The Grapes: Communist Wrath In Delano
By Gary Allen
Gary Allen is a Los Angeles film writer, journalist, and lecturer who has covered for American
Opinion such affairs as the Watts insurrection and the pro-Vietcong protests at Berkeley. A graduate of
Stanford, he is now employed in the preparation of film-strips on current affairs and is finishing a new book
on Communist revolution in the streets. Mr. Allen sends his report directly from the scene in Delano,
California, where he has been conducting interviews and investigating happenings there on assignments for
American Opinion.
An important dramatic event is now being staged for the American public, a play with
several acts taking place simultaneously in many parts of the country. While it is all part of
the same production, the accent of the players and even the title varies with the locale. In
t
hec
i
t
i
e
si
ti
sa
dv
e
r
t
i
s
e
da
s“
Ci
v
i
lRi
g
ht
s
.
”Ont
hec
a
mpu
si
ti
spr
omot
e
du
nde
rt
het
i
t
l
e
“
Pe
a
c
eDe
mons
t
r
a
t
i
ons
,
”whi
l
ei
nir
u
r
a
la
r
e
a
st
he
a
t
e
r
-goers are treate
dt
ot
he“
Fr
u
i
t
pi
c
k
e
r
s
’
S
t
r
i
k
e
,
”ba
s
e
dona
nol
da
nds
u
c
c
e
s
s
f
u
l
pr
odu
c
t
i
ont
i
t
l
e
d“
Ag
r
a
r
i
a
nRe
f
or
m”whi
c
h
has enjoyed a long run from the banks of the Volga to the foothills of the Sierra Maestra.
While the play is performed in different geographic areas, the theme remains the same.
From Selma, to Watts, to Berkeley, to Delano may look like a circuitous route on your road
map, but it is a straight line on the road to revolution. If that is the road you are traveling,
you are now in Delano, California.
Delano (pronounced Delayno), virtually unknown outside of California until it was
r
e
l
u
c
t
a
nt
l
ys
hov
e
dont
hes
t
a
g
ebyahi
g
hl
ypu
bl
i
c
i
z
e
d“
g
r
a
pes
t
r
i
k
e
’
i
sa
na
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
lc
e
nt
e
r
of twelve-thousand citizens lodged in the center of he phenomenally fertile San Joaquin
Valley, which sticks like a pointing finger up the m idle of the state. It was in the fall of
1
6
9
5t
ha
tt
her
e
s
toft
hewor
l
df
ou
ndou
ta
bou
tDe
l
a
no.Tha
ti
s
,t
ha
t
’
swhe
nwewe
r
et
ol
d
about it by the news media. Delano, the world was informed, was the place where, fivethousand starving grape strikers, craving dignity and a living wage, had taken to the roads
in protest. Delano, Americans were told, was a sort of Selma-west, a cesspool of bigotry
and intolerance where opulent capitalist growers reveled in the grinding poverty of the field
workers. But virtue, the media boys said, was on the march—and through strikes and
boy
c
ot
t
st
heoppr
e
s
s
orwa
sa
bou
tt
obepr
i
e
df
r
omt
hewor
k
e
r
’
sba
c
k
.
Ye
t
,s
t
r
a
ng
e
l
y
,t
he“
Gr
a
pe
sofWr
a
t
h”i
ma
g
es
oc
a
r
e
f
u
l
l
yc
onstructed for Delano is as
distorted and twisted as the minds which created it. It is, in short, a revolutionary fiction, a
phony
,af
a
k
e
.Ass
u
c
h,t
heDe
l
a
no“
g
r
a
pes
t
r
i
k
e
”ha
st
obeoneoft
hewe
i
r
de
s
ts
t
r
i
k
e
son
record. It is not, you see, over wages or hours or working conditions, at all. It is a strike
that is not really a strike.
How can a strike not be a strike? Very simple: When the workers are still at work, but
a
r
ebe
i
ngpi
c
k
e
t
e
dbyou
t
s
i
de
r
swhone
v
e
rwor
k
e
dt
he
r
e
.Thi
sy
e
a
r
’
sg
r
a
pec
r
op,y
ous
e
e
, is
u
pni
nepe
r
c
e
ntov
e
rl
a
s
ty
e
a
r
’
sa
ndi
tha
snowbe
e
nha
r
v
e
s
t
e
da
ndma
r
k
e
t
e
dbyt
heme
n
who have always done the job. Contrary to what the mass media have been telling the
public, the workers have not been on strike in Delano; the workers are, in fact, being struck
byou
t
s
i
der
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
s
.Tr
u
e
,t
wo“
u
ni
ons
,
”t
heA.
F.
L.
-C.
I
.
O.
’
sAg
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
lWor
k
e
r
s
’
Or
g
a
ni
z
i
ngCommi
t
t
e
e(
A.
W.
O.
C.
)
,a
ndt
heu
ps
t
a
r
tNa
t
i
ona
lFa
r
m Wor
k
e
r
s
’As
s
oc
i
a
t
i
on
N.F.W.A.—bu
tt
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”l
e
a
de
r
swe
r
eg
e
ne
r
a
l
swi
t
hou
ta
r
mi
e
s
.Wor
k
ers wanted to
work, not strike. So it was that the organizing revolutionaries assembled a crew of
outsiders, set up picket lines, and declared that the people out in the fields picking grapes,
the same ones who for the most part have been picking grapes there for years, are strikebreakers and scabs. Of course, it is not true, but how will the people in the cities know?
Out of this farce has arisen fantastic propaganda, virtually all slanted toward the phony
“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
s
.
” The r
e
pr
e
s
e
nt
a
t
i
v
e
s oft
he g
r
owe
r
s have made available mountains of
information and proofs—including audits of payrolls showing what the true wages are—
but the mass media have shown little interest. One grower, Jack Pandol, explains it:
We
’
r
ej
u
s
tn
o
tn
e
ws
.Th
es
e
n
s
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
i
s
mi
sa
l
lo
nt
h
eother side. The wilder the charge made
against us, the more publicity it gets. Nobody seems concerned with whether it is true or not. I
finally got a Methodist Minister to come out to my ranch and look at my payroll time-sheets and
housing faciliti4s for t
h
ep
i
c
ke
r
s
.Hec
o
u
l
d
n
’
tb
e
l
i
e
v
ei
t
;i
twa
ss
od
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
tf
r
o
m wh
a
tt
h
e
N.F.W.A. propagandists had told him about pay and work conditions.
