NAT WITT

CHARACTER SKETCH DETAIL

52, tense, clever, quick-tempered, lean and handsome lawyer for International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Workers.

A dedicated advocate for his client the Mine Mill union, Nat Witt hatches the idea for Clint Jencks to ask his friend Albert Kahn to track down the elusive Harvey Matusow, setting our story in motion.  Like Roy Cohn, Witt knows how to navigate the halls of power, and instinctively senses that Harvey’s recantation could be a boon to the union and its members. Though seemingly an ally of Albert, Harvey, and the effort to bring Harvey’s lies to light, Witt plays his hand with a clever strategy in mind.

What does Natt believe? That there are no friends in war. He wholeheartedly believes in the progressive social tenants which are the foundation of the union he serves and which unite them with activists like Albert and Angus. But he is ultimately loyal to the survival of his clients above all others. Is there a chance that Natt’s maneuvering on behalf of Clint’s interests may act in opposition to Harvey, the release of the book, and do the unimaginable — give Roy Cohn an opening for revenge?

BIO NOTES

Born and raised in New York City, Witt graduated from Harvard Law School in 1932.  Having made labor law his area of focus, he rose through positions in the Roosevelt Administration. In 1937, he was made the first Secretary of the National Labor Relations Board. 

Witt’s left-leaning politics caused tension, however.  He was accused of being member of the Communist Party of the USA and of overreaching in his role with the NLRB.  Forced by this controversy to resign from his position in 1940, he went into private law practice representing labor unions, including, notably, the Mine Mill union that employed Clint Jencks.