July 13, 1963

Brigadier General Hugh B. Hester

30 Lapham Lane

Berkeley 8, California

Dear Hugh,

I am not sure that I have permission to use your first name, but General Hester sounds much too officious for a title in view of what I want to say to you, so I am going to be very disrespectful and use your first name. We were glad to get the letter from you and the material concerning your affair with Homer Jack. I was particularly glad to have the reprint of your article, Peace Warriors, and I mean to order some and send them to people to whom I think they would be educational.

In our article in the Minority of One about the Oxford Conference, we did not put in all of the things which happened which were really obnoxious on the part of the American delegation. For example, they did not let us know that the American delegation was having a meeting on the first day and did not tell Canon Collins that we had arrived. They were always going off in a huddle without letting us know about it. Homer Jack did object to seating us and he objected to the seating of Ruth Gage Colby.

I think there is not much to be gained by going over all of these old matters, but I must say that I feel very much concerned about the peace movement because I saw so thoroughly in Oxford what can happen when a delegation is selected for one purpose and where an effort is made to keep out all dissenting voice. These people used Homer Jack as a front because he is so crude and is willing to do anything no matter how rude and vulgar it is, but the real people who are, I think, more dangerous than Homer Jack are the others in that group who were just as unscrupulous in misusing parliamentary procedures and who were unwilling to let enough time be given to the foreign delegates who had to deal with the English language.

We have had letters from a number of people who say they agree completely with us, who the official American delegation, as selected by Robert Gilmore, who, by the way, I think is much more dangerous than Homer Jack, but the real person that we need to be worried about is A. J. Muste. And to a lesser extent, because he is much less intelligent, Alfred Hasler. I am dictating, Hugh, on a dictaphone and so I make some errors. I hope you will overlook them. The previous sentence should say that this American delegation, in their reports, say that all of these delegates voted with them and were of a similar opinion. I believe this is not true.

We wish very much that you would come and see us here in Pasadena and if we do come to San Francisco before the first of September, we shall surely get in touch with you. There is some likelihood that we may do this and I hope that we do.

With best wishes to you and I hope that you are having a good summer.

Sincerely,

Ava Helen Pauling

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