At 3:01 AM, upon commenting on everyone's blog, this is what I have succumed to in an attempt to procrastinate even further.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Judt, Tony
Judt did not actually have anything in his folder that really gave a detailed description of him or a view into his life but what he did do was a book review of "Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War". It says that the Spanish Civil war was a struggle between democrats and authoritarians and contemporaries. Moreover, the Soviet Union was the only to give help to the Republican government buttt when Judt analyzes this, he says that the Soviet Union only gave money because they were trying to spread Communism. On the other hand, Judt then states that the Republicans brought their fate on themselves by not representing the heterogenity of Spain such as the peasant small holders, shopkeepers, and Catholics.
Then you have the crazy people which were made up of anarchists, unionists, COmmunists, SOcialists, Republicans, Basques & Catalan separatists. Communists were a mniority in Spain however. The only reason they survived there was because the Soviet Union promised to offer money if they increased communism's hold and because Spanish Communism tried to destroy all the competition within the left.
This folder focused a lot on the Soviet Union which is another cool viewpoint.
Then you have the crazy people which were made up of anarchists, unionists, COmmunists, SOcialists, Republicans, Basques & Catalan separatists. Communists were a mniority in Spain however. The only reason they survived there was because the Soviet Union promised to offer money if they increased communism's hold and because Spanish Communism tried to destroy all the competition within the left.
This folder focused a lot on the Soviet Union which is another cool viewpoint.
tivin, isadore
Isadore Tivin was from Venture, Cali and he died at 90 years old in 1997.
Oddly enough, I haven't heard of this before but Tivin served in the Brunete Campaign. However, he was sent home after he got the typhus fever. Which is such a depressing way to go home.
In the folder there's a letter sent by Tivin to the National Commander of the VALB asking Steve to remove 5 people in control of the VALB papers because they were using the papers for their own purposes/priorities. (I didn't really understand this but whatevzzz).
In the letter he states that at the VALB Conferences in NY in 1979, a man by the name of Gabby Rosenstein, slandered all the vets saying he was a McCarthy in his own way. Rosenstein was the Secretary of the LA Post.
So this was all that was there and upon examination, I feel like this was a good folder because it showed that the vets were still involved with the VALB causes even after the Spanish Civil War.
Oddly enough, I haven't heard of this before but Tivin served in the Brunete Campaign. However, he was sent home after he got the typhus fever. Which is such a depressing way to go home.
In the folder there's a letter sent by Tivin to the National Commander of the VALB asking Steve to remove 5 people in control of the VALB papers because they were using the papers for their own purposes/priorities. (I didn't really understand this but whatevzzz).
In the letter he states that at the VALB Conferences in NY in 1979, a man by the name of Gabby Rosenstein, slandered all the vets saying he was a McCarthy in his own way. Rosenstein was the Secretary of the LA Post.
So this was all that was there and upon examination, I feel like this was a good folder because it showed that the vets were still involved with the VALB causes even after the Spanish Civil War.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
11/04 pt 2
James Lardner
In this collection there were MANY letters/correspondences between Lardner and his mother and a man by the name of Ring Lardner. Maybe a brother or father? To Ring Lardner, he sends a postcard which he writes that he was hit by shrapnel and is at the hospital healing (there is a picture of a hospital on the card) and he refers to his group as "the Party" rather than the Reds or the Republicans or whatnot. It's cool to see what they all referred to their cause as.
In another letter to his mother, we also find out more about James himself. He writes to his mother saying that this is a hard thing to tell her but that he has decided to go off and fight in the war regardless of the fact that his best friend told him not to. Since James was a journalist, he had an opportunity to meet Ernest Hemingway as it sounds and Hemingway is said to have told him that if James wanted to go fight the fascists he should because it is a worthy cause. He then discusses how exclusive the army is which is very suprirsing because you would think they would have accepted everyone and anyone and would have been so ecstatic and inclusive to have people. He states that it took him a long time to get ot the position he has now which is very surprising. What's more interesting is then that he lists why he should join the ALB.
I'll write a few down.
1. Because I feel Facism is wrong and it must be exterminated and that liberal democracy or more probably communism is right.