Thephony“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”i
sos
t
e
ns
i
bl
yov
e
rade
ma
ndbyt
he“
u
ni
ons
”t
ober
e
c
og
ni
z
e
da
s
bargaining agents for the workers (in spite of the fact that virtually none of them has
j
oi
ne
d)
,a
nda“
u
ni
on”wa
g
ed
e
ma
ndf
or$
1
.
4
0a
nhou
rpl
u
s2
5c
e
nt
spe
rboxofpi
c
k
e
d
grapes. The absurdity of this grandstand stunt becomes obvious to anyone who wishes to
check the audited payroll sheets of the various growers, which show that wages now vary
from $1.80 an hour up to as high as $4 to $5 an hour in some piece-work situations.
The
nwha
ti
sg
ongonhe
r
e
?Thi
sdoe
s
n’
tma
k
es
e
ns
e
!Weha
v
eas
t
r
i
k
ewi
t
hou
t
wor
k
e
r
s
,wi
t
h“
ou
t
s
i
de
r
s
”de
ma
ndi
ng lower, not higher, pay; we have vast coverage in the
mass media pretending to take the matter seriously and repeating slogans right out of a
dozen Communist revolutionary organs; we have the mass publication of falsehoods easily
demonstrated as such by even a cursory investigation of the situation. Yes, something
strange is happening at Delano. But, what?
In order to understand what is really at stake, one must first peer into the cast of
characters staging the play.
Performing in the lead role of this farce-tragedy is a curious young man named Cesar
Chavez, who heads the N.F.W.A. Cesar, who suffered through school for nine whole years,
wa
sr
e
c
r
u
i
t
e
da
ndhi
r
e
di
nt
hee
a
r
l
y1
9
5
0
’
sbyas
t
a
f
fme
mbe
rf
orS
a
u
lAl
i
ns
k
y
’
sI
ndus
t
r
i
a
l
Areas Foundation. Chavez could have found no better training ground for revolution. His
me
nt
or
,Al
i
ns
k
y
,de
s
c
r
i
be
shi
ms
e
l
fa
sa“
pr
of
e
s
s
i
ona
lr
a
di
c
a
l
”a
ndi
sa
u
t
horofReveille For
Radicals and Rules For Revolution (to be published this year). He runs a prep school in grassroots organizing for revolution based upon picket lines, boycotts, mass meetings, rent
strikes, demonstrations, and sit-ins.
Ce
s
a
rCha
v
e
zs
pe
nts
i
xy
e
a
r
si
n Chi
c
a
g
os
t
u
d
y
i
ng a
tt
he “
Al
i
ns
k
yS
c
hoolof
Re
v
ol
u
t
i
on”be
f
or
ehi
s“
t
e
a
c
he
r
s
”t
hou
g
hthewa
sr
e
a
dyt
or
e
t
u
r
n to California to found
the N.F.W.A. The N.F.W.A. was (surprise!) engaged in grass roots organizing for the
r
e
v
ol
u
t
i
onwhe
nt
he“
c
ompe
t
i
ng
”A.
F.
L.
-C.
I
.
O.
’
sA.
W.
O.
C.“
s
t
r
u
c
k
”t
heg
r
a
peg
r
owe
r
si
n
t
hef
a
l
lof1
9
6
5
.Cha
v
e
z
’
s“
u
ni
on”j
oi
ne
dt
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”af
e
wdays later. Chavez, who has
been publicized by the Communists as the charismatic political leader of MexicanAme
r
i
c
a
ns
,
q
u
i
c
k
l
ys
t
ol
et
hes
howf
r
omhi
smor
ee
s
t
a
bl
i
s
he
d“
c
ompe
t
i
t
or
.
”
Ce
s
a
r
’
s“
c
ompe
t
i
t
or
”i
nu
ni
oni
z
i
ngt
hef
i
e
l
dwor
k
e
r
si
sLa
r
r
yI
t
l
i
ong
,who runs the
A.F.L.-C.
I
.
O.
’
sA.
W.
O.
C.i
nt
hea
r
e
a
.I
t
l
i
ong
,y
ouwi
l
lnotbea
ma
z
e
dt
ol
e
a
r
n,ha
sa
l
s
o
been involved in revolutionary activity for some time, making his start in his native
Phi
l
i
ppi
ne
s
.ThePhi
l
i
ppi
nei
mmi
g
r
a
t
i
ons
e
r
v
i
c
e
,i
tt
u
r
nsou
t
,won’
tpermit Mr. Itliong to
return home because of his affiliation with the Communist Party in Seattle and San
Fr
a
nc
i
s
c
o,s
ohemu
s
ts
u
f
f
i
c
ewi
t
h“
u
ni
onor
g
a
ni
z
i
ng
”a
ndawou
l
d-be career in Delano as
a politician. Larry Itliong ran for the City Council in Delanot
hi
sy
e
a
ra
s“
t
hePe
opl
e
’
s
Ca
ndi
da
t
e
.
”Hel
os
t
,bu
thedi
dha
v
et
hef
u
l
ls
uppor
ta
nde
ndor
s
e
me
ntofhi
s“
u
ni
on
r
i
v
a
l
s
,
”Ce
s
a
rCha
v
e
za
ndt
heN.
F.
W.
A.
Co-s
t
a
r
r
i
ngwi
t
h Ce
s
a
ri
sLu
i
sVa
l
de
z
,por
t
r
a
y
i
ngt
heCheGu
e
v
a
r
aofCha
v
e
z
’
s
revolution. Valdez was trained for his role two years ago by the Marxist Progressive Labor
Movement and sent to Cuba for advanced study in Communist revolutionary methods.
Cha
v
e
z
’
ss
e
c
r
e
t
a
r
yi
sDonnaHa
be
r
,who be
g
a
nhe
rc
a
r
e
e
rbyhe
l
pi
ngt
of
ou
nd t
he
Communist W.E.B. DuBois Clubs. Law enforcement authorities in The Delano area,
however, believe that the real star of he Chavez show is a twenty-seven-year-old Stanford
graduate named Wendy Goepel. Wendy has been involved in Communist activity since in
at least 1957, when she attended the Communist Helsinski Youth Festival; she has been
busy building a promising career ever since. A member of the Communist DuBois Clubs,
she ghost-wr
i
t
e
sCe
s
a
rCha
v
e
z
’
ss
pe
e
c
he
s
.
