Letters between Philip and George Mullins

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March 15, 1968

Philip M. Mullins

127 John Street

Toronto 2B, Ontario

March 15, 1968


George Mullins

542 W. Madison

Tallahassee, Florida 32301


Dear George;

This is my temporary address. It’s a hostel for American draft-dodgers. There are about 23 Americans here now, probably 200 or more in other places in Toronto who are yet without jobs and one or two thousand more in Toronto. Approximately ten guys, many with wives, contact the Toronto Anti-Draft Programme every day and approximately 35 deserters arrive every week.

The housing situation is critical. Many people are living with others temporarily. There are three hostels that I know of and more in the works. Jobs are very hard to find, especially during the winter. The job situation is very difficult for men without a Bachelor’s Degree or skills. Few jobs are open, either skilled or unskilled, in industry.

Some of us are organizing to combat the situation but we are only a few. Most of the draft-dodgers will not stick together and have no commitment to the group. They think of no one except themselves. They have no job, little money; they’re lonely, paranoid, scared and stupid. The hostel is very dirty. The guys won’t even pick up a broom to sweep the floor.

About seven of us, all Southerners, two of us former SSOC staff, four from Gainesville, Florida; one black guy from Pensacola; are organizing to form an employment agency. We are visiting employers trying to find jobs for us as well as other Americans. We have stumbled onto the possibility of getting the use of coffee roasting, grinding and bagging machines for some kind of job co-op. This is a long story so I’ll hold until we get something definite.

I’m discussing the possibility of a film co-op with a guy who has experience in film editing. If we could get certain machines and a donated space we could create all kinds of jobs for draft dodgers. As it is there are very few jobs, very little money and lots of talent. Even when the guys find a job it is always a poor job, even as teachers.

Canada is not a bed of roses but many of the draft-dodgers are, simply put, losers. Even a job offer, which is necessary to get landed, is very difficult to find, generally requiring weeks of searching. I’m not yet a landed immigrant. I’m still officially a visitor to Canada. I spend most of my time trying to help other guys while helping myself at the same time. If you intend to come to Toronto then your best bet is to teach in a Secondary School. I’ll try to get you that information soon.

Keep the faith, Phil

March 23, 1968

Philip M. Mullins

127 John Street

Toronto 2B, Ontario

March 23, 1968


George Mullins

542 W. Madison

Tallahassee, Florida 32301


Dear brother George;


I received your check, muchas gracias. I understand I’m to pay $25 a month beginning in April. Is that right? O.K. then I’ll send you a check sometime this week.

Friday some of us drove to the border and officially became landed immigrants. We filed some forms, got evaluated and admitted to the country. Now I have to go to the airport for a physical. If I don’t have TB then I’m officially in.

Keep me informed about what you’re going to do and I’ll let you know what to do about getting landed in Canada. You would want to teach so I’ll send you some forms relevant to that. As you know Canada has a point system which they use to decide whether or not to admit an individual as an immigrant. Being a secondary school teacher in Toronto is worth the maximum of 20 points. You will get 10 points for being aged 18 to 35 and 5 points for speaking English. (Practice your French and you may get 5 more points for speaking French. Spanish isn’t worth anything.) Having graduated from college is worth another 16 points, so you will have 51 points if you can prove you’ve got a job (or can get a job) in Toronto. You can write to the Toronto Board of Education, 155 College Street, Toronto, Ontario and ask for application forms to apply to teach at the secondary school level. At the same time, write the Registrar, College of Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, tell them you are applying to teach in Toronto secondary schools and ask them to evaluate your university coursework. Also tell them that you want information about the summer course that is required of all University graduates who wish to teach in Toronto secondary schools. Each school principal does his own hiring but if you have documents showing that you’ve applied to teach, it will go easier at the border. You should arrive with job offers (not likely), letters of recommendation (from Profs, etc.), transcripts, a birth certificate and/or a Passport.

If you come you’ll need money (which can be borrowed), a birth certificate or Passport, transcripts, letters of recommendation from FSU professors, documents from the Toronto education people showing that you have or will apply for to teach at the secondary level, and letters from Canadians saying that you will have no trouble getting a job. I’ll work on the last item.

