The Peekskill Riots surrounded a concert by singer and activist Paul Robeson. His stances on political and civil rights issues and his communist affiliations catalyzed protests that were fueled with an undercurrent of racism and antisemitism.
Research:
- American Civil Liberties Union. “Violence in Peekskill: A Report on the Violations of Civil Liberties at Two Paul Robeson Concerts near Peekskill, NY.” 1949.
- By LANSING WARREN Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. "Paris 'Peace Congress' Assails U. S. and Atlantic Pact, Upholds Soviet: MEETING AT 'PEACE CONGRESS' IN PARIS CONGRESS IN PARIS ASSAILS U. S. POLICY." New York Times (1923-), Apr 21 1949, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 31 Aug. 2022 .
- Congress, House, Committee on Un-American Activities, Investigation of the Unauthorized Use of U.S. Passports, 84th Congress, Part 3, June 12, 1956; in Thirty Years of Treason: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1938–1968, Eric Bentley, ed. (New York: Viking Press, 1971), 770.
- Courtney, Steve. “Peekskill's days of infamy: The Robeson riots of 1949.” The Reporter Dispatch, September 5, 1982. http://www.bencourtney.com/peekskillriots/
- Democracy “VIDEO: Pete Seeger Recalls the 1949 Peekskill Riot Where He And Paul Robeson Were Attacked.” 1/31/2014. https://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/31/video_pete_seeger_recalls_the_1949
- Dorinson, Joseph. “Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson: Athletes and Activists at Armageddon.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies , Winter 1999, Vol. 66, No. 1, Paul Robeson. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27774174
- Horne, Field. "Peekskill riots." Encyclopedia of New York State, edited by Peter R. Eisenstadt and Laura-Eve Moss, Syracuse UP, 2005, p. 1190. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A194197875/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=25d15b16. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
- Horne, Gerald. “Paul Robeson: The Artist as Revolutionary.” Pluto Press. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jxj.9
- Hudson River Maritime Museum. “Paul Robeson and the Peekskill Riots.” 1/18/2021. https://www.hrmm.org/history-blog/paul-robeson-and-the-peekskill-riots
- Huggins, Nathan Irvin. "Paul Robeson." The Nation, vol. 248, no. 11, 20 Mar. 1989, pp. 383+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A7424117/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=6617e02c. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
- Karp, Jonathan D. “Performing Black-Jewish Symbiosis: The ‘Hassidic Chant’ of Paul Robeson.” American Jewish History, Volume 91, Number 1, March 2003. https://doi.org/10.1353/ajh.2004.0032
- "Remembering Peekskill." Jacobin Magazine, 22 June 2017, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675159334/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=459a974b. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.
- Robeson, Paul. “The Negro people and the Soviet Union.” 1950. https://palmm.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/ucf%3A4785
- Salkin, Jeffrey K. “Inside The 1949 Westchester KKK Attack Where Rioters Chanted ‘We’re Hitler’s Boys’” Forward. 8/26/2019. https://forward.com/culture/113279/peekskill-riots-1949-westchester-kkk-fascist-attack-jewish-black-attendees/
- Shea, Rich. “Paul Robeson Football Star.” Rutgers Today. 3/13/2019. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/paul-robeson-football-star
- Smith, Ronald A. “The Paul Robeson—Jackie Robinson Saga and a Political Collision.” Journal of Sport History , Summer 1979, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1979). Via JSTOR. : https://www.jstor.org/stable/43608951
- Walwik, Joseph. “Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies Vol. 66, No. 1, Paul Robeson (1898-1976)—A Centennial Symposium (Winter 1999).” Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27774178
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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welcome to stuff you missed in history class. A production of I heart, radio
hello and one cast, I'm tracy be wealth, then I'm how we fry back when I was also on another pod cast in addition to this. One called this day in history class, which is a part,
but still exists, but I haven't been on it in a couple years, because that was too much work to do
I didn't episode, I'm a peak skill riots and it has been on my list.
