P. O. Box No. 94,
Westfield, N. J.,

September 13, 1930.

Dear Essie, [ROBESON]

It was mighty nice getting your fine letter some
weeks ago. I was very interested, too, in the clip-
ping you sent me from EVERYMAN. Of course, I'm very
happy about the grand notices Paul got in his play.
Glad about the success your book is having, too. I
saw what the LONDON MERCURY said about it, and I've
heard many nice things over here..... Saw a picture
of the kid somewhere recently. He looks like a
grand boy. Would love to really see him. Carl,
the Porgy people, and others have told me so much
about him..... When you come to New York, I want
very much to talk to you and Paul about something
that is rather exciting to me--and maybe will
prove interesting to you..... Anyway, would love
to see you..... Hope my novel didn't bore you. It's
doing pretty well as far as sales go. Knopf's
tell me it's appearing in London, too..... Well,
best wishes to you-all, as ever,

Here's a Cuban clipping for you.

<table><tr><td>EMPIR</td></tr><tr><td>EXHIBITIC</td></tr><tr><td>GLASGO</td></tr></table>

Mr. Langston Hughes
Suitcase Theatre
317 West 125 th Street
New York City, U.S.A.

Mr. Langston Hughes
2256 East 86 th Street
Cleveland, Ohio
U.S.A.

Mrs. Paul Robeson

19 Buckingham St
Strand, London.

SAVING TIME

2 St.Albans Villas,
Highgate Road, London, N.W.5.

May 14, 1939.

My dear Langston:

Thank you so much for the songs. Paul and Larry have been working so hard on their tour, singing night after night, that they haven't had time to try them out. As soon as they come back from New York, the middle of July, they will go over them, and if they can, will use them on programs and for records. I will let you know if and when they do. I will also protect your copyright, in case they use the songs.

I am now sending you some pictures, which you will remember we took in Russell Square last summer, when you were here. They have been a long time developing, but better late than never. I had been working very hard on my African films, and still am, so never got round to the domestic ones!

Paul and Larry are in New York for six weeks, and will be back here the middle of July, to make a film. I may nip over the end of June, when Pauli goes to camp, and come back with them. Meanwhile, I'm busy being Mama here.

Greetings from us all,

The Beeches, Enfield, Conn.

Sunday, February 28, 1944.

Hi Ya, Langston!!

I listened in a week ago, Thursday, together with my
household, to the Town Meeting of the Air, on the subject of Race
Relations. Man, that was somethin'.

From all I can gather, many of the Brothers in this neck
of the woods, - Springfield Mass, and Hartford Conn. listened too, and are
just as enthusiastic about the way "our end" was held up as I am.
You and Carey MacWilliams made a grand team, and between you covered all
the field very very satisfactorily. I simply adored the cracks you made
about the Soviet Union, and the one you made about bad manners. I could
hear your shy little stammer, and could see in my mind your disarm-
ing innocent smile!! I had read your column on bad manners in subways
etc. on the part of the brothers, so knew you were ready for THAT one.
Everyone I have talked to sends you a special handshake on the one
about the perennial marrying business. Would you want your daughter
to marry a Negra?? I am sure if you could have heard the local noises
of approval when you said our boys are not interested in your daughters,
you would have got an immense kick out of it.

And I loved Carey MacWilliams' angle on Social Equality.
That was a blip. Social Equality means equal access to and benefit
from the social services, - hospitals, clinics, schools, housing, etc. etc. etc.
Boy, that is just such low down common sense that I can't imagine why
I didn't think of it before.

I hope you gather that many of us enjoyed the evening to
the full. They are still talking about it in Springfield and in Hart-
ford. The consensus of opinion is that "if I had been on that program,
that's what I would like to have said. " Greater flattery is nowhere.
We also think that Brother Shepard revealed a great deal about our folks,

2.

namely that the guys among us that want segregation, approve segregation
and think it is not too bad, are the guys that depend on segregation
for their jobs. That I think came out crystal clear.

Keep up the good work.

And while I'm writing, I must tell you that I simply adore
your new word: "SOMEWHATLY". I think that's a word and a half. I use
it right along with our Simple Minded Friend.

Greetings, and I'll be seein' you.

Mrs. Paul Robeson.

The Beeches, Enfield, Conn.

March 10, 1948.

My dear Langston:

It really was sweet of you to remember about the mural. I'm very grateful, and will have a look-see next time I'm in town. I adore the idea of fitting rubbers while looking up into my child's face.

It may interest you to hear that quite by chance I listened to Henry J. Taylor the other evening (Monday, March 8 th, 7.30, over WOR) and was disgusted to hear him spend quite some time talking about the way you were prevented from speaking to a school audience in Chicago. He read a couple of lines from a couple of your poems, and I could have killed him for the ones he deliberately chose: "Good morning, Revolution......" and one about Marx being like God. He went to town against you, and I think you ought to know. He is sponsored by General Motors, and gives regular talks weekly, called Taylor Talks. I have sent for a copy of this particular broadcast, and will post it on to you when it arrives. It usually takes many weeks to get the copy, but sooner or later it will arrive.

Damn them and damn them. But at least it helps to know what is being said, and by whom.

Greetings and best wishes, and thanks again for remembering the shoe shop.

The Beeches, Enfield, Conn.

April 16, 1948.

My dear Langston:

Herewith the copy of the broadcast I mentioned in my last letter. You should have heard him, -he was vicious with his voice, and so incensed. The hysteria nowadays is amazing, and one can only hope that it will just have to wear itself out. There is no way for it to continue at this peak. A commentator said on the radio this morning that some F.B.I. head warned that unless Wallace was curbed, a similar outbreak to that which occurred in Bogota might happen here!!?????? To which Baldwin, the Wallace campaign manager answered: Contemptible. Well, well.

Take it easy, stay out of jail (these days of jailing radicals), and I'll be seein' you. This idea of Randolph's about civil disobedience of Negroes as a protest against the draft into a discriminatory army sounds interesting.