Your best bet (and mine too) for getting a job is to teach school. If I can’t get my degree from FSU, I’ll take correspondence courses and have it by next fall. Right now I am waiting to hear from FSU as to whether or not I actually graduated.

Tomorrow I’m going to Manpower (the government employment agency) to see about jobs in other provinces. I’ve spent the last week looking in Toronto. It seems like having spent years in school without getting a degree is worse than never having gone to university. With a degree you are a professional. Without a degree you are a drop-out who will go back to school as soon as possible and therefore no one wants to hire you.

Unskilled work is also hard to find in Toronto and elsewhere unless you are strong enough for the mines. You have to weigh at least 150 pounds and enjoy very heavy work. The whole job scene is depressing.

I’ve been trying to start a co-op making coffee or candles but both of these have fallen through. I’ve also been putting lots of energy into organizing an employment thing for Americans but most of the draft-dodgers don’t seem to really give a damn. The whole week and a half have tired me out something terrible. I’m ready to get a job anywhere and settle down to a quiet life (for a while).

Take care of yourself and keep in touch. If the police come by asking about my whereabouts tell them I’m in California or some shit like that. Let them look around for me if they need to.

Peace and freedom, Phil

April 20, 1968

Philip M. Mullins

127 John Street

Toronto 2B, Ontario

April 20, 1968


George Mullins

542 W. Madison

Tallahassee, Florida 32301


George,

I received your letter regarding your going underground and the school debts. I’ll send a check for you to give to FSU. Tell me how and I’ll send the money directly to the school from now on. I’ll need an account number and an address.

As for a going underground is concerned, first, don’t let anyone know where you are going to be. Tell everyone you are going to Canada. If you want anyone to have your address, give them mine here in Canada and I’ll forward your mail to you wherever you are. This goes for your girlfriend too. You are going to have to be especially careful with her. Make sure that everyone who knows she’s with you thinks that she has gone to Canada with you. One way the police track people is by finding your friends and contacts and simply asking them where you are. Everyone (including mom and dad) should think that you are in Canada.

In addition if you’re really going to play it cool you’ll have to forget your old friends. You can’t be hanging around with anyone the fuzz can find. It would be a good idea to write a good number of your friends in the States after you leave Tallahassee and then mail the letters from Canada. I can do that for you. You write the letters using my address as the return address, send them to me and I’ll mail them from here. All this is just to convince the fuzz that you have fled to Canada.

Before a warrant is issued the FBI will ask the RCMP to meet with the draft-dodger and make certain that he is actually here. After a draft-dodger is here about two months, he is visited by officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who want to meet him face to face and ask him if he intends to stay in Canada permanently. If the answer is in the affirmative then the FBI closes its investigation, the warrant is issued and the hunt ends. If the RCMP fails to locate their man then the hunt continues. So ideally one wants to talk to the RCMP personally and let the FBI close out its file.

Ideally you should obtain landed immigrant status in Canada, get a Social Insurance Number and maintain a permanent address in Canada and maybe get the occasional parking ticket, take the occasional oath before a Canadian official, hold the occasional job and otherwise do things to convince the officials that you are here rather than in the USA. Most of this is fairly easily done. I could do most of it for you. Other things could be done on visits. Take the passport, for example. The dodgers all thought they count not get US passports from within Canada. I went to the US Consulate last week, paid $10, gave them three Passport photos and a birth certificate and got a passport in the mail a week later. By getting a Passport from the Consulate in Toronto, I’ve established that I’m really in Canada and you could do the same thing.

Regarding the visit by the RCMP, you could either actually live up here until they’ve checked you out or I could take care of that for you. The RCMP officers usually come to the hostel and ask for the person they are looking for. We say that he lives here but is not here at the moment. The RCMP official leaves a telephone number. The dodger calls and arranges a second visit during which identification papers are checked and suspicious questions are asked. After ascertaining that you are the correct man and that you intend to stay in Canada, they leave. No papers are signed and no photos from the FBI are in evidence. The entire operation could be handled by someone else. I could go to the border with your identification, get landed and handle the entire operation. This all involves a certain amount of risk and would have to be worked out well in advance but it could be done.

