A Fine Old Conflict

Jessica Mitford
1977

The second of Jessica Mitford's autobiographical works, this covering her move to the US from the UK with her first husband (Churchill's nephew and a Spanish civil war volunteer, who perished after joining the Canadian forces at the start of WWII). She and her second husband subsequently joined the CPUSA and were active in civil rights work; they left the party in 1958

A mix of personal and family matters, often self-critical reflection, political opinion and analysis, and interesting anecdote mixed with delightful snark --- from an activist who, looking back, thought the CPUSA offered the only option for her at the time --- the book provides an enjoyable and worthwhile, if sometimes uneven read

We find here, for example, the wartime letter Jessica wrote to Churchill (and copied to the SF Chronicle) urging that sister Diana (together with Diana's husband, British fascist leader Lord Moseley) remain in prison for the duration, together with sister Nancy's remark later that this seemed "not very sisterly"

Tweaking stuffy noses was among Jessica's (oft-practiced and thus well-polished) skills

So we hear her at a CPUSA Educational responding loudly to a presentation on "Relations with Leadership" --- Well really! I can't say I ever looked on them in quite that way!

Jessica and her husband regularly found themselves opposite Oakland CA DA Oakley, who considered her especially difficult. Finally, when she entered a courtroom to observe a habeas corpus hearing, Oakley had had enough:

... Pointing at me from the witness stand he shouted 'That woman's a Communist! She's been spending the last five years thinking of ways to torment me!' Thus addressed, I rose and mildly replied that I wished it were true, but regrettably other matters had come up to occupy my time and distract me from this undeniably worthy endeavor ...