2. Because my joining of the ALB might change the neutrality act the US has taken.
3. Because there is a girl in Paris who will learn that my prescence is not necessary to her existence.
4. Because I shall come in contact with many communists, who are very good company and from whom I expect to learn a lot of things.
5. Because I am tired of working for the Herald tribune in particular and newspapers in general.
I feel all of these reasons can sum up why a lot of the people joined the ALB and the cause in Spain. They believed they'd be doing something good for the world by exterminating fascists, for love or to run away from love, to learn from the Communists or because they were Communists, and perhaps because they were just tired of their daily lives in America.
There's also a news article from James' hometown which gives more of a history of James. James was educated at Andover and Harvard (which shows that even the highly prestigiousyl learned people went to fight).
It ends then with Jim's friend writing to James' mother about how James was lost (he was missing in action) and it's just a sad note because people started out with these amazing causes and then they were simply lost or died.
In this collection there were MANY letters/correspondences between Lardner and his mother and a man by the name of Ring Lardner. Maybe a brother or father? To Ring Lardner, he sends a postcard which he writes that he was hit by shrapnel and is at the hospital healing (there is a picture of a hospital on the card) and he refers to his group as "the Party" rather than the Reds or the Republicans or whatnot. It's cool to see what they all referred to their cause as.
In another letter to his mother, we also find out more about James himself. He writes to his mother saying that this is a hard thing to tell her but that he has decided to go off and fight in the war regardless of the fact that his best friend told him not to. Since James was a journalist, he had an opportunity to meet Ernest Hemingway as it sounds and Hemingway is said to have told him that if James wanted to go fight the fascists he should because it is a worthy cause. He then discusses how exclusive the army is which is very suprirsing because you would think they would have accepted everyone and anyone and would have been so ecstatic and inclusive to have people. He states that it took him a long time to get ot the position he has now which is very surprising. What's more interesting is then that he lists why he should join the ALB.
I'll write a few down.
1. Because I feel Facism is wrong and it must be exterminated and that liberal democracy or more probably communism is right.
2. Because my joining of the ALB might change the neutrality act the US has taken.
3. Because there is a girl in Paris who will learn that my prescence is not necessary to her existence.
4. Because I shall come in contact with many communists, who are very good company and from whom I expect to learn a lot of things.
5. Because I am tired of working for the Herald tribune in particular and newspapers in general.
I feel all of these reasons can sum up why a lot of the people joined the ALB and the cause in Spain. They believed they'd be doing something good for the world by exterminating fascists, for love or to run away from love, to learn from the Communists or because they were Communists, and perhaps because they were just tired of their daily lives in America.
There's also a news article from James' hometown which gives more of a history of James. James was educated at Andover and Harvard (which shows that even the highly prestigiousyl learned people went to fight).
It ends then with Jim's friend writing to James' mother about how James was lost (he was missing in action) and it's just a sad note because people started out with these amazing causes and then they were simply lost or died.
11/04/09
Herman Greenfield
One of the first things that popped up to me in this file was a letter from the "Friends of the ALB" and it was a death notice. It's a letter to Herman's father saying that his son had died and that they were sorry. The thing that interests me most is the paper. The paper has a picture of Abraham Lincoln on the left and below that is a list of sponsors. I mean, come on. They're sending a letter saying his son has died and the paper has a list of sponsors? I'd be so cynical if I were the father.
Along with this is a postcard asking for aid to the Red cause. There's a note along with the card (he sends it to his mother) saying that this is a postcard for the Reds and that they give aid to the soldiers. So perhaps he was a Communist?
Amongst these things are many letters Herman himself writes. He writes very often to his parents which may show that he was quite the family man or that the fact that he was in a war and the idea that death could approach him, led hiim to become more close to his parents. In one of the letters he writes to his mother that he is said to hear economic situations aren't so well back at home. This is great because it gives some input as to how situations are in the US besides Spain. Moreover he writes that he is so happy that his mother says she would like to be there working as well which shows that some parents did support what their kids were doing. By the likes of it, he sounds like he is in the medical division because he says the work of his medical comrades are so highly appreciated.