It occasionally takes the FBI six months to make their investigation. However you would not have to live here permanently, just until you are established. After that a substitute could handle the rest. Ideally one would find an employer who would pay Social Insurance taxes for you while you living underground in the US.

While living underground in the US, you would need a new identity and a new past. The ideal is to assume the past of an acquaintance with a similar background. If you do it right the police can run routine checks daily and not suspect anything. In any case have at least two sets of identification in your possession. If you get caught for some minor offense and your fingerprints are taken, you might have to flee on a moment’s notice.

One of the problems of being underground is the possibility of getting in trouble that is serious enough to involve a check of your fingerprints. Now this is done only if they suspect you. However, in the future they might run them on everyone below the age of 35. An advantage of having landed immigrant status in Canada is that, if things get really hot, you can make it to Canada immediately. In addition if the FBI is convinced that you are out of the country, you will avoid a lot of heat.

Having said all this, the truth is that if you go underground, the chances are really very good that you will never be caught. Just use sensible and proper precautions. Avoid publicity, don’t get arrested, settle down, pay your bills and stay away from your old friends. Many draft-dodgers and deserters go back to the States, mostly to New York or California. They usually get a couple sets of identification and leave for the States. I’ve never heard that any of them get caught.

Apparently the Federal Government is not too eager to prosecute dodgers, deserters, etc. However it is a serious matter and I’d suggest that you think seriously about whatever course of action you take. I can give you the names of a few contacts, friends who will hide you and help you get a job, especially in the New York area. There is a guy at the Village Peace Center who specializes in getting jobs and cover for deserters and dodgers.

Regarding Sweden, I can’t say much except that England and France will not extradite draft-dodgers either. Sweden is good for deserters because they provide them with funds and help. The executive committee of the ruling political party in Sweden recently gave the NLFSV $10,000 for medical supplies. Apparently most European countries will not extradite Americans for draft offenses. If so, and if you are a Canadian landed immigrant, you would probably be given the choice of leaving for Canada or being extradited to the US.

That’s about it for now.

I should be off to the mines by next week. I finally got a diploma from FSU last week so next week I’ll try to arrange a teaching job for next year. I’ll look into nominating you. Say Hello to Madelyn. I’m still trying to organize the guys here but without much success. I’m doing my best.

Keep in touch with the family, Phil

May 31, 1968

Philip M. Mullins

127 John Street

Toronto 2B, Ontario

May 31, 1968


George Mullins

542 W. Madison

Tallahassee, Florida 32301


George, you son of a gun, I was digging the May 17 issue of the Florida Flambeau (that Kelley had kindly sent to me) looking for familiar faces and, dog gone, there sat brother George and, if I’m not mistaken, Rayborn and Mike Stuckey, all in a bunch looking at Mr. Craft and his gang of singers. It must have been taken at that week-long vigil that I’ve gotten word of.

Yes, Lord, there’s been lots of trouble at Good Ol’ FSU. I reckon that all those fine radicals I kept looking for were all over the place after all. My Lord, Florida State University, the ‘Columbia University’ of the South. Don’t tell the kids but that kind of shit is happening all over the country. I wish that they would go ahead and have a revolution or something so I could get away from this cold place.

Really you would dig Toronto. The Canadians have a different style of ‘the movement’. They don’t take to the streets very often. They mostly do tribal things like co-ops, experimental schools and magazines. About every two months Toronto has some kind of mass action demonstration but they are tame. Toronto is the largest city in Canada with the largest contingent of radicals (except maybe for Montreal that has all those French-Canadian cats who don’t blow things up anymore but they’re rabidly anti-English. Probably they will cool it some now that Charles de Gaulle proved to be such as ass.) Toronto appears to be the navel of Canada. In the area I live in about half the houses seem to be art galleries or boutiques. The University of Toronto is nearby and they are good people. It seems to be easy to get educational loans here so I might work for at least a year and then return to school, possible at the University of Toronto. By then I should have paid off all my school debts.

I’ve gotten an appointment in July to make arrangements to nominate whoever wants to move to Canada, e.g. dad, mom, Jeffery, yourself. It depends upon my ability to support you for the first few months. So I’ll need a good salary.

