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I was first assigned to Big Flats, New York, CPS Camp 46, where there were lectures about other camps. That was where I learned of the camp for fine arts at Waldport. I thought at the same time that it would be an interesting opportunity for me to see the country. I had probably never been more than a hundred miles from the place where I grew up [West Orange, New Jersey].

The people who went for the fine arts were highly sophisticated. Not myself, but most of the people there were mature individuals who had had careers in the arts, in education, or in the professions. Waldport was also used by the government as a place to isolate people who might be a problem in some way. I recall, for instance, that there were a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses there. Jehovah’s Witnesses were not genuine pacifists. The Jehovah’s Witnesses who I knew were people who felt that there was such a thing as “just” war, the war of Armageddon, which was to come at the doomsday.

[At Waldport] I only really had contact with the arts group. I had a letter of introduction from Kenneth Patchen, who was a well-known avant-garde poet. I showed it to people like William Everson. I think they were glad to have me there, although they probably were a little disappointed that I wasn’t a poet myself, that I was more interested in reading the poetry or learning about music.

I was very enthralled with the printing press at Waldport. They printed some very beautiful books. I think that the Untide Press, the name of the press, did absolutely some of the finest press work. Adrian Wilson, who was there at the time, helped me a lot in developing my printing skills. He later wrote a book about typography and received a MacArthur Fellowship.

The time that I was exposed to chamber music was a very thrilling and inspiring time for me. I became very deeply and profoundly interested in music and some of the people there who were musicians guided me. I eventually became a music librarian. That certainly had its origin at Waldport. There was a violinist by the name of Broadus Erle at the camp. He became a professor of music at Yale University. He was one of the few people that I kept up with afterwards.

I think that I enjoyed and profited from my time at Waldport and my time in CPS. It opened a whole world for me. I also felt at the time that I was being confined against my will, so I thought that it was nice to be released.

I’m sure [my convictions have] changed somewhat, but I think if the situation were to come again I would do the same thing. I really feel that war is evil and in the long run it’s futile. I will say that there are times when pacifism doesn’t seem to be the answer, and yet I cling to that kind of hope for the world.