Lest such a production run afoul of the authorities, every play needs an attorney. The
N.F.W.A. has one. He is Alex Hoffman, on the faculty of the University of California and
active in its Communist-domi
na
t
e
d“
Fr
e
eS
pe
e
c
h”a
nd“
Pe
a
c
e
”mov
e
me
nt
s
.Hof
f
ma
nwa
s
one of the leaders of the pro-Vietcong parade of October fifteenth in Berkeley (See
Ame
r
i
c
a
nOpi
ni
on,De
c
e
mbe
r
,1
9
6
5
)
.TheCa
l
i
f
or
ni
aS
t
a
t
eS
e
na
t
e
’
s1
9
6
5Re
por
tonUnAmerican Activities commented on the boldness with which Mr. Hoffman plays his part.
Hof
f
ma
n,
t
heRe
por
ts
a
i
d,
“
ha
sma
denoe
f
f
or
tt
oc
onc
e
a
l
hi
sMa
r
x
i
s
tc
onv
i
c
t
i
ons
.
.
.
.
”
No play like this can get off the ground, of course, without financial angels, and
Chavez and the N.F.W.A. have some powerful ones. For instance, the other Caesar, the
one in Washington, has granted the revolutionary N.F.W.A. $278,000 from the War on
Poverty Program, though the funds have been delayed because some local Victorians
obj
e
c
t
e
dt
ot
a
x mone
ybe
i
ng u
s
e
dt
or
e
c
r
u
i
t“
u
ni
on” me
mbe
r
sa
nd t
oe
nc
ou
r
a
g
e
revolution. Meanwhile, Cesar is forced to subsist on the meager donations of the National
Council of Churches.
Some churchmen, you see, no longer take a blue-nosed attitude toward revolution; in
fact, a number seem to enjoy participating in such productions. Such has been the case in
Delano. For many years farm workers there have been ministered to by what is known as
the Migrant Ministry, an adjunct of the California Council of Churches. In the past, the
Migrant Ministry has worked tirelessly, providing spiritual nourishment to the workers; but
i
nr
e
c
e
nty
e
a
r
sne
w“
mi
ni
s
t
e
r
s
”ha
v
et
a
k
e
nov
e
r
.The“
ne
wbr
e
e
d”ha
sdonea
wa
ywi
t
h“
a
l
l
t
hef
oof
r
aa
bou
tr
e
l
i
g
i
on”a
ndi
swor
k
i
ngonar
e
a
l
J
ob—“
u
ni
on”or
g
a
ni
z
i
ng
.
The one thing that the members of the current batch of Migrant Ministers active in
Delano have in common is that they are all, coincidentally, graduates of the same school,
t
he“
Uni
v
e
r
s
i
t
yofAl
i
ns
k
y
,
”whi
c
hha
sar
a
t
he
rna
r
r
owc
u
r
r
i
c
u
l
u
m—offering classes only in
revolution. Law enforcement authorities in the Delano area have been amazed to learn that
s
omeoft
he
s
er
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
y“
mi
ni
s
t
e
r
s
”ha
v
ene
v
e
re
v
e
nbe
e
nt
oDi
v
i
ni
t
yS
c
hool
.
TheCa
l
i
f
or
ni
aCou
nc
i
lofChu
r
c
he
sa
ndt
he“
Li
be
r
a
l
”
-dominated Central California
Di
oc
e
s
eoft
heCa
t
hol
i
cChu
r
c
hha
v
ea
l
s
os
u
ppor
t
e
dt
hephony“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
s
.
”S
i
nc
et
he
“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
”
-harassed workers and their bosses are predominantly Catholic, a real schism has
resulted. Growers complain that, even before arriving there, visiting clergymen have
already made up their minds about the situation in Delano. Many well-meaning ministers,
y
ous
e
e
,c
a
n’
tbe
l
i
e
v
et
ha
tt
he
r
ea
r
et
hose in the world so wicked ass to promote lies, and
thus they swallow the propaganda line. And, once in Delano, visiting clergymen spend their
time with Cesar Chavez, who continues the propaganda barrage—which is just what he
spent those six years with Alinsky learning to do. The propaganda is exceedingly clever and
easily fools the naïve. It should, for it is not written by poor, uneducated grape pickers, but
by Douglas Grayfield Adair III, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Pomona College. Adair is the
chief propa
g
a
ndi
s
tf
ort
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
s
”ma
g
a
z
i
ne
,
El Malcriado.
Just, as in Selma and Sr. Augustine and elsewhere where the revolutionaries have
struck, the local clergy has remained fiercely independent throughout the dispute and
resents the invasion by outsiders who slander the community. One such clergyman is the
Re
v
e
r
e
ndR.
B.Moor
e
,pa
s
t
orofS
t
.Pa
u
l
’
sBa
pt
i
s
tChu
r
c
hi
nDe
l
a
noa
ndame
mbe
roft
he
local Kiwanis Club. You would like to know the Reverend Moore; he is a fine gentleman
and a good American. He character
i
z
e
st
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”or
g
a
ni
z
e
r
sa
ndr
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
swho
harass the workers in the Delano area in these words:
Ah
o
gd
o
e
s
n
’
tg
r
u
n
tb
e
c
a
u
s
eh
e
’
ss
i
c
ko
rh
u
n
g
r
y
;
h
eg
r
u
n
t
sb
e
c
a
u
s
ei
t
’
sh
i
sn
a
t
u
r
et
og
r
u
n
t
.
.
.
.
Th
e
ya
r
e
n
’
two
r
ki
n
gf
o
rt
h
ep
o
o
rp
e
o
p
l
e
;
t
h
e
y
’
r
e working on the poor people.
