Today, I returned to the archives to continue reading the letters of the Leo and Joe Gordon. I learned from a newspaper clipping entitled "Gordon and Gordon" that the brothers were Jewish; and very kind, energetic, intellectual, humorous men. This source reinforced the impression I got of the two men from reading their personal letters by describing them as "animated with such beaming humor and wit." The newspaper told me that Joe is the more aggressive brother who likes to fight and read satire, whereas Leo is the "less aggressive member of the firm" who "reads poetry and classical literature."
I got an even better sense of their personalities by reading Leo's letters from 1931 to 1937. During these years, he traveled around the states working for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). These letters were more light and humorous than the letters written in Spain which I read yesterday. In a letter to Gus on April 25, 1933, he pokes fun at his situation, saying that the only reason he left home was so that he could receive packages of goodies from his family. He goes on to say "The truth is I'm lonely here. Nobody loves me. X marks the spot a tear fell." Then he adds "Boloney. I never was happier in all my life." He gives himself titles like "The Wandering Jew" and "Leo the Great." I found myself lauging out loud in the middle of the Tamiment library at his words. It really was quite funny.
Within these love-able letters, Leo touches upon serious matters as well. He mentions that his friend Puny and he were "fast developing a criminal record" and were pink slipped for participating in labor strikes. At the end of this letter written on July 19, 1937, he writes "One of the kids from our section recently kicked the bucket in the Madrid offensive. And if that isn't a fitting end for this letter, I don't know what is." In this collection of Leo's letters from 1931 to 1937, I could trace his political development in the course of his experiences. The fact that he can laugh at his problems does not decrease the weight of his problems. He must wander across America from job to job to survive, all the while missing his family and suffering from poor living conditions. Therefore, it is clear that Leo became more aggressively and passionately Left through his struggles in the Great Depression.
Leo's own political beliefs and passions were most likely influenced by his aggressive brother Joe. I learned today that Joe was more the leader of the two brothers. He described being elected President of Cannery Workers Union and elected as an official delegate to the California State Convention of the American Federation of Labor. He writes to Gus telling him to get their friend Rose "into the party" as well. I got an even better sense of his aggressive personality from these letters, but I feel I have much more to read and to learn about this second brother Joe Gordon. I hope to better understand what happened to Joe after Leo is killed in battle and what he did after the war.