1910 Bombing of the LA Times Newspaper

[Richard Fiero]

grladams at teleport.com wrote:
>American Lightning : Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and 
>the Crime of
>Blum, Howard (Author)
>   Pub Date: September 2008
>  Street Date: September 16, 2008
>  Publishers Weekly (Monday , June 09, 2008):
>In 1911, Iron Workers Union leaders James and Joseph McNamara
>plea-bargained in exchange for prison sentences instead of death after
>bombing the offices of th"e Los Angeles Times"killing 21 people and
>wounding many more. The bombing had been part of a bungled assault 
>on some 100 American cities. . . .
>"In "American Lightning" Howard Blum brings to life the tragic bombing of
>the Los Angeles Times in l910. Writing with narrative verve and
>finely-honed detective instincts, Blum fleshes out the real story behind
>this hideous act of domestic terrorism. Highly recommended reading!"
>--Douglas Brinkley, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Great
>Deluge" and "Tour of Duty" and Professor of History, Rice University

I will have to wait until my county library system gets Mr. Blum's 
book before I can understand where he is coming from.

The LA Times right down through the fifties was a staunchly racist 
anti-communist anti-union rag before it became world-class under Otis 
Chandler.  It's not known who actually caused the explosion which 
occurred conveniently just an hour after Harrison Gray Otis left the 
building.  The owners and managers of the Times were indeed 'plutes 
in need of adjustment.  See for instance the Zoot Suit Riot of 
1943.  Yes, that one.  Or the interesting charity contributions to 
Buffy Chandler's pet Music Center.  Ahmanson comes to mind.  An 
informant has advised me that he saw Richard Nixon leaving a secure 
and windowless building within the LA Times building with what looked 
a lot like a bag of money.