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directives. Whatever the case, Kraus was not alone in any failures to document feminine participation in the sit-downs, at least as much as Genora wanted; other chroniclers failed likewise, at least until the mid-1980s. It was not just that Henry, in Genora’s opinion, downplayed the role of women. He did not, in her mind, give enough credit to Roy Reuther for his work in manning the sound car and rallying the troops to the attack. She believed also that he had denigrated Kermit Johnson, her first husband. She was adamant that Kermit was the architect (discussed in chapter 4) of the plans that ultimately brought GM to its knees.32 Genora’s outburst was also the result of what had been known sub rosa in the Flint UAW for many years: before, during, and after the sit-downs, both Henry and Dorothy Kraus had been members of the Communist Party (CP). The Women’s Auxiliary in which Dorothy had been active was a CP front, while the EB, led by Genora, was a Socialist Party stronghold. Genora never resorted to “red-baiting” and knew the audience would not understand why she attacked Kraus “for omission of history that was politically motivated by membership in the CP.”33

The confrontation between Genora Dollinger and Henry Kraus was unfortunate.34 The meeting at Union Hall 659 in Flint was supposed to be a happy occasion, one that celebrated and commemorated a wonderful event in union history. Genora and Henry were both strong-willed individuals firmly committed to principle as they saw it. Both played important roles in helping to make the country aware of the value of unionism. Several years later, Kraus won the coveted MacArthur Prize for contributions to literature. There is no evidence that Genora and Henry ever met or spoke to each other again. All things considered, that was just as well.

In one letter after another Genora continued to rail against UAW leadership, especially Owen Bieber (elected UAW president in 1986) because he was “incompetent,” cozying up to GM officials and forgetting his own constituency.35 Genora met Bieber in 1989 at the UAW annual meeting in Los Angeles. She represented a small caucus called New Directions that pushed for increased UAW independence from the executive offices at GM and for democratic leadership. Bieber refused to recognize anyone from the floor who was a New Directionist. Finally, the uproar caused him to threaten police action. Realizing how badly this move would reflect on his leadership, he did recognize some of the 150 delegates of the New Directions. At a social gathering one night, Bieber entered and Sol jokingly asked Genora if she were going to speak to him. Without saying a word, Genora coquettishly, and with a bit of bluster, walked up to Bieber and asked, “Do you know who I am?” Bieber stood six feet six inches; Genora barely reached his belt buckle. Bieber glanced down at Genora, who was wearing a large New Directions button on her lapel, but the only sound he could make was a nervous laugh.36 Bieber quickly departed.

In the midst of these activities, Genora’s health in the late 1980s remained precarious: her pacemaker had to be adjusted on occasions, and she suffered upper atrial palpitations, which “greatly lowered her heart activity.”37 Nevertheless, she and Sol traveled whenever possible, sometimes extensively. Sol retired from Technion in 1987, and in April of that year the couple traveled to New York to attend the Socialist Scholars Conference and then went on to Washington, D.C. With misgivings, the pair decided on a major undertaking, something they had always dreamed of doing: an extended visit to Moscow. Departing in August 1987, they wanted a firsthand opportunity to see glasnost and perestroika in action. Their Intourist Hotel was near Red Square, a short walk to the Kremlin, Lenin’s Tomb, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the War Memorial and its eternal flames, and the huge Gum Department Store.38 (Genora was “not prepared” to see such a “paucity” of commodities—and all of poor quality).39 They were “spellbound” by a film about Lenin—hearing a tape with his actual voice