November, 1942, 1942

The Ninth Annual Convention was held in Memphis on Nov. 11 and 12, but only a set of resolutions appears in the papers (11). The USES sent information on the conditions of employment in Arizona (4), and, after considerable difficulties, the STFU got off a shipment of workers. There are two apparently incomplete lists of the men sent, their age and race (13, 25). On the problems encountered, see Mitchell to Will Alexander (14) and a letter from USES Director John J. Corson (23). The worst trouble came on Nov. 24, when 150 STFU workers were stranded at a railroad station at Brinkley, Ark It appears that the state director of USES suddenly vetoed the further transport of workers from Arkansas. On this snafu, see the transcript of a telephone conversation between Mitchell and the state director (25; note: this is a fragment of a letter probably written a few days later). The union also received a proposition from the US Sugar Corporation to send 4,000 workers to Florida for cane-cutting. Mitchell was wary of the proposal and expressed his misgivings in a letter to Frank McCallister (16) and in a memorandum to Norman Thomas and other friends of the union (18)