Dear Taisto,

I assume you received a notice of your deportation hearing which is set for Friday, Febrary 13, 1953 at 10 a.m. I... will be in Duluth for the hearing. I will arrive...early Friday morning and will have plenty of time to go over the case with you...in the meantime, continue to keep your chin up.

Dear Taisto,

I am sorry to advise you that the Immigration Service refuses to lower your bail...

I can well understand that you are faced with a real problem in raising the additional one thousand dollars...in the meantime I will...appeal the order of deportation.

I know it is easy for me to tell you to keep your chin up, but actually, you have no other choice. I know you understand the meaning of these persecutions, and this will add to your courage.

Dear Sir,
I received your letter of the 23rd of February and the copies of the correspondence you have had in connection with my bail...It's natural, of course, that I wish I was free and working for my living, instead of having the government pay for it…

Hope I’ll get some news about the bail and also hope that Americanism wins over McCarranism.

Dear Taisto,

The appeal in your case before the Board of Immigration Appeals will be heard on Monday, April 20, 1953 in Washington, DC...I presume the reason for setting the case for oral argument so quickly is because your are still confined in jail.

Dear Taisto,

Believe it or not the Immigration Service finally consented to reduce your bail...I hope your father still has the $1,000...Upon release from jail you will be required to make yourself available for future hearings as requested by the Immigration Service. Accordingly, I want you to keep in touch with me at all times, giving your current address….

Dear Kenneth,

I'm way out in the woods. If anything comes up notify my boss Mr. Arthur Rajala. We cannot get mail here more than once a week. The boss lives in town --- he's a sawmill operator --- we are cutting pulpwood in the swamp.

I don't intend to stay here very long but I’ve got to earn a few dollars.

Didn't know just where to go when I got out, took the first chance out, trying to settle my nerves.

Well, I guess you know what a hard terms I got to live under.

Will have to try to get a better job later, so that I can pay back some part of what has been spent on my behalf.

Dear Taisto,

Received your letter of May 18, 1953 and I am sorry to hear that you are having a problem getting a decent job...

The Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed your appeal... As far as the actual deportation is concerned, you and I agreed in one of the occasions I saw you in jail in Duluth that we would fight this case to the last. This means that we will do everything to prevent actual deportation to Finland. Also I can add that the Immigration Service is having poor luck throughout the country in actually deporting people and they will have the same trouble deporting you. At the very worst, if they are successful in deporting you, it will take a long, long time...

I think I know how you feel regarding the rules you are required to live under but just remember that the Service still does not have the power to make an informer out of you, or anyone else for that matter. I know you will remain firm. If you have any further questions, write me at once.

Dear Kenneth,
Just got your letter and decided to let you know that under my bond I am able to travel from one immigration district to another...As I am now a well known character around these parts and now that they have tagged me as a full blooded Red, I'd rather be someplace else, so I thought I'd go out west. Of course, I'll let you know about that, when the time comes...

I have a job here for two weeks, but it's been raining so haven't been able to work. You ought to hear the stories that are in circulation around here about me...Duluth papers said, "Alien Communist released." Well now, I really get a kick out of these false stories and statements.

I have been requested to start paying my bail money too, so you see that the things aren't any too easy for me.

Thanks for writing to me as I was really anxious to know where I stand at this time.

to:
Kenneth J Enkel, Esq..
608- 610 Builders Exchange Building
Minneapolis 2, Minnesota.

Dear Sir,

Please be informed that Taisto Armas Elo will be deported to Finland on the SS "Stockholm" sailing from this port September 22, 1953.

very truly yours,

Dear Kenneth,

I have been here since we arrived the 9th of this month... they tell me that's I'll be going on S.S. Italia, which leaves New York on the 23rd of this month.

My decision to leave the country came after I had discussed the situation with several of my friends, the majority seemed to favor my departure.

Well, someone may say that I took the easy way out, but to me it seems the hard way.

We, the so called subversives are a special group here, we have our own sleeping room upstairs, day time we are in our study. Have plenty of reading material, books by various Communist authors and of course by Marx. We also get the… Daily Worker. So if anyone wants to study Communism here's a good place for it.

There's 10 in our group at present, some have been here for months and one man for three years.

This is much better than jail, as we have plenty of room and are allowed to go outside. There's also plenty of food and the friends from New York bring fruit, candy and so on.

Must close now, will write from Finland. I wish to thank you for your assistance at my hearing, my belief is that we won as they did not get anything out of me.