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discriminated against. I told him about the people who had come to see me at Homestead, who were crazy men in many ways, but their great grievance was that they were lacklisted by the United States Steel Company. They couldn't get a job anywhere in any steel mill or in any steel town even selling groceries. The United States Steel Company wouldn't even let them take a job selling groceries, or working at any kind of a job. That was their great grievance. There had been enough of that so that people dreaded it.

Ed said, “You're right about that. There has been very high-handed action in the past. I won't attempt to deny it. I know that's been the case. We won't even go into the reasons why it happened, but the owners were frightened too.”

We talked a long time. I finally said, “What I would like to ask you is this. I will never repeat what your answer is, any more than you will repeat what I have said to you today. I just want to know for my information. Do you think, now that you are President of United States Steel, is it even thinkable to you, that the United States Steel Company should ever deal with and recognize a union in its own plants?”

“Oh, I see no reason why it shouldn't,” said Ed, just like that.