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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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all kinds of situations, then there was a temporary depression. The trade unions that I was in touch with were the New York State and New York City unions, and they, except in the garment trades, were not much influenced by this radical thinking.

The existence of Trotsky became very well known to us. It turned out that he had lived in exile in the Bronx for a number of years at the same time that Lenin was living in Switzerland. After all, Switzerland is a traditional place for revolutionary loaders to live and it was a surprise that one had lived in our midst. There turned out to be neighbors in the Bronx who had known Trotsky when he was here, and I suppose some of these people in the garment workers had known him, but they were very quiet about it. Whoever was inclined to be with Trotsky or with the Bolsheviks made no impression upon the unions, except this one group of garment trades, and made no impression upon society. The Communists made no impression upon society, if they were already beginning to call themselves that.

One was aware, because of the public press, of the break between the Lenin and Trotsky outfits, but without having the slightest idea of what it was about,





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