Iron History

[Previous entry: "5/14/2004: Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Aug 19, 1986:"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "5/28/2004: Hermann Goerner: Reading references- compiled by Joe Roark"]

05/20/2004 Entry: "5/21/2004: Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Aug 28, 1986"

Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Aug 28, 1986

[Please note that due to the delicate nature of this letter, I edited out certain names-Joe]

Dear Joe,

Thanks for your letter dated August 25th, which reached me yesterday. Thanks also for the card with the date and page of the XXX shot [photograph].

I looked carefully at this, under a glass, and there is XXX there. But what terrible cruelty Hoffman was urged by to publish such a picture, knowing the entire story as he did and the great tragedy it was to all parties concerned, is beyond me. How any man could be so cruel, so deliberately thoughtless is just beyond my understanding. I knew he was a gigantic shit head, but not that bid. This was a deliberate attempt to rake open a wound and for no reason that I can see, that would do the slightest good. Poor XXX, Poor XXX, and poor child.

This all fits in with my seeing XXX and XXX together in some motel room in Indianapolis in the 1953 Senior Nationals and Mr. America. I may have told you- can't remember- that I had gone to XXX's room hoping for chit chat and a story for the Wunderkind, knocked at her door and was told to enter. She and XXX were sitting on her bed talking and the air seemed a little tense- I am very sensitive to such things- and after a while she said something to the effect that she was talking business and I left.

More comes out of this. It seems that Hoffman- great guardian of Amateurism as he was- had BOTH XXX and XXX on his pay roll- that is he was paying both a weekly stipend to lift for the York Barbell Club. This in itself, according to AAU rules, was wrong- payment not even considered- this had apparently been going on for years and with other members of the York Team- not forgetting the members of the Company who were, also contrary to AAU rules, competing in amateur contests. But when Hoffman heard of the birth of the child fathered by XXX, this great guardian of American amateurism, also elected himself guardian of American morals and FIRED XXX for it.

What makes this sort of thing even worse is that he got Marvin Eder barred from amateur competition because he had taken part in an unsanctioned Weider contest, and had also played a very nasty trick on Doug Hepburn merely becaue Hepburn had articles, written by me, appearing in Weider mags.

Let no man tell me what a great guy Hoffman was and what he did for American lifting. The man was a loud mouthed hypocrite with no redeeming features.

The very men he trusted were ripping him off right left and center. He was on the point of firing Steve XXX at one time for selling equipment off the loading dock and pocketing the money.

XXX also told me that�they had to fire George XXX for stealing money from orders that came in. He wasn't even smart about it, buying and driving around in an expensive Caddy. Two others among the EDITORIAL staff, according to XXX. Also had to be fired. Of course the two main culprits, whose who were really robbing Hoffman blind, got away with it.

People think Hoffman was without bigotry since he got so many ethnic groups working for him. However witness his treatment of XXX- something that was nothing of his concern and didn't bring down bad odor on York- Hoffman was renowned in that city as one of the biggest whoremasters living- but XXX allowing Harry Paschall�to remark of Weider in open print that, 'You can take the kike out of the gutter, but you can't take the gutter out of the kike,' was proof of Hoffman's stance so far as bigotry went. But enough.

You mentioned in a prior letter that Jones heaved Bruce XXX off his premises. I hear another story of how he held a gun on Arnold Schwarzenegger from some reason fabricated or real.

As for XXX, I don't know what to make of it. Why she dislikes me I don't know. But she does since the vibes I get from her are baddies. I always have got along well with women. They seem to like me too for some reason. But XXX seems to feel threatened by me and I don't know why. It may be because I can answer questions she�can't.

Best to you and yours,

Chas.