for a longer episode over here. Since then, because this day in history classes like five to ten minutes long per episode, and I thought it wanted to have a longer treatment of it. I bumped it up to the top of my list when it came up in our recent episode on eugene jacques bullard, and so it is
today's episode of the show and the peak skill riots surrounded a concert by singer and activists, Paul robes, and so we're going to start with some background on him Paul. But still
since senior was born in princeton new jersey on April, ninth eighteen. Ninety eight, he was the youngest
A four children born to william drew robes in and maria Louisa bastille william, had been enslaved. From
earth and had become a minister after liberating himself in eighteen, sixty and Maria was a teacher,
Lee Maria died in a fire when Paul was only six throughout his life robes and with a high achiever academically, he earned the highest score in the state on a scholarship exam to attend rutgers university. Then he grew
actuated waited from wreckers as valedictorian with honors that included five. Eight, a cap and membership in the cabin skull, honour society. He played multiple sports
virus at EU level and was a two time all american in football at rutgers and then as a perfect,
summer. He was praised for his skills in both acting and music, with adjust, beautiful voice that was described in terms like magnificent and
the less he needed all this. While faced with oppressive and sometimes violent racism, he was the only black student in his classic.
occurs when he started in nineteen fifteen and
It was the universities first, black student athlete whitefoot bob
airs physically attacked him during try out and at one point he was pulled from a game when washington in the university threatened not to play if he was on the team robes and stood up against this and other abuse, not only for his own sake.
For that of others. In an interview in nineteen forty four, he set of his time at rutgers quote. I wasn't just there on my own, I was there.
preventative of a lot of negro boys who wanted to play football and wanted to go to college and as their rep
then it if I had to show that I could take whatever was handed out after graduating
from rutgers ropes and went on to columbia university, where here to law, degree and nineteen twenty three, but he found it because of his race. He
did not have a lot of opportunities as a lawyer, so he focus
on becoming an entertainer appearing on stage in new york and london and acting in films in nineteen. Twenty five
if he also launched a career as a singer with a repertoire that came to focus on spiritualized working song.
And songs associated with the labour movement has.
wife is Lando was his manager. They had married in nineteen. Twenty one robe thumbs career really flourished, both
an actor and as a singer, and it was groundbreaking, for example, for decades the tie
oh role of a fellow had been played by white men in black face, and in the u s it was almost unheard of for a black man
star in a role opposite a white woman but robes and broke this color line
hearing as othello in london, in nineteen thirty and on broadway and nineteen forty three, this broadway production
fellow ran for two hundred, maybe six performances which set a record for shakespeare on broadway by this point ropes,
was also outspoken against both racism and fascism, starting in them
teen thirties. He had become increasingly focused on equal rights for racial and ethnic minorities and on workers, rights and economic equality. He saw both his prefer
it says, and his life as a way to support democracy and equality and to oppose,
she's colonialism, exploitation and war. He traveled internationally as part of this, including making
trip to the soviet union in nineteen, thirty four and there he found an affinity with its workers and its peasant class, and he also said he felt like this was the first place he had ever been wearing
had been treated like a full human being, rather than targeted and vilified because of his race. After this visit he had started learning russian and adding russian songs to his repertoire. He frequently talked about the huge,
difference and how he was treated in the ussr as compared to how he was treated in the? U s, this
empathy with the soviet union had a major impact on his life and career after world war, two with the start of the cold war. At that point, it would have been seen as deeply
suspicious for any american to express these kinds of views, but it was especially suspicious coming from a black man,
particularly a black man, who was also outspoken on subjects like racial and economic equality. In april
in forty nine robes and was invited to perform at the paris peace congress also called the world congress of the peace partisans. This was a peace conference that had been established by the soviet union after his musical performance at the conference he spoke extemporaneous lee and according to
french transcript, he said quote. We in america do not forget that it is on the backs of the poor of whites of europe and on the backs of millions of black people. The wealth of america has been.
acquired, and we are resolved that it shall be distributed at an equitable manner among all of our children, and we don't want any hysterical stupidity about our participating in a war against
Anybody know matter whom we are determined to fight for peace. We do not wish to fight the soviet union. However, before he even started speed.
king. A different quote had already been filed with the associated press, the a p
did robes and his saying quote, it is unthinkable that american negroes would go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed
for generations against one
which in one generation has lifted our people to full human dignity. The ape
right up, also reported that robson had called president truman's programme for colonial development. In africa and invasion that equated to a new slavery, the new york times ran both this
p report and another article on April, twenty first of nineteen, forty nine, this other article
headlines. Paris quote: peace. Congress. Fails you s. An atlantic pact upholds soviet. This peace quoted robes and saying quote: we call
o. Neil peoples have contributed to the building of the united states and are determined to share in its wealth. We denounce the policy of the united states government, which is similar to that of hitler and girls,
We want peace and liberty and will combat for them, along with the soviet union. The democracies of eastern europe, china and Indonesia
immediately robes and was denounced as a communist and a trader newspaper sought comment from other prominent black.
