Frederick Soule was at this time the Regional Information Adviser at the San Francisco office of the Farm Security Administration; John Fischer was a long time editor of Harper's magazine and, at this time, the Acting Director of the Division of Information of the Farm Security Administration; Jerry Voorhis served, from 1936 to 1946, as congressman from California's 12th District.
Secondary accession numbers (a-g) have been assigned based on the order in which these documents were originally stapled together.
Part of a collection of letters and telegrams primarily between John Steinbeck and Pare Lorentz.
Enclosing three copies of a draft of a Steinbeck article later published as "Starvation Under the Orange Trees," (one draft remains as MA 6426.2g) and discussing publication strategies. The two additional drafts were intended for Pare Lorentz and Mr. [Jerry] Voorhis, "either for reading in the House or for such other purposes as he might find for it." Noting that the previous day Steinbeck mentioned in conversation that "the article was written while he was indignant, and is based on personal conversations with at least fifty families." Enclosing quotations of letters from Steinbeck to Soule (MA 6426.2c-d), in which Steinbeck discusses his anger and the probable lousiness of the article.