December, 1942, 1942

Complaints began to arrive from the STFU contingents sent to Arizona (1), New Mexico (8), and Camp 90 at McNary, Texas (2,7,10). For good information on the problems at Camp 90, which eventuated in a sit-down strike, see the reports from organizer Anderson Johnson. Mitchell wrote the FSA about these complaints (12), but the agency did not reply until January. Beginning on December 11, there is a deluge of letters from job-seekers all over the South in response to an STFU advertisement in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal about harvesting work in Florida. On the arrangements for the Florida jobs, see Mitchell's report on his negotiations with government officials (6), his letters to the WMC, informing them that he has 1,000 families ready to go (22, 31), as well as the replies from the WMC stating that the Florida farm operators are unwilling to sign FSA contracts (28,29)