The“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”l
e
a
de
r
s
,pa
r
t
i
c
u
l
a
r
l
yt
he“
c
l
e
r
g
y
me
n”a
mongt
he
m,ha
v
eg
i
v
e
nt
hewor
l
da
pi
c
t
u
r
eofr
a
c
i
s
ma
ndf
a
mi
nea
ndpov
e
r
t
yi
nDe
l
a
no.Re
v
e
r
e
ndMoor
ei
sf
l
a
bbe
r
g
a
s
t
e
d.“
I
don’
tk
nowofoneNe
g
r
ohe
r
et
ha
tIc
ou
l
de
v
e
ng
i
v
e any clothes to, and I have quite a
s
u
ppl
yi
nt
hec
hu
r
c
hf
orj
u
s
tt
ha
tpu
r
pos
e
,
”hes
a
y
s
.Ac
c
or
di
ngt
ot
heRe
v
e
r
e
ndMoor
e
,
“
Thi
si
sonet
ownt
ha
tne
v
e
rne
e
de
dt
heN.
A.
A.
C.
P.ora
nyot
he
rs
u
c
hg
r
oupbe
c
a
u
s
eou
r
pe
opl
ea
r
ea
c
c
e
pt
e
d.
”
Is Delano really Bigotv
i
l
l
e
,U.
S
.
A.
,a
st
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”l
e
a
de
r
spr
oc
l
a
i
m?Cou
l
dt
he
ybe
deliberately deceiving the public? Reverend Moore thinks they are; but then, he only lives
t
he
r
e
.
Ma
y
bewef
or
g
ott
ome
nt
i
ont
ha
tRe
v
e
r
e
ndR.
B.
Moor
ei
saNe
g
r
o.
Tha
twou
l
dn’
tbe
important norma
l
l
y
,
bu
twe
’
dha
v
et
os
e
ehi
me
mba
r
r
a
s
s
e
dbybe
i
ngc
a
l
l
e
dabi
g
ot
e
dr
a
c
i
s
t
.
Delano is by its very nature a melting pot, and it certainly bears no relationship to the
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant communities that cause the Left to drool with a hungry
hatred. The growers in the area are predominantly refugees from Yugoslavia who escaped
from the Communist and collective revolutions that engulfed Central Europe following
World War I. They came to the United States bringing with them nothing but talent and
courage and ambition, and they settled in the San Joaquin Valley because of its similarity to
their native land. They worked hard, saved, bought an acre of land and then another and
another. Today they are being vilified as exploiters of immigrant labor. Nothing could be
more absurd.
The Chairman of the Delano School-boa
r
da
ndPr
e
s
i
de
ntoft
heLi
on’
sCl
u
bi
sof
Japanese ancestry. The Chairman of the Planning Commission is a Mexican-American, as
are several members of the City Council and the Captain of the Police Department Stores
in the community are owned by Mexican-Americans and Filipinos. To charge Delano with
racial bigotry is insane to all who live there. You must understand, however, that this play is
not being staged for the local citizenry, but as a propaganda spectacle to create public
opinion in the cities.
Thef
a
c
tt
ha
tDe
l
a
noi
sr
e
ma
r
k
a
bl
yf
r
e
eofr
a
c
i
a
lpr
obl
e
msha
s
n’
ts
t
oppe
dt
hes
c
r
i
pt
wr
i
t
e
r
soft
her
e
v
ol
u
t
i
onf
r
om pu
t
t
i
ngahe
a
v
ye
mpha
s
i
son“
Ci
v
i
lRi
g
ht
s
.
”I
nf
a
c
t
,t
h
e
dispute has become as mu
c
ha“
Ci
v
i
lRi
g
ht
s
”mov
e
me
nta
sal
a
bors
q
u
a
bbl
e
.OnOc
t
obe
r
28, 1965, the West Coast leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(
S
.
N.
C.
C.
)
,aFa
rLe
f
t“
Ci
v
i
lRi
g
ht
s
”g
r
ou
pwhi
c
hc
ou
nt
sa
mongi
t
sme
mbe
r
ss
omeoft
he
top young Communists in the nation, met in Fresno, California. The principle speaker was
Cesar Chavez. The S.N.C.C. leaders decided to give Delano top priority on their
fomentation-and-disorder list and pulled ten of their late-model radio-control units out of
Mississippi and brought them into the San Joaquin Valley.
Delano is now teeming with S.N.C.C. workers. One of the most important is Marshall
Ga
nz
,
ana
t
i
v
eofne
a
r
byBa
k
e
r
s
f
i
e
l
d,
nowa
c
t
i
nga
soneofCha
v
e
z
’
sc
hi
e
fl
i
e
u
t
e
na
nt
s
.
Ga
nz
was an honor student at Harvard for three years but gave it up to go South as a field
organizer for the revolutionary S.N.C.C. organization. Southern law enforcement
authorities, who found it necessary to jail him on several occasions for his revolutionary
activities there, are doubtless glad that he has returned to California. Ganz, of course,
continues to act as a S.N.C.C. organizer. Another top S.N.C.C. man active in Delano is one
Brother Gilbert, for several years Vice Principal of Garces Catholic High School in
Bakersfield. Brother Gilbert, who is also a member of the Communist DuBois Clubs, has
left the school and is operating in Delano under his real name, Leroy Chatfield. With such
effective revolutionaries in residence, it is no wonder that the Valley now echoes to the
cries of “
Ve
n
c
e
r
e
mo
s
”(Spanish for “
WeSh
a
l
lOv
e
r
c
o
me
”
), which Cuban refuges testify was
a
l
s
oaCa
s
t
r
or
a
l
l
y
i
ngc
r
yd
u
r
i
ngt
ha
t“
a
g
r
a
r
i
a
nr
e
f
or
me
r
’
s
”r
i
s
et
opowe
r
.
Delano has been made a magnet for all revolutionary types, varying from the
“
pe
r
s
ona
l
l
yg
u
l
l
i
bl
e
”l
i
k
eS
t
e
v
eAllen* to the professional Communist like Northern
Ca
l
i
f
or
ni
a
’
sCommu
ni
s
tPa
r
t
yCha
i
r
ma
n,Mi
c
k
e
yLi
ma
.Andi
twa
s
n’
tpu
r
e
l
ybya
c
c
i
de
nt
that the various characters of revolution flocked to the Delano area. The right sort of
people were actively recruited. For example, John Hauptman, a self-professed Marxist, did
the recruiting for Delano in one of the productive pastures for that type of thing, at
Berkeley.
