First Published: Workers Viewpoint, Vol. 5, No. 3, January 28, 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The November 19th issue of Workers Viewpoint contained an article entitled “Mike Nathan’s Co-Workers Walk-Out”. Many of the statements in the article were untrue, and based on rumor instead of fact.
The workers at Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham, where Mike was a pediatrician, were shocked and enraged at Mike’s murder by Nazi and Klan assassins. Some were aware of Mike’s communist beliefs and some were not, but all respected him nevertheless. Many Lincoln workers, feeling they had lost a great doctor and a personal friend, attended his memorial service.
But the health center walk-out which is reported in the November 19 article did not actually occur. In addition, the details of how Mike came to work at Lincoln are incorrect.
Mistakes like those in the November 19 article can cause the Party to lose credibility among the many workers who read Workers Viewpoint to learn the truth. We will try to avoid making similar mistakes in the future and are being far more careful about documenting facts. We recognize that the true story of Mike’s life and the heroic way in which he died needs no exaggeration.