Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Politically-oriented Friends

Esther Lederberg believed very strongly in American Democracy. Esther participated in efforts to get the public to vote. Esther was active in such areas as canvassing for Adlai Stevenson. Esther strongly opposed the hateful demagogue "Joe MacCarthy" (as did almost all educated and decent people). Esther tended to support the Democratic party, but Esther told an interesting story to her second husband, as follows.

Esther said that the conservative Republicans of Wisconsin came to a talk by "Joe McCarthy" to hear what he had to say. McCarthy immediately launched into attacks on various individuals, claiming that they were Communists, etc. Immediately, McCarthy waited for the audience to become hysterical and start acting like a bunch of hateful fools. Instead, these very conservative Republicans waited in total silence. They waited in total silence, to hear some evidence. McCarthy looked around the room, no evidence, he closed his briefcase and stalked out of the room. Esther was proud of these wonderful Republicans: totally American in the best sense of the word!

Esther had friends such as Hania W. Ris and Nancy Ziebur. These friends opposed demagogues such as McCarthy, opposed the senseless and immoral war in Vietnam, supported women's rights and the right morally to abort a child, and supported civil Rights for Black people as well as other people. Correspondence pertaining to political events between Esther and two of her friends appears below and may be examined.

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