______________________________________________________________________
* Allen, incidentally, who ma
r
c
he
dwi
t
ht
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
sa
ndha
she
l
pe
dt
oor
g
a
ni
z
eaboy
c
ot
t
of Delano grapes in Los Angeles, admitted before a U.S. Senate Investigating Committee
t
ha
thet
ookhi
s“
f
a
c
t
s
”a
nd“
f
i
g
u
r
e
s
”f
orde
f
e
ns
eoft
heDe
l
a
nor
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
sa
tf
a
c
e
value directly from the N.F.W.A. strike book
Youwou
l
dn’
te
x
pe
c
tCommu
ni
s
tBe
t
t
i
naApt
he
k
e
r
,
t
hef
l
owe
roft
heBe
r
k
e
l
e
yr
e
be
l
l
i
on,
t
o
s
t
a
ya
wa
yf
r
oms
u
c
hapr
odu
c
t
i
on,
a
nds
hedi
dn’
t
.
Ne
i
t
he
rdi
dPa
t
r
i
c
kHallinan, one of the
many Hallinan boys active in Communist activities. Other prominent visitors to Delano
pl
a
y
i
ngbi
tpa
r
t
sf
ort
heN.
F.
W.
A.ha
v
ebe
e
nAl
l
e
nGi
ns
be
r
g
,t
he“
be
a
tg
e
ne
r
a
t
i
on”poe
t
and marijuana advocate, and veteran Communist Sam Cushner. Harvey Richards,
photographer for the Communist newspaper Pe
o
p
l
e
’
sWo
r
ld, has also spent considerable
time in the Delano environs supplying pictures to the various Communist publications
whi
c
hha
v
ebe
e
nc
oor
di
na
t
i
ngpu
bl
i
c
i
t
yf
ort
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
.
”Ma
k
i
nga
na
ppe
a
r
a
nc
e
,t
oo,wa
s
Alan Zak, Chairman of the Los Angeles DuBois Clubs. And old-time Idaho Communist Al
Plumber, who claims to have joined the Party in 1933, has also set up shop in Delano. By
adding dozens of lesser lights from S.N.C.C., C.O.R.E., the Students for a Democratic
Society, and the DuBois Clubs to this crew of experienced professional agitators, a truly
talented aggregation, made up not of Mexican stoop-laborers but of Communists and
“
Ne
wLe
f
t
”c
ol
l
e
g
eg
r
a
du
a
t
e
s
,ha
sbe
e
na
s
s
e
mbl
e
dbe
hi
ndt
hes
c
e
ne
st
ol
e
a
dt
hepl
a
yf
or
public sympathy.
Even so, if the Press had simply reported some of the tactics being used to try to get
the pickers to leave the fields and strike, there would not have been much sympathy. When
t
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”wa
sor
i
g
i
na
l
l
yc
a
l
l
e
d,a
bou
tf
i
v
ehu
ndr
e
doft
he5
,
5
0
0pi
c
k
e
r
swor
k
i
ngi
nt
he
area were forced by threats and violence to leave the fields. Some moved to other areas to
avoid harassment by the revolutionaries, some got permission from their employers to take
a few days off to try and avoid trouble, and a few temporarily joined the imported
picketers. After three days, however, all but about a dozen were back at work.
Ofc
ou
r
s
e
,t
hef
a
c
tt
ha
tt
hepi
c
k
e
r
sdi
dn’
twa
ntas
t
r
i
k
edi
dn’
tde
t
e
rt
hev
i
s
i
t
i
ng
Marxists. After all, they had a job to do. Pete Cuadra, who supports his family by picking
grapes, describes the tactics used by the imported revolutionaries:
Friends we knew were being taken from their homes, beaten and threatened if they did not
attend the union meetings. A woman was threatened with a knife at her throat on her own front
lawn . . . they continued picketing the workers that were in the fields. Now their language started
to be abusive and very offensive. Besides calling us scabs they began to use more vulgar language
not only to men but women also.
Among the leaders of the crowd making profane and obscene denouncements of the
wor
k
e
r
swa
st
he“
Re
v
e
r
e
nd”Chr
i
sHa
r
t
mi
r
e
,a
nAl
i
ns
k
yde
v
ot
e
ea
ndf
or
me
rc
onv
i
c
twho
is Director of the Migrant Ministry. He is being supported by the National Council of
Churches. Most Americans would be shocked to learn that their Church contributions
we
r
ebe
i
ngf
u
nne
l
e
dt
hr
ou
g
ht
heNa
t
i
ona
lCou
nc
i
lofChu
r
c
he
si
nt
ou
s
ef
or“
u
ni
on”
or
g
a
ni
z
i
nga
ndt
opr
ov
i
d
e“
Re
v
e
r
e
nds
”t
oc
u
r
s
ehone
s
twor
k
i
ngpe
opl
e
.Ye
t
,t
ha
ti
sj
u
s
t
what is happening.
The real workers, however, have not been fooled and have continued to work.
Ce
l
e
s
t
i
noDu
l
a
y
,oneoft
hepi
c
k
e
r
s
,t
ol
dau
ni
onor
g
a
ni
z
e
r
:“
Wea
r
ema
k
i
ng$
3onpi
e
c
e
wor
k
.Youa
r
eof
f
e
r
i
ng$
1
.
4
0
.
”Te
dRa
mos
,al
a
borc
ont
r
a
c
t
or
,de
s
c
r
i
be
dhi
sc
onf
r
ont
a
t
i
on
with a strike recruiter: “
Ie
x
pl
a
i
ne
dt
ohi
mt
ha
tIha
de
x
pe
ns
e
sonmyhou
s
e
,myc
a
r
,a
pickup, and my furniture of about $350 a month. If he would give me a written guarantee
of$
3
5
0amont
h,Iwou
l
dn’
tg
ot
owor
k
.
”Theuni
onma
nl
e
f
t
,a
ndpi
c
k
e
t
swe
r
eont
he
roadside where Ramos’
c
r
e
wwa
swor
k
i
ngt
hef
ol
l
owi
ngda
y
.
Intimidation of the workers by the imported pickets is now the primary tactic. Their
l
a
t
e
s
tg
a
mbi
t
,onewor
k
e
rt
ol
du
s
,i
sf
ort
hepi
c
k
e
t
e
r
st
os
hou
t“
Wek
nowwhoy
oua
r
e
.I
f
you do not come out on strike now, you won’
tg
e
taj
oba
f
t
e
rwewi
n.BobbyKe
nne
dyi
s
onou
rs
i
de
.Wec
a
n’
tl
os
e
.