On the flipside, the letters he writes to his father are much more depressing. He says that he didn't want to write because then he'd have to say things were okay even though they werent. It shows that with mothers, one can be more "untruthful" while with fathers, you can just tell it how it is.
Overall this was a great collection and I feel like a possible idea could be the relations between parents and their kids in Spain.
One of the first things that popped up to me in this file was a letter from the "Friends of the ALB" and it was a death notice. It's a letter to Herman's father saying that his son had died and that they were sorry. The thing that interests me most is the paper. The paper has a picture of Abraham Lincoln on the left and below that is a list of sponsors. I mean, come on. They're sending a letter saying his son has died and the paper has a list of sponsors? I'd be so cynical if I were the father.
Along with this is a postcard asking for aid to the Red cause. There's a note along with the card (he sends it to his mother) saying that this is a postcard for the Reds and that they give aid to the soldiers. So perhaps he was a Communist?
Amongst these things are many letters Herman himself writes. He writes very often to his parents which may show that he was quite the family man or that the fact that he was in a war and the idea that death could approach him, led hiim to become more close to his parents. In one of the letters he writes to his mother that he is said to hear economic situations aren't so well back at home. This is great because it gives some input as to how situations are in the US besides Spain. Moreover he writes that he is so happy that his mother says she would like to be there working as well which shows that some parents did support what their kids were doing. By the likes of it, he sounds like he is in the medical division because he says the work of his medical comrades are so highly appreciated.
On the flipside, the letters he writes to his father are much more depressing. He says that he didn't want to write because then he'd have to say things were okay even though they werent. It shows that with mothers, one can be more "untruthful" while with fathers, you can just tell it how it is.
Overall this was a great collection and I feel like a possible idea could be the relations between parents and their kids in Spain.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
10/29
Negrin, Juan.
This is also another interesting person I found. Juan Negrin was a writer who wrote several articles which were found in the file as well. One was titled "The Spanish Problem" which was about how Spain had it's own pride and how they want no outside aid. It discusses that people used the Civil War in Spain as a scapegoat for fighting "The Red Legend" in Spain for a Cmomunist cause. This was highly...I don't know how to descirbe it. Blasphemic?
Then he writes another article titled "League of Nations must find solution" which was about how before the actual civil war, the SPanish Republic knew that the rebel army was being created yet they didn't "care". It also states that people who came over didn't know what they were getting themselves into and thought that they would just be doing this glorious thing. (Which is tottally wrong. People were individually affected by the idea of facism, not JUSt for the communist cause; they truly wanted to help and were scared of facism taking over".
So then the interesting part comes here. THere are two different views of Negirn. One is said that Negrin was just a compelte liar and a bad man. in fact he was expelled as a miltatnat by the Spanish Socialist Party.
Another states that his reputation had been unjustly besmirched since the start of the war.
In my opinion, I feel like Negrin was probably just a really cynical man. I mean, of course I don't agree with what he said but if that's how he felt abou tthe war and those who came over to help, well then that's how he felt.
I really liked this folder because it contained two different sides of the opinions. Usually these people are portrayed as courages men with amazing morals yet here's this man, who seems to be the complete opposite. It's a nice change.
This is also another interesting person I found. Juan Negrin was a writer who wrote several articles which were found in the file as well. One was titled "The Spanish Problem" which was about how Spain had it's own pride and how they want no outside aid. It discusses that people used the Civil War in Spain as a scapegoat for fighting "The Red Legend" in Spain for a Cmomunist cause. This was highly...I don't know how to descirbe it. Blasphemic?
Then he writes another article titled "League of Nations must find solution" which was about how before the actual civil war, the SPanish Republic knew that the rebel army was being created yet they didn't "care". It also states that people who came over didn't know what they were getting themselves into and thought that they would just be doing this glorious thing. (Which is tottally wrong. People were individually affected by the idea of facism, not JUSt for the communist cause; they truly wanted to help and were scared of facism taking over".
So then the interesting part comes here. THere are two different views of Negirn. One is said that Negrin was just a compelte liar and a bad man. in fact he was expelled as a miltatnat by the Spanish Socialist Party.
Another states that his reputation had been unjustly besmirched since the start of the war.