It seems that it takes a year or so before non-political types like yourself are indicted for draft offenses after they fail to report for induction. However don’t go to Montgomery and refuse induction. They might arrest you on the spot. If you go and fake a mental condition or something, be sure to leave the building before they ask you to enter the room where the men are asked to step forward. In some jurisdictions they arrest people immediately for refusing induction. So think about it. If I return to school I will not be in a position to nominate anyone and, according to some reports, the Canadian immigration officials at the border at now requiring that immigrants have $700 unless they have a good job offer.

I’m still in the political bag, trying to do something constructive. I’m beginning to dig the Canadian way of doing things. Like I say they are big on co-ops and experimental schools (there are three in Toronto including a college) and magazines (two very good ones) and these are all nice non-political things. In addition there is lots of straight political stuff. I’m still trying to organize a co-operative enterprise myself but I have so many debt obligations that I’m also looking for a straight job. Maybe in a year or so I’ll be able to rejoin the Generation. In the meantime I’m Mister Straight.

I’m sorry for that $25 mom had to pay for me but it will work out. Keep out of trouble, congratulations on selling that stuff. Commercialism, baby, that’s where it at. You do your thing and I’ll do mine.

Take care, Phil

Also, say hello again to Madelyn. To whom should I send checks (or, as we spell it, “cheques”) to repay that loan?


April 16, 1969

A letter from Philip Mullins to George Mullins, April 1969

Philip Mullins

224 McCaul Street

Toronto 2B, Ontario

April 16, 1969


George Mullins III

c/o Julie

83251/2 N. Nebraska Ave.

Tampa, Florida 33612


Yesterday we opened our new shop. This time it is a leather shop. The Yellow Ford Truck has developed into a clothing and jewelry store with a number of head items like pipes, newspapers, wall hangings and knickknacks. It is doing fairly well now and it is able to support one full-time guy and his wife with surplus cash left over for investment in other things.

We took $75 from the Yellow Ford Truck to start this new shop which is located on the same street. Right now we have one fellow working full-time making leather sandals, purses, belts, etc. Within a month (or sooner if business is good) we will have another full-time leather worker. I am supposed to be an apprentice myself but I’ve been kept busy building the shop interior and washing windows for the last week or so. Several of us invested $50 cash and started a window washing operation. We go out to the suburbs of Toronto every day and wash windows for $8 or $10 a day. I do that every other day and should be working in leather every second day if things work out. In addition I have a part-time job as the caretaker of a school down the road.

Things are looking alright for the hip community as a whole. The small group that we have assembled into the three ‘communes’ are doing really good things. We have two stores, a warehouse/art factory kind of affair and several related enterprises. There is the possibility that this street will add a coffee house/art gallery this summer, three or four co-operatively run two-story houses with about seven to ten people in each and, most of all, a real sense of community that is just being to produce heavy results. This area of Toronto has really good possibilities of becoming some kind of hip community if we don’t get too many Canadians fucking things up or too many Chinese. The Chinese are rapidly moving into the area as the old Chinatown is being demolished for ‘urban renewal’.

I don’t know if I’ll make it to NYC this year. We are thinking about going to the East Coast this summer to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Some of us want to build or buy a boat and sail to Europe and all over the world. We figure that is would be easier doing it in eastern Canada than in Toronto. We were thinking about establishing a business there, maybe fishing or catching lobsters, to use as a base. Anyway we were thinking about going there and looking around.

This business way of making a living kind of requires sticking around. I’d like to do the window washing thing all summer. That can be dropped for a week or so anytime. The store, however, might keep me here most of the time. By July we will know how things are going to go.

Three of us are thinking about going to teacher’s college next year. I wanted to get certified so we could set up our own school if and when we moved to the country but even that is uncertain. The Canadian winter makes a country thing not so hunky-dory, if you can dig it.

The name of the new shop is Ragnarokr Cordwainery.

The Burdicks, Steve and Mary, of FSU fame, Greek language fame and, mainly, friends of Madelyn also live here. They are good people, both big dope freaks. They have the same address as me.

The parents are coming up in July. Get in touch with them.

Dig it, Phil

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