People expecting them to denounce robes in as well the u s stated
irma demanded a response from Roy wilkins and walter white of the end, doubly c p, and the house on american activities. Committee brought in Jackie Robinson said, testify against Paul robes and in july of nineteen forty, nine robes and and
Robinson were two of the most famous black men in the united states at this point, and so this was an intentional effort to try to get an equally prominent black man to denounce Paul, robes and Jackie Robinson,
apparently reluctantly testified that Paul robes and did not speak for all black people and that, while he was entitled to his own views, he sounded silly expressing them in public Jackie Robinson also set of the ongoing civil right struggles in the. U s quote: we can win our fight without the communists and we don't want their help. All of this was happening just at the start of the
I can't read scare civil rights, labour rights and other progressive organizations were already under a lot of scrutiny and some did how
communists among their members, the com,
This party also advocated for things like labour rights and equal civil rights across races and sexes, so it made at ease
it's brand, other organisations fighting for these same things as communist me
a civil rights organisations and their leaders were eager to distance themselves from communism as much as possible and all
is fed into why some of the people and organisations who had previously,
seen, ropes and as an ally.
Really shunned him and even condemned him at first robes. Then
was still in europe had no idea what was happening back in the united states and when he found out he initially did not realise the scope of it. He thought he could just issue a response when he got back home, but once it became clear, it was really devastating, especially when it came to Jackie robinson comments as a black athlete himself robes and had
actively supported robinson's efforts to break the color line in major league baseball and publicly robes and maintained his support. Saying quote: I have no quarrel with Jackie. I have a great deal of respect for him. He is entitled to his view. I feel that the house committee has insulted Jackie. It has insulted me and has insulted
entire negro race. All of this happened shortly before robes and was supposed to perform near p,
Skill new york he had been
formed in and around peak skill, at least three times in previous years, and while there has been some protests, including by the american legion when he was at peak skill, stadium and nineteen forty seven, this time was different, we'll talk more about that after a sponsor break
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The card. Third, that Paul robes and plans to perform. On august, twenty seventh of nineteen, forty nine was just outside of peak skill. New york at lake lynde acres picnic ground. It was sponsored by pete, seegars booking agency people's artists ink. This was a fund raising event with proceeds going to the harlem chapter of the civil rights congress. This is a sin
rights and legal defence organisation whose founder, William l Patterson, was also a leader in the communist party usa. This organization was focused on protecting the civil rights of black people and communists. So as an organization it faced,
lot of suspicion. Peace skill is in westchester county in this area had previously been both agricultural and industrial, but all of that had declined, allowing developers to buy up large tracts of land for cheap and then build summer resorts about eighteen,
and people were living in peak skill year round in the summary was home to about thirty thousand vacation ers, most of them jewish people from new york city ropes,
music was widely popular among jewish people, which was one of the reasons for an annual summer. Cancer in peak skill accept further people whose livelihoods depended on this summer crowd the towns year round. Residents generally did not like them. Every summer locals dealt with traffic and crowds and shortages of just basic goods in stores, along with just suddenly being vastly outnumbered by people. They did not see as part of their community, in some cases actively disliked because of anti semitism and other cases
I don't like they have different cultural priorities and views. I feel like this is the refrain of everyone who lives in a tourism town, gas,
peak season is always please get these people out of here, leading up to the car
Third, the peak skill evening star, publish numerous articles, editorials and letters to the editor about it most of the
we're negative, describing robeson as a communist and subversive, and the concert as a threat to peek skill on august,
when a third and article ran under the headline robes in concert here.
aid. Subversive units in it said in part, quote every ticket purchased for the peaks gill concert will drop nickels and dime
into the basket of an american political organization. The time for tee
silence that signifies approval is running out
to the editor by local veteran leader, Vincent J boil equated communism with polio. In other words, it was a terrifying, contagious disease capable of silently infecting people public sentiment among pig skills year round residence was over
well mainly against the concert. Multiple organization spoke out against it, including the jaycees, the coordinates club and the knights of columbus, but there were at least a few people who defended robes and right to play one letter to the editor from august. Twenty six that in part quote
The principal danger that appears on the horizon is that those who think of themselves as good americans should become panicky and forget if they ever fully understood and truly appreciated the great value of democratic principles. The greatest
which is tolerance for the expression of minority and unpopular ideas, freedom of speech, press and orderly assembly.