”Anot
he
rf
a
v
or
i
t
et
a
c
t
i
ci
st
of
i
r
ema
r
bl
e
sa
tt
hepi
c
k
e
r
swi
t
h
slingshots — law enforcement authorities report that agitators bought four thousand
marbles in Delano in a single day foru
s
ea
g
a
i
ns
tt
hef
i
e
l
dwor
k
e
r
s
.I
t
’
snotv
e
r
ypr
e
t
t
y
business; but then, intimidation never is.
The terror that decent workers have suffered in Delano makes it ever more vital that
we understand what is happening there. It is not merely a local matter and it is not merely
a
ne
x
a
mpl
eof“
u
ni
one
x
c
e
s
s
e
s
.
”I
nf
a
c
t
,wha
ti
sha
ppe
ni
ngi
nDe
l
a
noi
sat
e
x
t
book
e
x
a
mpl
eoft
hec
l
a
s
s
i
cCommu
ni
s
t“
u
ni
t
e
df
r
ont
”t
e
c
hni
q
u
e
,i
nwhi
c
ht
heCommu
ni
s
t
stage-managers work hand in hand with non-Communist fellow travelers, opportunists,
and dupes. Delano has been made the gathering point for a number of famous and
infamous characters who ostensibly make strange bedfellows. It is a test site for the
Communists. And it is very important Walter Reuther, for example, made a special
pilgrimage there after the groundwork had been laid in a secret visit one month earlier by
hi
sbr
ot
he
rRoy
.Re
u
t
he
r
,ofc
ou
r
s
e
,ha
sl
e
ntf
u
l
ls
u
ppor
tt
ot
her
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
s
’l
e
a
de
r
,
Ce
s
a
rCha
v
e
z
,bya
nnou
nc
i
ngt
ha
thea
ndhi
su
ni
onwol
da
i
dt
he“
s
t
r
i
k
e
”and boycott.
This, in spite of the fact that Chavez is theoretically a competitor of the A.F.L.-C.
I
.
O.
’
s
local organizer, Communist Larry Itliong. Reuther knows what he is doing—and Chavez,
by using the Alinsky revolutionary methods instead of the narrower labor union tactics, has
c
ou
pl
e
dhi
smov
e
me
ntwi
t
hRe
u
t
he
r
’
sCi
t
i
z
e
nsCr
u
s
a
deAg
a
i
ns
tPov
e
r
t
ymov
e
me
nt
.
Wha
tweha
v
ehe
r
e
,
y
ous
e
e
,
i
st
her
e
s
u
l
toft
he“
Ci
t
i
z
e
n’
sCr
u
s
a
de
”pu
tt
og
e
t
he
rbyt
op
r
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
sl
a
s
tf
a
l
l
.I
ti
sa“
Cr
u
s
a
de
”whi
c
hpr
ompt
l
ybe
g
a
nt
oc
ombi
net
he“
Ci
v
i
l
Ri
g
ht
s
,
”“
Pe
a
c
e
,
”“
PoorCor
ps
,
”“
a
g
r
a
r
i
a
nr
e
f
or
m,
”a
nd“
r
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
yl
a
bor
”pr
og
r
a
msof
the International Communist Conspiracy—and to tie them up with the War on Poverty.
Youwi
l
lr
e
me
mbe
rt
ha
tWa
l
t
e
rRe
u
t
he
r
’
su
ni
onpr
ov
i
de
d$
1million for the project; you
wi
l
lr
e
c
a
l
lt
ha
tt
op“
Cr
u
s
a
de
r
s
”i
nc
l
u
det
heRe
u
t
he
r
s
,Ma
r
t
i
nLu
t
he
rKi
ng
,t
henot
or
i
ou
s
National and World Council of Churches figure Eugene Carson Blake, and convicted sex
pervert and agitator Bayard Rustin; you will remembert
ha
t“
Cr
u
s
a
de
”Di
r
e
c
t
orDi
c
k
Booneha
sde
c
l
a
r
e
dt
ha
ta
ni
mpor
t
a
ntpa
r
toft
he“
Ci
t
i
z
e
nsCr
u
s
a
de
”pr
og
r
a
mswi
l
lbet
o
e
mpl
oyt
he“
Al
i
ns
k
ya
ppr
oa
c
h”
;
y
ouwi
l
l
e
v
e
nr
e
me
mbe
rt
ha
tWa
l
t
e
rRe
u
t
he
rt
hr
e
a
t
e
ne
da
t
t
he“
Cr
u
s
a
de
’
s
”Apr
i
lc
onv
e
nt
i
oni
nWa
s
hi
ng
t
on(
held in cooperation with the federal
Of
f
i
c
eofEc
onomi
cOppor
t
u
ni
t
y
)t
ha
tu
nl
e
s
shi
spr
og
r
a
m wa
sf
ol
l
owe
d
:“
…wewi
l
le
a
r
a
s
u
nde
rt
hef
a
br
i
cofs
oc
i
e
t
y
.
”Andt
he
n,ba
ng
,i
thi
t
sy
ou
:Ani
mpor
t
a
ntne
w“
u
ni
t
e
d
f
r
ont
”i
sope
r
a
t
i
ngi
nAme
r
i
c
a
.Andi
ti
sope
r
a
t
i
ng in Delano. No wonder War on Poverty
f
u
ndsa
ndRe
u
t
he
r
’
su
ni
onf
u
ndsa
r
ebe
i
ngs
e
ntt
os
u
ppor
tCommu
ni
s
t
sa
ndt
he
i
ra
g
e
nt
s
and dupes in Delano; no wonder that S.N.C.C. is pouring in agitators; no wonder that the
pro-Vietcong crew is supplying heady support; no wonder that Walter Reuther and Mickey
Lima and Bettina Aptheker and Communists from all over the United States have been
crowding into tiny Delano. No wonder!
Local officials surmise that the strategy beings used calls for Chavez and his openly
revol
u
t
i
ona
r
yN.
F.
W.
