky me, walks right into an almost perfect set-up and to top things all off, the president is an Illinois grad. They hired me yesterday, and I start tomorrow. How's that for a swell break? From what you said in your letter, I would judge that things have been pretty dull socially of late in Atlanta. Don't tell me you're getting too old for a party every night in the week. Possibly Friend Mac has a steading influence on you or sumpin. I must admit that even with all this sunshine etc. we have out here, I sometimes get a terriffic yen to be back at the good old Piedmont Driving Club for one of their Saturday night functions-stag like you and Mac and I used to attend. I had some mighty swell times while I was in Atlanta-yowsa! but as you said, with my future to think about, I couldn't afford to stay with one outfit for the rest of my life. Accordingly, I "seen my duty and I done it in making a change. Fortunately, things have worked out quite well. My folks thought I was nuts to leave the Nielsen outfit at the time, but they see my point now. Hope the heat isn't too much for you these fine May days. Our summer began April 1 and our days are quite torrid-but the nights are just cool enough for real solid sleep. Great place! Why not pay us a visit real soon? I'm sure you'll like it. I'll quit now and get this in the mail. Drop me a line when you have a minute because I would like to keep in touch with you and Atlanta in general. Best regards to Mac and your folks and last, but by no means least, little Gene. To: Army Radio Station, Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, Calif. [Charge to National Labor Relations Board Account.] NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD WASHINGTON, D. C. Dr. TOWNE J. NYLANDER, NOVEMBER 13, 1936. Federal Building, Los Angeles, California. Director, National Labor Relations Board, 21st Region, DEAR DR. NYLANDER: I am returning, as requested, the material which accompanied your letter of October 27. Sincerely yours, Enc. EDWIN S. SMITH. NOVEMBER 13, 1938. Mr. CAREY MCWILLIAMS, San Francisco, Calif. DEAR MOWILLIAMS: This will introduce Mr. Ralph T. Seward, Attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, who is doing some special work which he will explain to you. I told him that you were the best source of information on his special problem and I hope that you will give him all possible cooperation. Sincerely, TN: V TOWNE NYLANDER, Director. LEO GALLAGHER ATTORNEY AT LAW 624 American Bank Building, Second and Spring Streets, Los Angeles Mr. RALPH SEWARD, Care of Dr. Nylander, Federal Bldg., 2nd floor, Los Angeles, Calif. NOVEMBER 23, 1936, DEAR SIR: I transmit to you herewith portions of the transcript of the case of People v. Chambers, et al. As soon as I receive certain letters from San Francisco, I shall send you copies of them. In the Imperial Valley, you might contact J. Edgar Ross of Brawley (I told you about certain information which I thought he could give you), and Attorney Alfred Blaisdell of Calexico. Very sincerely yours, LG: M LEO GALLAGHER. Per L. MILES. DECEMBER 8, 1936. Mr. ROBERT WOHLFORTH, Secretary, Subcommittee of the Committee on Education & Labor, Under S. R. 266, United States Senate, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I have your letter of December 2nd, asking whether or not I received my credentials as an investigator for the committee. I have not received any credentials as yet. I am anxious to receive them. I have dictated several days ago, a letter to you concerning my preliminary investigation here, together with a series of detailed enclosures containing what information I have gathered as to the Merchants and Manufactures Association, Captain Hynes and the Red Squad and the Associated Farmers, Imperial Valley, etc. The pressure of work in this office has been so great that only one page of that letter has yet been typed. We are preparing for a hearing in the Shell Oil case set for December 10th. As soon as we are started in that hearing, I am sure that time will be available to complete that report. Sorry for the delays but they are unavoidable. Very truly yours, RTS: V RALPH T. SEWARD, Regional Attorney. OCTOBER 11, 1937. To: National Labor Relations Board, Mr. H. Blankenhorn, Washington, D. C. From: Towne Nylander, 21st Region. Subject: Cooperation with Senate Civil Liberties Committee. In answer to the Board's memorandum of September 29th, we are attaching hereto memorandum relative to the points on which the Senate Committee requested information. tn/llg Enc. TOWNE NYLANDER, Director. |