Another letter made a similar argument, although both of the people who had written these letters were very careful to point out that they personally were not communists afterward. They were both subjected to
lot of harassment and threats. In light of all this, the concert organizers made three different requests for police protection. Those requests were all ignored.
Meanwhile, the american legion and the veterans of foreign wars, were planning a protest parade. The joint veterans council supported a protest as well
in addition to the allegations that robes and was a communist, subversive. The picnic area,
or the concert was being held with adjacent to semi
greece, where veterans were buried, which the veterans groups found deeply offensive. On august, twenty seventh, several people arrived at the picnic area to set up, including putting out a thousand rented folding chairs. One was novelist howard fast. He was one of the last people able to make it in
the picnic area before demonstrators from the american legion blocked the entrance. Although
The organisations that were planning to protest. The concert stressed that their demonstrations would be peaceful,
situation in the picnic ground quickly became ugly and violent demons
raiders made a bonfire from the chairs and song books that were being used for the event. Robeson was wind.
in effigy and someone burned across people shouting
things, like quote we're hitler's boys here to finish the job
as well as yelling white supremacist, racist and anti semitic slogans. The few people.
who had gotten their early to set up wound up cornered on this stage singing we shall now
be moved, which was the only music for the evening. Robeson had been kept out of the venue when it was clear that the concert wasn't happening.
But the demonstrations organizers started. Calling for people to disperse police then
We heard the area, but some of the people who have been protesting took their antagonism out into the community, mostly targeting jewish people, artists, people who
in the area where they are for the summer that, for whatever reason, the protesters saw as suspicious or subversive p
skill, american legion leader, milton flint set of this quote. Our objective was to prevent the paul robes in concert, and I think our objective was reached
and ropes and later said quote. They were
merely attacking me. Personally. They were attacking the negro people, the jewish people,
and all who stand for peace and democracy in america robes in another. Other
who had been involved in a concert met at harlem golden gate ballroom shortly after all this, and they decided to reschedule the concert four september forth, which was the sunday of labour day weekend. This
I'm the venue was in the neighboring town of cortland in the hollow bric country club once again locals in peace,
skill and community and city groups planned a protest to oppose the concert since requests or police protection had gone unheeded in august.
Concert organizers worked with several trade unions to make a plan for union members to defend the concert site, thrilling, not clear how many people would have attended the august. Twenty seventh concert: if it had been able to go
But the crowd on the afternoon of september forth was huge, with estimates ranging from fifteen thousand to twenty five thousand people. In addition to Paul robes and and
keep Seeger. Other performers were added to the set singing classical music, folk, songs and spiritual, and giving an appeal for funds from the civil
its congress union members, made a shoulder to shoulder human wall, all around the crowd and the stage as a physical barrier between them and the protesters. The concert at sea
of went well pete Seeger, later described, feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment that their plans to protect everyone and get through the concert had worked. But then as the
I tried to leave the police funneled everyone through the same exit and down miles of
They long winding road where people were waiting with piles of rocks to throw at the cars and buses as they went by the rocks had been.
They are ahead of time to throw it vehicles and the people in them as they left Paul. Robe
and was driven out of the area, hiding in the floor of a van with the hope that he wouldn't be spotted his son Paul
then junior was married to a white woman, and members of the crowd threatens to murder a different black man who was in the car with a white woman in a case of mistaken identity, p
bigger, was in a car with his wife and two young children, along with his father in law, and a couple of other people, Seeger described what
his children in the floor of the car covered in shattered glass, as they tried to get out when they drove
the police officer and Seeger asked if they were going to do something. The officer just said quote: move on Seeger kept the two rocks, that's
ass through the windows and later
use them as part of the chimney in the home that they built at least fifteen cars were overturned, as people tried to leave through all of this, some of the bus drivers bled leaving around a thousand passengers stranded in this malay. Meanwhile, back at the concert site, demonstrators attacked people who are still trying to leave some spit and eugene blurred, who we just had an episode about, and after he spit back, he was badly beaten.