A.t
or
u
ni
nt
e
r
f
e
r
e
nc
ef
orCommu
ni
s
tI
t
l
i
ong
’
s“
u
ni
on.
”Thei
de
ai
s
t
ha
tma
nyg
r
owe
r
sma
yd
e
c
i
det
ha
tI
t
l
i
ong
’
sor
g
a
ni
z
a
t
i
oni
st
hel
e
s
s
e
roft
woe
v
i
l
sa
ndbe
stampeded into surrendering to him. A number of the local growers show signs of being
wi
l
l
i
ngt
os
u
bmi
tt
ot
hi
sf
a
l
s
ea
l
t
e
r
na
t
i
v
er
a
t
he
rt
ha
nha
v
ef
e
de
r
a
l
a
u
t
hor
i
t
i
e
sf
or
c
eCha
v
e
z
’
s
N.F.W.A. on them. The workers will be the losers in either instance.
Local citizens are, of course, upset at the role that both the federal and state
gover
nme
nt
sha
v
epl
a
y
e
di
nt
hi
sdi
s
pu
t
e
.OneDe
l
a
nol
a
we
nf
or
c
e
me
ntof
f
i
c
e
rt
ol
du
s
,“
I
t
is simply amazing how these people seem to have so many state and federal administrators
a
tt
he
i
rbe
c
ka
ndc
a
l
l
.
”Be
s
i
de
st
hePov
e
r
t
yPr
og
r
a
mg
r
a
nt
s
,t
hef
e
de
r
a
lg
ov
e
r
nme
nt has
be
e
nhe
l
pf
u
li
not
he
rwa
y
s
,s
u
c
ha
spr
ov
i
di
ngt
r
a
ns
por
t
a
t
i
onf
u
ndsf
orDe
l
a
no“
u
ni
on”
organizers to travel around the country soliciting funds. We have even seen a photostat of
an extremely friendly letter signed by Harold Barrett Jr., an officer in the federal Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training, authorizing Dolores Huerta, another Alinsky pupil and cofounder of the N.F.W.A., to fly, courtesy of the taxpayers, to the April, 1966, meeting in
Wa
s
hi
ng
t
on,D.
C.
,ofWa
l
t
e
rRe
u
t
he
r
’
sa
ndMa
r
t
i
nLu
t
he
rKi
ng
’
s“
Ci
t
i
z
e
nsCr
u
s
a
de
”—
whi
c
hi
se
nde
a
v
or
i
ngt
ou
ni
t
ea
l
loft
he“
u
nde
r
pr
i
v
i
l
e
g
e
d”oft
hec
i
t
i
e
sa
ndr
u
r
a
la
r
e
a
si
nt
o
t
ha
tonebi
g“
u
ni
onoft
hepoor
”t
ode
ma
ndt
he
i
r“
r
i
g
ht
s
.
”Tha
tl
e
t
t
e
rwa
sar
e
mi
nde
rof
j
u
s
thowi
mpor
t
a
ntt
hene
w“
Ci
t
i
z
e
nsCr
u
s
a
de
”is to the Communists.
Another prominent government official who caused a tremendous furor in the Delano
area is Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was in the area in connection with Senate
Committee Hearings on agriculture. During the Hearings, when it was brought out that
De
pu
t
i
e
sf
r
om t
heKe
r
nCou
nt
yS
he
r
i
f
f
’
sof
f
i
c
ewe
r
et
a
k
i
ngc
a
nd
i
ds
na
ps
hot
soft
he
various agitators and Communists as they entered Delano, Senator Kennedy became very
alarmed, much more so than he ever became over the Fair Play For Cuba Committee.
“
S
he
r
i
f
f
,
”heg
r
owl
e
d,“
Is
u
g
g
e
s
ty
our
e
a
dt
heCons
t
i
t
u
t
i
onoft
heUni
t
e
dS
t
a
t
e
s
.
”The
Senator appears to feel that it is an infringement on the rights of the revolutionaries to
have their pictures taken. But Bobby made his point. Representatives fr
om t
heS
he
r
i
f
f
’
s
office do not photograph the Communists in Delano anymore.
Senator Kennedy was not, of course, at all shy about taking sides in the Delano dispute.
The“
s
t
r
i
k
e
r
s
’
”pu
bl
i
c
a
t
i
onsa
r
ef
u
l
l
ofpi
c
t
u
r
e
sofBobbywi
t
hCe
s
a
rCha
v
e
zorCommu
ni
s
t
Larry Itliong. In fact, on the famous March-April march from Delano to Sacramento, the
marchers stopped in various small towns along the way to play a tape recording of Bobby
Ke
nne
d
y
’
/ss
pe
e
c
ht
ot
heDe
l
a
nor
e
v
ol
u
t
i
ona
r
i
e
s
.
The march, which projected the “
s
t
r
i
k
e
”i
nt
o na
t
i
ona
lpr
omi
ne
nc
e
,s
t
a
r
t
e
df
r
om
Delano with about seventy persons, of whom (according to local police) approximately five
were Delano people. The wire services falsely reported there were 250 marchers.
The crowd remained at about seventy persons until it neared Sacramento, where it was
joined by Communists, Leftists, and misguided do-gooders from all over Northern
California. The marchers carried religious symbols in an hypocritical appeal to the
Catholicism of Mexican-Americans in the area. At one point on the march, however, both
the American flag and the Cross of Guadalupe were dragged in the dirt by young men
screaming “
Vi
v
eCa
s
t
r
o
.
”As the parade entered the outskirts of Sacramento, the marchers
again began chanting and shouting slogans, “
Vi
v
el
ah
u
e
l
g
a(Hooray for the strike)
predominated, but the “
Vi
v
eCa
s
t
r
o
”c
he
e
r
sa
l
s
oc
ont
i
nu
e
d.Gov
e
r
norEdmu
nd“
Pa
t
”
Brown, described by Time ma
g
a
z
i
nea
s“
at
owe
rofj
e
l
l
y
,
”f
l
e
dt
ownr
a
t
he
rt
ha
nf
a
c
et
he
marchers. He is facing re-election this fall.
The marching revolutionaries carried large Red flags bearing a small outline of a black
eagle. This is the flag of the Trotskyite revolution in Mexico. Many of the agitators also
carried banners declaring that they meant to start a revolution.
