pitable an atmosphere in San Francisco for homosexuals that "the national organization of homosexuals in this country"-the Mattachine Society-had fled its original but less friendly Los Angeles home to Christopher's "open city," and San Francisco was consequently overrun by pervert hordes preying on defenseless normal boys and men. Under Christopher's "beneficial climate," Wolden said, the number of bars, steambaths, nightclubs, theatres and hotels catering to homosexuals had climbed to a shocking 27!

Such an anti-climax! When, in recent decades, have there ever been so few as 27 homosexual spots in San Francisco, or any comparible city? Even if no homosexuals migrated from less cosmopolitan places, the fairly steady population ratio of homosexuals would insure a better showing than that for any city half so large or colorful-even under fanatic official disapproval.

Wolden's disjointed, libelous attack on the Mattachine included quotes about ONE and the mislabelled "sort of a woman's auxiliary to Mattachine," the Daughters of Bilitis. But his quotes from Mattachine documents never sounded quite so sinister as intended. The expose centered on a resolution the Society passed last month at its Denver convention, praising "the mayor of San Francisco-by name -for an enlightened administration' which has permitted the group to flourish here."

"This is a matter of grave concern to every parent," Wolden said. "It exposes teen-agers to possible contact and contamination in a city admittedly overrun by deviates. For a city administration to permit this situation to exist is nothing less than scandalous."

NO REAL ISSUES

Thus far, it had been a slow campaign. With only city-county offices. and three bond issues at stake, the respected San Francisco CHRONICLE had, just the day before Wolden's blast, called the campaign listless and dull. "Challengers can find nothing to sink their teeth into

And look what they got in their teeth the next day!

If this had appeared only in Henry Budde's McCarthyizing PROGRESS, it might have been ignored (as Miami in 1956 ignored the foul homosexual slanders made about Sheriff Kelly by opponent Reuben Clein's similar throwaway paper-Kelly won easily at the polls after public repugnance at such mudslinging). But on KNBC, in thick-tongued sonorities, candidate Wolden further slandered the Mattachine, homosexuals generally, the city and its mayor and police. He said the Society published periodicals of the most "lurid, distasteful, and disgusting sort," said its "principles and objectives are subscribed to by the thousands of deviates who do not care or dare to join it. From these thousands come the sex gangs whose abnormal appetites are catered to..."

The Mattachine Society responded by filing in Superior Court a $1,103,500 damage suit against Wolden for slander, and demanded retractions from the PROGRESS and KNBC. This was surely the last thing Wolden and camp expectedeveryone knows homosexuals are supposed to run for cover when attacked.

Newspaper response was fast and frontpage. The dailies had not been pro-Wolden before, and they could hardly have been more fair