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That the mine operators never knew. They never knew, because the mine workers were secretive about those matters. The mine workers also had reliance upon the strike fund, which was in control of the central headquarters, you see, and one of the things that Lewis was most careful about was that the mine operators should never know the extent of their funds, or what they had to fall back upon and rely upon in case of real trouble. Yet he didn't want to impinge too much upon those funds if they weren't going to gain enough to make it worthwhile. He was a very skilful and very cautious operator, in negotiations. He always had a great sense of drama in his negotiations.
I remember very plainly, I guess it was in '33 or '34. I was very busy about other things, but at any rate, he had convened the negotiating operatus of the mine industry in Washington. They were negotiating a new contract. It must have been 1934--I guess it was '35, because I was living on California Street. By that time, I had Ed McGrady as Assistant Secretary of Labor. Lewis began making passes. They met. They were negotiating, and I didn't know anything about it. I thought they knew their minds and their own business. There was no reason why I should be concerned about it. They were independent people thatknew how to bid and what to do.
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