ARTICLE

Wall Street Rampage

Man in Gray & the Violence

By RICHARD SCHWARTZ

Some witnesses to last Friday’s attacks by construction workers on antiwar youths in the Wall St. area reported seeing “two men in gray suits and gray hats” who seemed to be leading the building tradesmen.

Ralph Clifford, a portly, self-styled “true-blue American,” was on the scene during the violence. He wore a gray suit. And at least at one point he addressed the workers through a bullhorn.

Cllfford, 53, editor and publisher of a small right-wing newspaper, said he acted on the spur of the moment.

“It was impulsive,” Clifford said. “I saw the guys go by on the way to City Hall and I joined the line.”

This reporter observed Clifford on the steps of Federal Hall, across from the New York Stock Exchange, at 2:30 p.m., nearly an hour after the Friday march on City Hall.

Clifford was standing on the base of the George Washington statute holding a bullhorn. Massed in front of him, near the intersection of Wall and Broad Sts., were 200 workers in hard hats and upwards of 2000 followers.

How did Clifford come to have a bullhorn?

“It was given to me by the Police Dept.,” Clifford said. “Actually, I was asked to speak to the crowd.” Why was he singled out?

“I imagine the captain recognized me and asked me to step up and talk to them [the workers].”

Why would the police recognize him?

“I have no idea,” said Clifford.

Clifford said he had never seen any of the construction workers before.

“It just was that someone had to talk to them. They needed someone to congratulate them for what they had done. They had been frustrated long enough.”

Clifford appeared on the Federal Hall steps moments after some workers had attacked a youth wearing old army clothes. The youth, who had been taking photographs of the workers from atop a newspaper stand, was knocked to the ground, punched and kicked.

A WNEW-TV news assistant, who went to the youth’s aid, was bloodied in the melee.

“I’m glad to see all of us here,” said Clifford, speaking into the bullhorn. “And three cheers for the construction workers.”

Just then two men mounted the steps and placed American flags on either side of Clifford.

“I must tell you something,” the right-wing publisher said. “They [the anti­war demonstrators] are all socialists. All right, now, we’ve proved our point. Let’s go. We’ve shown we are behind the Presidency of the United States.

“Now, before you all create a riot here, we must go home. And let’s have a wonderful weekend.”

Shortly before yesterday’s renewed marches by construction workers, Clifford reappeared. This time he was in the City Hall press room distributing copies of his newspaper, The New York Graphic.

He had not been stopped, so far as could be learned, by the scores of policemen guarding a double barricade in front of City Hall.

The regular security officer at the main entrance remembered having let Clifford through. He said: “I have seen him in here before, bringing papers.”

Most of the reporters were too busy to take notice of Clifford. One had been handed a copy of the paper by Clifford, glanced at it and said, “Oh, that thing again.” He tossed it aside.

Attached to Clifford’s newspaper was a mimeographed leaflet. It took the form of a letter dedicated to “The Courageous Construction Men” and addressed itself to “fellow Americans.”

“Last week,” the leaflet began, “I spoke to you from the steps of the Federal Hall Memorial on Wall St. I congratulated you on your victory against Mayor Lindsay. I congratulate you again.”

The leaflet called Lindsay a “One -World socialist Mayor.” It warned against being “deceived by good-looking, sophisticated Socialists, Fascists and Communists posing as Republicans, Democrats and, yes, even Conservatives.”

The letter closed with the words, “For God and Country” and was signed “Ralph L. Clifford, publisher.”

The Graphic’s office is a few yards from City Hall at 33 Park Row. The newspaper occupies a front room on the second floor of the three-story building. The office is identified by a sign bearing the name of the paper and the words “God, Honor and Country.”

The same words appeared on the big banner carried by a longshoreman yesterday during the march around City Hall. Throughout the workers’ demonstration, confetti was tossed from a window above the Graphic’s office. The only other occupant in the building at present is a barber shop. The barber shop is located in the basement.

The steps leading to the Graphic’s office bear the campaign stickers of Assemblyman Vito Battista and former Controller Mario Procaccino. There is one sticker with the slogan: “Dump Lindsay.”

Following the workers’ demonstration yesterday afternoon, Clifford, in a T-shirt, was working at a typewriter. He was flanked by an elderly man in a white shirt and tie, also typing.

The office was crowded with desks, layout tables, file drawers, and a mimeograph machine. Around them were strew old newspapers, clippings, and odd materials.

“Sainthood Sought for Senator Joseph McCarthy” read the headline of the May 23, 1968 issue of the Clifford newspaper, displayed on one of the walls.

There was also a chart, crudely lettered, which plotted different political groups and political ideologies. At one end were the words “Total Government” and “100 Per Cent.” At the other end of the chart appears “No Government” and “0 Per Cent.”

Listed as 100 per cent were Communism, Nazism and Socialism. 60 per cent—SDS, 45 per cent—Young Americans for Freedom, 10-40 percent—“Courage, Founding Fathers.” And at zero was Anarchy.

Clifford was asked about his background. “Lindsay would like to know that,” he said.

He then leaned over to a bookcase and pulled out the 1968-69 edition of “Who’s Who in the East.” He opened it to a page containing the biography of Ralph Linwood Clifford.

Born in Maine

Clifford, it says, was born Dec. 18, 1927, in Orland, Maine, is married, has four children, was educated at the Eastern School of Photography and at Boston University’s School of Communications, 1951 to 1955.

His newspaper background, it says, included jobs with the now-defunct Brooklyn Eagle, and the Watertown (Mass.) Times in 1954 and 1955. The write-up says he was editor of the Watertown paper.

“I’m a true-blue American,” he said, “one who loves his country and respects his forefathers. I respect family and I believe in God. I respect other persons’ beliefs also. That’s what America is all about.”

He said he has great admiration for the late Sen. McCarthy (“he tried to wake up America, but he only woke up a few”) and thinks highly of the work of the John Birch Society (“It’s made up of all kinds of people—people of all backgrounds and ancestry”).

He said he has less than a high opinion of William F. Buckley Jr.

“I think he’s some sort of internationalist we haven’t found out about yet,” said Clifford.

He said he has published “about 20” issues of the Graphic since 1964. He claims a circulation of 60,000–2000 paid—and says he’s dependent on contributors to cover publication expenses.

The construction workers’ demonstrations, he said, are the beginning of the end of “Fabian socialism” in the United States.

“I like what happened,” Clifford declared. “I was very thrilled. I’ve been waiting for this to happen for some time.”

Clifford denied that he had any part in the planning of Friday’s events. He declined to discuss his activities. But he did say he was “planning and organizing for a later date.”