including by police, and even though all this was caught on video, no one was ever prosecuted for it, although no one was killed. At least one hundred forty people were injured during all of this, and some of them were seriously injured and once again is the key
out moved away from the scene of the concert. Violence spread out into the community targeting blackened jewish,
people who were still in the area with harassment, threats and slurs. After all of this, news, coverage generally condemned the violence, while often so
Lee or sometimes directly blaming robes, and for it
framing him as an anti american communist. The new york times, reporting set in part, quote lamenting the twisted thinking that is ruining paul, robes and great career. We defend his right to carry his art to whatever peaceably assemble
groups of people he wishes. That is the american way new york
I an er thomas dewey ordered an investigation that was handled by district attorney. George,
nellie and it absolved police of any blame
but an acl. You investigation concluded that the westchester police had allowed the violence to happen.
acl. You also noted that state troopers on hand had tried to break up fights or protect people when they witnessed violence, but the state troopers were far.
Numbered by other officers, making up about two.
dread of the roughly nine hundred fifty officers present the official user,
Port on the violence also included. This statement quote a comprehensive and patient investigation of these incidents brings to light one outstanding fact that the rioters believe
if they were carrying out a patriotic duty and what they did. They believe
even that the nation would applaud them, and the national press would lend them support
believed that, in denying freedom of speech to a political minority, they were following the lead of the federal authorities,
Let's talk more about the aftermath of all of this. After we first pause for a little sponsor break, get ready
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member tracy morgan. Here yesterday I was on the streets and the guy said: hi tracy morgan. Why did you join uber one? So I said hello, stranger, because uber one gives me five percent of rise. Ten percent of my snacks, a zero dollar delivery fee. He said that's a lot of good stuff, so I said I concur. Let's be best friends, be my best friend to join uber
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After the violence of september. Fourth, nineteen, forty, nine old lot
people in and around peak skill maintains that communist had provoked the violence, but the only provocation they were referencing was paul robes and, having played a concert,
There was no evidence that communist had called for or instigated any violence.
There was ongoing ku klux klan activity in the area, the a c l. U report concluded that the klan was not responsible for the rioting. There had even been a protest sign in the august, twenty seven parades that had read
Twenty years ago, we cleaned out the clan now will clean out the commies that said cross burning.
Is heavily associated with the clam and crosses, were burning during the riots and the violence does seem to have ensued.
aired later clam activity with clan members burning cross.
Is that bore the label quote. We protest Paul, robeson and communism. The riots
though inflamed racism and anti semitism more generally and late august in early september of nineteen, forty,
and people in and around peak skill started, displaying signs in their windows that red wake up america peak skill. Did this also appeared on protesters signs and became a bumper sticker in response to this and other incidents, including a controversy? Sarah lawrence
knowledge, which is also in westchester county. The american legion and westchester county established its own unamerican.
activities committee and nineteen fifty two simon
Obviously the riots inspired the civil rights and labour rights movements, including a new wave of protest, songs and album called the peak skill story, including both music and spoken word by Paul robson howard, fast pete, Seeger and the weavers was released just day.
after the riots seeger song hold, the line was part of this album and begins. Let me tell
the story of a line that was held and many brave men.
women whose courage we know well how we
EL the line at peak skill. On that long september day, we will hold the line
forever till the people have their way. Nobody was ever prosecuted for the violence or destruction of these two events, Paul robes and in twenty six other,
did file at two million dollar civil suit against westchester county and see where the veterans groups involved, but that was eventually dismissed.
and all the musicians associated with the concert had their careers disrupted performers
looting, Paul, robson, pete, Seeger, and would he got three who had been at the concert but had not performed or turned on,
by venues, pad bookings cancelled and were otherwise closed out of the industry, promising,
Politicians and people in other industries cut ties with them sometimes publicly, but this was by far the worst for Paul robson. He did not back down on any of his statements about: u S, foreign policy or colonialism or racism or his experiences as a black man in the united states, verses in the soviet union, the
The eye investigated him for years, but Paul robes and file on the f b. I website, where it keeps its vaults of stuff from foyer requests, includes thirty one parts, and some of them are hundreds of pages long
None of this stopped his activism though, and he did not back away from his support of communism or the soviet union. In nineteen fifty, he published a pamphlet called the negro people in the soviet union.
in which he described the soviet union as inspiring the independence movements in vietnam, indonesia
malaysia and india. He also talked about europe.
colonization of africa, saying quote the soul,
The union is the friend of the african and west indian peoples and no imperialist wolf described as
benevolent watchdog and no tito disk.