In my opinion, I feel like Negrin was probably just a really cynical man. I mean, of course I don't agree with what he said but if that's how he felt abou tthe war and those who came over to help, well then that's how he felt.
I really liked this folder because it contained two different sides of the opinions. Usually these people are portrayed as courages men with amazing morals yet here's this man, who seems to be the complete opposite. It's a nice change.
10/27 ?
Grigas, Joseph
Of all of the research things I've done, I thought this was the cutest one (I'm a huge fan of cute things).
So Joseph Grigas was born in Worchester Massachusetts on Feb 15, 1915 and was of Lithuanian descent. Being the rebel he was (I'm assuming this), he left home twice to go off and fight in wars. In the first instance he left for 3 1/2 years to fight with the US Army in Panama and the 2nd was when he left with 15 others from Worchester to fight in Spain for the Republican cause.
Now this is where I'm surprised. The fact that 15 people from Worchester all went together is incredulous because you have to remember that only 3000 approximately people from America went and 15 of them were from this SAME city? It's just surprising.
He was then captured in Spain on April 5th and brought to San Pedro, which is interesting because I've researched several people who were captured together and brought to San Pedro. In 1939, he was allowed to return.
After this (as we have some info to this), we find out from different people that Joe spoke 3 languages fluently (one including German) and he was very courages. Afterwards he enlisted with the Canadian Refgiment for WWII because (The US wasn't in the war hahah). and through this he wont the Distinguished Conduct Medal later on for capturing coastal artillery batteries. (A highly prestious award). However, because he was dead, he could not accept it. By the way he died in 2005 in Canada. This is odd once again because it strikes me that he seemed to have spent more time in other countries rather than his home one which may account for why he was nicknamed International joe during his stay in the International Brigades.
Later on a man by the name of Bob Steck went looking for him but he couldn't find Joe due to privacy laws in the Social Security thing and so he left his name with other people who knew Joe. Now while Steck was on vacation in Puerto Rico, he got a letter from his neighbor back in Conn saying that an old little man came by traveling by 2 days on bus and walking looking for him. This was Joe. How cute is that! Unfortunately he could not be found because he didn't leave a msg behind.
Overall, I feel that this guy is a great example of some of the courageous men of the war. I would havel oved to meet his guy.
Of all of the research things I've done, I thought this was the cutest one (I'm a huge fan of cute things).
So Joseph Grigas was born in Worchester Massachusetts on Feb 15, 1915 and was of Lithuanian descent. Being the rebel he was (I'm assuming this), he left home twice to go off and fight in wars. In the first instance he left for 3 1/2 years to fight with the US Army in Panama and the 2nd was when he left with 15 others from Worchester to fight in Spain for the Republican cause.
Now this is where I'm surprised. The fact that 15 people from Worchester all went together is incredulous because you have to remember that only 3000 approximately people from America went and 15 of them were from this SAME city? It's just surprising.
He was then captured in Spain on April 5th and brought to San Pedro, which is interesting because I've researched several people who were captured together and brought to San Pedro. In 1939, he was allowed to return.
After this (as we have some info to this), we find out from different people that Joe spoke 3 languages fluently (one including German) and he was very courages. Afterwards he enlisted with the Canadian Refgiment for WWII because (The US wasn't in the war hahah). and through this he wont the Distinguished Conduct Medal later on for capturing coastal artillery batteries. (A highly prestious award). However, because he was dead, he could not accept it. By the way he died in 2005 in Canada. This is odd once again because it strikes me that he seemed to have spent more time in other countries rather than his home one which may account for why he was nicknamed International joe during his stay in the International Brigades.
Later on a man by the name of Bob Steck went looking for him but he couldn't find Joe due to privacy laws in the Social Security thing and so he left his name with other people who knew Joe. Now while Steck was on vacation in Puerto Rico, he got a letter from his neighbor back in Conn saying that an old little man came by traveling by 2 days on bus and walking looking for him. This was Joe. How cute is that! Unfortunately he could not be found because he didn't leave a msg behind.
Overall, I feel that this guy is a great example of some of the courageous men of the war. I would havel oved to meet his guy.
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