| Summary: | In the first letter, written October 31, 1933, Harry H. Smith describes the strike to Governor Benjamin Miller. To protest alleged violations of the National Recovery Administration's textile code, the strikers have been harassing the mill's employees and "have even organized negro labor." Smith mentions that A. L. Baker, president of the Central Trades Council in Mobile, wants to force the state to call out the militia. Though the sheriff of Mobile County is trying to control the protest, Smith asks the governor to be prepared to dispatch the National Guard if necessary. In the second letter, written November 4, 1933, Governor Miller thanks Smith for the information and expresses his hope that the strike can be settled without military involvement. After the letters is a report, dated November 1, 1933, from Lieutenant Colonel John T. Moore of the Alabama National Guard. Moore had gone to Crichton to investigate the possibility of using state troops to resolve the conflict. He interviewed people on either side of the picket line, so his report provides both viewpoints. Moore believes the local authorities can handle the strike without assistance, but he thinks that the troops should be on standby in case the situation gets out of control. After the report is a telegram, sent October 31, 1933, in which U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins asks Governor Miller to investigate claims A. L. Baker has made about the strike: "'Mob rules prevails in textile strike...racial hatred will likely cause bloodshed...Graveness of situation prompts this appeal for assistance.'" In the responding telegram, sent November 1, 1933, Governor Miller assures Perkins that the local authorities have the situation under control but promises to keep her updated.
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