the tragedy of sex

[Michael Pugliese]

The exiled Trotsky fell in love with Frida Kahlo....One can only wish
for a chance to be devastated by such a romantic tragedy.  As a
parting gift, Kahlo dedicated a self-portrait to Trotsky.  In the
painting, she holds a small bouquet of flowers in one hand, and in
the other a letter inscribed: "For Leon Trotsky with all my love I
dedicate this painting on the 7th of November, 1937."  (The seventh
of November...Trotsky's birthday & the anniversary of the Russian
Revolution.)  See the picture at
<http://parallel.park.uga.edu/~lisaboyd/240G/w98/kahlo.html>?

Yoshie

    One time at the Hoover Instition library I spent a very pleasant day
reading letters from Bertram Wolfe and Ben Gitow from the 20's on. Got a
chuckle at Gitlow telegraphing that the Moscow Gold was on its way to CPUSA
HQ. Coded as a transfer of 10,000 pieces of furniture or some such. Jumped
to the B. Wolfe boxes from his time in Mexico. A beautiful letter from Kahlo
still had traces of her lipstick (and perfume? don't remember any more).
Last box I delved into was the papers of Joshua Muravchik from his days in
the SPUSA and then SDUSA. The 100 pg. + attack on Michael Harrington in late
'72 for McGovernite New Politics and anti-anti-communist tendencies gave me
my last chuckle before I left the Hoover for the Palo Alto evening. Keep on
meaning to go back since the Sidney Hook papers- and the Jay Lovestone
papers must be open by now.

Michael Pugliese