This is a revolutionary can convince them that moscow oppresses the small nations later on
the pamphlet he wrote quote. The soviet socialist programme of ethnic and national democracy is precisely the opposite of the nazi fascist, south african and dixie crap programmes of racial superiority. That thing
every year, the? U s became involved in the korean war, which robes and also spoke out against, as he was preparing for an international tour of concerts and peace rallies. The state department cancelled his passport immigration officials were also instructed to keep him from travelling to canada or mexico, where
exports were not required, although he was still in demand as a performer outside the united states, he wasn't allowed to travel to work and he was also banned from most domestic venue. So for the most part he couldn't work in the EU s either. His remaining performances had to work around this at one point in nineteen. Fifty two, he did an outdoor concert in washington where part of the crowd of twenty five thousand people was occur.
The border in canada robes and later said, his annual income dropped from one hundred thousand dollars to two thousand dollars after the peak skill riots. He.
His wife is launder lost their home in connecticut and move to harlem new york as anew
You were married until her death in nineteen sixty five, but their relationship was sometimes streamed. They had
being married in spite of a pattern of extramarital affairs on Paul's part, as robes
I tried to find other ways to make ends meet. He started a newspaper called freedom, which was one of the few publications in the. U s to extensively report on apartheid in south africa. During this period, a paper ran until nineteen fifty five in nineteen fifty six ropes and tried to get his passport restored, and during that process he refused to sign an affidavit stating that he was not a communist afterward. He was called before the house un american activities committee, where his testimony was truly defiant. He was just not
the cooperate with what he saw a total sham of proceeding. He repeatedly refused to say whether he was a communist. He invoked the fifth amendment over and over and he called the proceedings ridiculous. He said it
on point quote, I am not being tried for whether I am a communist. I am being tried,
fighting for the rights of my people. I stand here
struggling for the rights of my people to be full citizens in this country, and they are not. They are not enough
city and they are not in Montgomery alabama and they are
in washington they
are nowhere, and that is why I am here today you
who want to shut up every negro, who has the courage to stand up and fight for the rights of his people, for the rights of workers,
and I have been on many a picket line for the steel workers too, and that is why
here today. He also
elaborated on that quote that had been misreported and had fed into the peak skill riots quote no part of my speech made in paris
says: fifteen million american negroes would do anything. I said it was my feeling that the american people would struggle for peace, and that has since been underscored by the president of the united states
Now in passing, I said it was unthinkable to me that any people would take up arms in the name of an east lynne to go against anybody. Gentlemen, I still say that the united states government should go down some mississippi and protect my people. That is what should happen.
And when asked repeatedly whether he had praised Joseph Stalin. He finally answered quote whatever has
but to stolen gentlemen, is a question for the soviet union, and I would not
you with the representative of the people who, in building america wasted sixty two hundred.
lives of my people, black people drawn from ass,
on the plantations. You
a responsible and your forbear,
for sixty million to one
hundred million black people dying in the slave ships and on the plantations and don't ask me
Anybody please
when the meeting was finally announced as adjourned robes and said quote, I think it should be- and you should adjourn this forever-
dishes to having been essentially blocked from his career as a performer after this robes
his name was removed from the college football all american roster. So one thing that we do need to note here is that robes and praise for the soap
union went way beyond his own experience of racial oppression as a black man. So many of the quotes we have read from him. He had a point. He was correct and his notation that the united states was expecting.
young men, especially young black men, to go to war while not protecting black men at home, like a lot of what he was saying, was absolutely valid. But what we're talking about as far as opinions when beyond that? It's likely that when he visited the soviet union,
in nineteen thirty four. He did not know, for example, about the holiday. More soviet authorities took steps to hide that from prominent visitor
send a lot of the other. Most notorious actions on the part of the soviet union had not happened. Yet when he was there in nineteen, thirty four, but by the time robes and appeared before the house on american activities committee.
