Next morning early there had been a knock at the Riffes' door, and Buchman had appeared with a steaming pot of coffee. 'I thought you might like this before you start your quiet time,' he had said, with a twinkle. 'Quiet time' was a new term to Riffe and he had asked for an explanation. 'A time to let God tell you what to do.' Riffe went back into his room, but not to sleep. The thought of that steel executive and the deadlock between them had kept coming into his mind. 'Take the initiative with him. Get off your high horse. You know his hands are tied. Be honest. Make him a decent offer - and apologise.' Later that week he had tried it, and within forty-eight hours an unexpectedly generous settlement had been reached.

Now the Riffes came to Tahoe, still curious. At dinner they were served by two girls. 'Who are they?' asked Mrs Riffe. When Buchman replied that they were the daughters of Will Manning, owner of the Manning's chain of restaurants on the West Coast, John Riffe exploded, 'Good God! My union is planning to picket that outfit.'

Mrs Riffe added, 'I would never serve the way they're doing.'

'Nobody asked you,' replied Buchman.

Riffe wondered again if he had fallen into an anti-labour plot, but next day at dawn the Manning son took him out fishing. The two men came back with three small fish and an understanding of each other's problems. Next weekend Riffe returned with six of his executive committee including James Thimmes, who later became Vice-President of the United Steelworkers of America and, with Riffe, played a significant part in the settlement of the national steel strike 1952.17

On 23 August Buchman told his friends that he thought a new 'handbook' or manual was needed. A first draft of this new book was written by an Oxford Doctor of Philosophy. The text was then streamlined by a varied group to cut out every unnecessary word. 'It has got to be simple and put pictorially to capture America,' said Buchman. 'It has got to be almost ABC.' The handbook was entitled You Can Defend America. It called for 'sound homes - teamwork in industry - a united nation', and for America to become a nation governed by God. The final product, only 32 pages, was simply but vividly illustrated by Hale.

A musical revue, based on the handbook and bearing the same name, followed. This, as so often in Buchman's company, developed almost accidentally, starting from a series of sketches given at a birthday party. A little later Globin, the ex-bootlegger, also had a birthday, and Buchman invited him to come and bring his friends. 'Night clubs are his world,' said Buchman. 'Let's make this a floor show with tables around it in a circle.'

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