Legal documents and notes

              December 4, 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD:           DONALD H. LINDSEY
On December 3, 1968, I was in Neil's Mattress Factory and was introduced
to William Saunders. Saunders has been an employee of this company for the
past 14 years, is 33 years old, and is described by Mr. Neil as being a
faithful and dedicated employee. Mr. Saunders has previously been described
as a Black Power militant and associate of Stokely Carmichael.
In June of 1968, I was told by Mr. Hugh Lane, President of the South Carolina
National Bank, who is the Chairman of the local Bi-Racial Committee of which
Saunders is a member, that Saunders had apparently disassociated himself
with Carmichael and enjoys the prestige of serving on the Bi-Racial Committee.
In Mr. Lane's words, "He is beginning to come around." In the past he has
also been associated with various Civil Rights movements (Poor People's
March,etc.). Saunders told me that he knew of me through Isiah Bennett and
through his wife whom I employed at the American Tobacco Company. Evidently,
by his knowing me, he felt free to tell me of the employees' problems at the
Medical College of South Carolina.
He said that Dr. McCord's image with the Negroes is very bad and that they
do not know whether Dr. McCord is not facing facts, whether is ignoring the
facts, or whether he is lying. He specifically mentioned, in this regard,
Mr. Lane's telling him that Dr. McCord had appeared before the State Budget
and Control Board asking for additional funds to raise employees' wages. In
a press conference, he said Dr. McCord led people to believe that all
employees of the Medical College were well paid. He (Saunders) asked this j
question; "How can he ask for one thing at the State Budget and Control Board
and state another thing at the press conference? He can tell the people how
well they are paid, but he is questioning their intelligence because he
& they know it too. knows they are not well paid. This is our local 'War on Poverty'. There
are school janitors in Charleston County working 10 hours a day and making
$240 a month. There are people on welfare and unemployment who actually make
more money than some employees of the Medical College."
Saunders also stated that the letter that the employees received from
Dr. McCord downgrading the Union and its objectives was insulting, questioned
their judgment and generated enthusiasm for the Union. Saunders said, " I
am not a strong Union supporter, but over the months, the Hospital has not
recognized the employees' grievances and we could not get satisfaction, and the union
became involved only when we were not able to 'air' our problems. There is
no communication within the Hospital to settle problems. We also feel
Dr. McCord lied when he said there were only 75-80 people outside his office
when we know there were several hundred. In Dr. McCord's television statement,
he stated that if there was a strike, he would close the clinics and that the
colored people would suffer. We took this as a threat and did not think it
was necessary for him to say that the colored people would suffer. The people
felt Dr. McCord actually wanted a strike."