Rose Welch to John Ryan, November 24, 1936

Many of Coughlin's followers believed that Father Ryan was a communist because of his support for Roosevelt and the New Deal. This letter illustrates that belief, as the Minnesota woman writing it asked Father Ryan to send her a book called "Toward Soviet America," implying the Ryan owned the work by Chairman of the Communist Party, USA.

Questions:

As you read the document, reflect on the following questions:

• Why might Welch have assumed that Ryan was a communist?
• How does the tone of Welch's letter compare to that of Coughlin's attitude toward Ryan in his Reply to Rt. Reverend Monsignor John Ryan?