At the Capitol grounds Dolores Huerta, Vice President of the N.F.W.A., gave the
speech of triumph celebrating the end of the march. She said that there had been an earlier
e
f
f
or
tt
oe
nd“
de
pr
i
v
a
t
i
on”i
nt
heS
a
nJ
oa
q
u
i
nVa
l
l
e
y
.
Bu
t
,
s
hes
a
i
d:
The difference between 1959 and 1966 . . . is revolution—the farm workers have been
organized. . . .
We are not alone. We are accompanied by many friends. The religious leaders of the state,
spearheaded by the California Migrant Ministry, the student groups and civil rights groups tht
make up the movement that has been successful in securing civil rights for Negroes in this
country. . . . and organized labor, our staunchest ally, are all in the revolution. . . .
The workers are on the rise. There will be strikes all over the state and throughout the
country because Delano has shown what can be done, and the workers know they are no longer
alone.
If the rules to settle our economic problems are not forthcoming, we will call a General
Strike t
op
a
r
a
l
y
z
et
h
es
t
a
t
e
’
sa
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
al economy. . . .
The social and economic revolution of the farm workers is well under way and will not be
stopped until they receive equality.
What is the revolution they are after? Why, it is the very revolution declared earlier by
Walter Reuther and Ma
r
t
i
nLu
t
he
rKi
ngf
ort
he
i
r“
Ci
t
i
z
e
nsCr
u
s
a
de
.
”And
,ofc
ou
r
s
e
,i
ti
s
being given the full support of the Communists. It is therefore not very difficult for
students of revolution to calculate what the growers have in store for them in the future.
The growe
r
’
sAc
hi
l
l
e
she
e
l
i
sa
nol
dl
a
w,
pa
s
s
e
ddu
r
i
ngt
heAdmi
ni
s
t
r
a
t
i
onofThe
odor
e
Roos
e
v
e
l
t
,a
i
me
da
tc
u
r
bi
ngs
pe
c
u
l
a
t
or
swi
t
h“
i
ns
i
de
”k
nowl
e
dg
eofwhe
r
ef
e
de
r
a
lda
ms
were to be built. The law says that any grower getting water from federal dams can be
forc
e
dt
os
e
l
lhi
spr
ope
r
t
yov
e
r1
6
0a
c
r
e
sa
s“
e
x
c
e
s
sl
a
nd.
”Tha
tl
a
w ha
sne
v
e
rbe
e
n
enforced, as it would destroy the farmers. But now a beginning attempt at forcing the
growers to sell their land has been made by the federal government—this in their attack on
the large DiGiorgio Vineyards. Chavez and the N.F.W.A. and their behind-the-scenes
backers see the handwriting on the wall. In the next few years they expect to make
i
nc
r
e
a
s
e
dde
ma
ndst
of
or
c
et
heg
r
owe
r
st
os
e
l
lt
he
i
r“
e
x
c
e
s
sl
a
nds
”i
napr
og
r
a
mi
nwhi
ch
the federal government, probably through the War on Poverty, will loan money to the
“
u
ni
ons
,
”ort
he
i
rme
mbe
r
s
,t
opur
c
ha
s
et
hel
a
ndsa
nds
e
tu
pt
het
y
peof“
c
oope
r
a
t
i
v
e
s
”
that Sargent Shriver is already encouraging in the cities. The farmers will be forced, because
oft
heg
ov
e
r
nme
nt
’
smonopol
ypos
i
t
i
oni
nwa
t
e
r
,t
os
u
bmi
tt
oha
v
i
ngt
he
i
rl
a
ndst
a
k
e
n
from them with their own tax money.
Whi
l
et
wog
r
owe
r
sha
v
enow s
u
r
r
e
nde
r
e
dt
ot
he“
u
ni
on,
”t
hema
j
or
i
t
yc
ont
i
nu
et
o
refuse. One of the two that did surrender, Christian Brothers, was Church run and was
never picketed, but surrendered because of Church pressures. The second, Schenley, was
the target of a nationwide boycott by Leftists; and, since less than one percent of that
c
ompa
ny
’
shol
di
ng
sa
r
ei
nCa
l
i
f
or
nia grape fields, Schenley Industries may have figured the
fight was not worth it. Or possibly government bureaus mentioned the magic word,
antitrust. Still, nearly every grower in Delano we talked to maintained that the Kennedy
family owns a large block of Schenley stock.
Me
a
nwhi
l
e
,Wa
l
t
e
r Re
u
t
he
r
’
s“
Ci
t
i
z
e
ns Cr
u
s
a
d
e
”c
ont
i
nu
e
st
od
e
ma
nd f
e
de
r
a
l
legislation with all kinds of welfare guarantees, on threat of stepping up the revolution in
the streets; right now one of its primary objectives is to force our farmers to accept a union
shop. The implications of such control of agriculture are phenomenal. First, it would give
the union revolutionaries like Reuther full-circle control over the U.S. economy and,
s
e
c
ond
,i
twou
l
dpl
a
c
eal
oa
de
dg
u
na
tt
heg
r
owe
r
s
’heads. A ripe crop is not like a
pr
odu
c
t
i
onl
i
ne
.Youc
a
n’
ts
hu
ti
tdownf
oramont
ha
ndt
he
nc
omeba
c
kt
oi
t
.Whe
na
crop is ripe it has to be picked now, not next week. A threatened strike at harvest time
would offer an annual opportunity for blackmail. The loss of one crop could break a farm,
a
ndnol
a
wc
ou
l
dpr
ot
e
c
tt
hef
a
r
me
rf
r
omaphony“
wi
l
dc
a
t
”s
t
r
i
k
e
.
I
fy
oul
i
v
ei
nt
hec
i
t
yy
ouc
a
ne
x
pe
c
tt
ohe
a
rmor
eoft
he“
Gr
a
pe
sofWr
a
t
h”t
ha
te
x
i
s
t
for the farm workers. You will be told that only massive federal legislation, poverty grants,
and unionization will end the terrible situation—just as you have heard a similar tune
c
onc
e
r
ni
ng“
Ci
v
i
lRi
g
ht
s
.
”Thec
ha
r
g
e
sa
r
ephony
.The
yc
omef
r
om t
hes
a
mes
ou
r
c
e
.And
you can count on the fact that the Communists are continuing to run the show.