Was clear that Stalin's control of the soviet union had been ruthlessly authoritarian and dictatorial, and
that he and his administration had carried out purges and mass deportations and executions, unjust imprisonments and industrial innovation and collectivization efforts that have led to widespread famine and death
but ropes, and never publicly reconsidered. His early support of the soviet union or its leaders, including Joseph Stalin, and he also praise
other communist dictators, including MAO Zedong, for example, after Stalin's death in nineteen fifty three ropes and published a eulogy, there was full of use of praise, saying in part quote yes, three:
his deep humanity by his wise understanding, he leaves us a rich and monumental heritage. Most importantly, he has charted the direction of our present and future struggles. He has pointed the way to peace to
and co existence to the exchange of mutual scientific and cultural contributions to the end of war and destruction. How consistently, how patiently he labored for peace and ever increasing abundance with what deep kindliness and why
stem. He leaves tens of millions all over the earth bowed in heart aching grief at.
his in earlier years, like the nineteen thirties and forties robes, and seems to have been concerned that, if he'd denounced, Annie,
The soviet union was doing. It would feed into anti soviet and anti communist fervour which he thought would do more harm than good, and he repeatedly made the point that the united states had this long history of slavery and genocide. That really wasn't acknowledged when the. U s was condemning atrocities that work
carried out by other nations, but we really do not know his thoughts on why he continued to so vocally support and praise Stalin and other soviet leaders, as well as other dictators when all of this became more known or why he pointedly criticized the imperialism of western nations, while seemingly ignoring russian imperialism in eastern europe
in nineteen fifty eight, the. U s supreme court issued a ruling in Kent versus dollars, finding that it was unconstitutional to deny someone a passport because they were a communist or refuse to sign in
For David, regarding whether they were a communist afterward robe since p
poor was finally restored and he left the country, but all this had
emotionally and financially devastating. He experienced periods of profound depression
and other mental illness and at various points was hospitalized for treatment in moss
how in nineteen sixty one he tried to take his own life here.
Turned to the: u s in nineteen, sixty three, where his life was increasingly secluded and reclusive.
In nineteen, seventy two Jackie Robinson published an autobiography titled. I never had it made in which he suggested that if he had
do it all over again, he would not have spoken out against Paul robes, and he also said that his respect for robes and had increased over the years because he had sacrificed everything he had, including his wealth and career.
try to help people paul robes and died in philadelphia on january, twenty third, nineteen. Seventy six at the age of seventy seven.
There are a number of books and films about paul, robes and life, and in twenty fourteen it was announced that director, Steve mcqueen was working on a bite.
I have not been able to find anything more recent, then that since like twenty, sixteen or so so, not sure what the status of that is sometimes as projects move
very slowly yeah? Sometimes they move very slowly and sometimes they just kind of sputter out to evaporate. He so soon give listener me
for us. I do. I have a couple different, quick pieces. The listener mail in our behind
Seems episode on allowing war we talked about,
going on around the whole of outdoor drama, and so we have gone. We gotta
I have great email about the outdoor drama dramas that are located near where people live,
that they know about so this first emails from tyler and tyler's, high holly and tracy from the latest behind
theme, lorry and mitchell. You were speaking about historical drama performances, there's one here in the texas panhandle that runs nightly during the summer months. Now, in its fifty six season, it is outside amarillo.
In an amphitheatre and the politburo canyon, America's second largest canyon, its loosely based on colonel charles good night and the early settlers of the reason, but with singing and
thing worth a look, if you're ever in the area, people driving by tend to think of this country as endless flat, nothing, but if they get off the interstate and see the canyon find it amazingly beautiful, keep up the good work on a regular listener to every episode for the last several years, so the name of that show is apparently just texas. Outdoor musical is more about it. At texas dash show dot com, we have also got lots of emails and sweets and other such things telling us
about this next once this is from Gloria and Gloria, wrote, holly and tracy. I just finished listening to the behind the scenes, but allow reward and you're wondering about outdoor theatre productions. We had to hear in ohio for many years. The original was to come, sir, and his rent for over fifty years,
Unfortunately, the other blue jacket is no longer in production, have put the info I found on both
you mail or what you read, but I wanted to give you the history on them and out also Gloria sent. Some dog pictures would have very cute so that information about the two comes out door drama is at two comes the drama dot com. These are not that you only emails. We ve gotten about outdoor dramas, though this may come up
and then from future listener male, we will see. Thank you so much to everybody who has told us about bow dora dramas of their local area. If you would like to write to us re history, podcast that I heard radio dot com
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Transcript generated on 2022-10-18.