633 Twenty-Fourth Street
Santa Monica, California 90402
October 11, 1975
Dear Brother Meyer:
Your letter of September 19, 1975 is in hand.
Sometime between 1936 and 1938 while I was a Belmont High School student supporting myself I was referred to Samuel L. Lewis to do some filing on a part time basis. I reported to him in an old wooden building located on the north side of Sunset Blvd in East Hollywood near the place where Sunset and Hollywood boulevards come together.
I was interested in the materials I was handling and learned for the first time of the divisions that existed in Islam particularly I was apprised of the Shiites and the Sunites. The building was crowded with papers stacked high on all sides so there was little room to maneuver.
After the job was completed I did not see Sam again until after 1959 when he began to visit me at UCLA. He did not recall our earlier encounter but he regaled me with letters and paid regular visits to my office while I was serving as a dean at that institution.
Although our visits were pleasant, I never felt that I understood the purpose of his visits or his real goals. Perhaps it was not meant to be. I kept many of his letters because I thought what he had to say might be important. I had once ridiculed someone I did not understand and, later, I regretted it greatly when I was led to believe he was a great man. I did not want to repeat this mistake so I listened.
I am sure this will not be of much help but please feel free to contact me to ask any specific questions.
With all sincerity,
H. Carroll Parish, Ph.D.
633 24th Street
Santa Monica, California 90402
October 30, 1975
Dear Brother Meyer:
Thank you for the letter of October 16th and the Jerusalem Trilogy which arrived subsequently.
I was a clerk not a secretary. It was my impression that he had a secretary or senior assistant. I was not in his confidence. He was very busy and kept to his tasks. I was aware that he had stationary or literature using the words "propaganda analysis service" but, to my knowledge, no persons were connected with that service.
I was not aware that he had employment in addition to his literary pursuits. I have no recollection as to how long I might have worked for him—perhaps 4 months. In my letter of October 11th I stated that he did not remember our earlier association but in his letter of September 4th, 1966, he claims to have remembered me.
The following are the dates and persons addressed of letters or copies thereof included in this packet:
[list follows]
Please make Xerox copies and return to me.
I met the Princess Poon about 1952 at the Asian Academy in San Francisco. She was teaching there for one year. Brother Lewis met her there at about the same time. He talked to me about international affairs—I seldom discussed the Peace Corps with anyone.
Our meetings were probably the result of our agreement on several attitudes toward Asia: (1) traditional American approach is superior to European; (2) Asians should be invited to speak for themselves; and (3) Communist infiltration in Asia should be impeded.
I considered him to be a "super-name-dropper" and, perhaps unfairly, discounted much of what he said. In 1936 (date?) he spoke to me infrequently—in my UCLA he spoke incessantly. His frequent references to inheritances and wills affected me negatively. However, as he points out in his letters, he wanted an interview and I gave him that. The letters give clues as to his activities over the years and should be helpful in building a skeletal biography.
Best personal wishes,
Carroll Parish