Elsinore, named for a city in California, is inspired by an hour-long exposé that aired on KTLA-TV Los Angeles in 1959. Newscaster Pat Michaels produced the documentary, in which he reported on an alleged government conspiracy to cut off Elsinore’s mineral water for the purpose of driving Jewish residents from the town.
The Elsinore story is a noir based on actual events that took place in a small resort town in the late 1950’s. During this time, Southern California had suffered one of its most devastating droughts in history. When spring levels dropped in Elsinore, fluoride percentages rose to an alarming high. Authorities responded quickly, issuing a state mandate to shut off Elsinore’s cherished mineral water. This hurt Jewish-owned businesses that profited from spring water. Communist agitators living in Elsinore insisted that the water was safe, alleging a government conspiracy to drive Jews out of Elsinore. While under investigation for communist activity, these agitators organized a forceful movement, dominated the local newspaper and successfully overthrew every city seat. This positioned newly elected officials to take on the State and assume control of Elsinore’s water.
To further their cause, ringleaders solicited the help of KTLA reporter Pat Michaels. After “investigating” the Elsinore story, Michaels aired an hour-long television documentary entitled “City of Hate”. The program was filled with numerous assertions that local water was shut off to “rid the town of Jews.” After the broadcast was aired, state agents included Pat Michaels in their investigations. This led to multiple grand jury indictments against him, Elsinore’s newly elected officials and the many accomplices responsible for fueling the Elsinore conflict.
Leading up to Pat Michaels’ involvement in the controversy, other headline stories he covered are unveiled; a few examples are the Soviet’s launch of Sputnik I and Sputnik II, the capture of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and the arrest of mobster Mickey Cohen. Michaels’ version of the Cohen story soon had federal agents after him. They weren’t the first, nor were they the last!
By the time Pat Michaels is submerged into the Elsinore story, he is widely recognized for standing on the wrong side of the issues. Aligning himself with members of the communist party in question did not help his reputation. Nor did it help Elsinore.
Excerpt
The two men were hunched as usual in their rocking chairs at The Chimes, hating life, breathing each other’s pungent pipe tobacco, and plotting. Morris complained about everything wrong with tap water and how it was killing Elsinore business. And Slim nodded his long, narrow face in complete agreement. How could he disagree? The owners of the popular Lakeside Inn had just announced that they were shutting their doors that very morning. They weren’t the first nor would they be the last.
“They say fluoride is the reason for cutting off our mineral water,” Morris scoffed. “But the real reason is obvious.”
“And what would that be?” said Slim, raising his eyebrows.
“Put your thinking cap on, Slim,” Morris answered tapping his forehead. “All those folks who had to close up shop, what do they have in common?”
Slim rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“Come on, Slim. Think about it,” coaxed Morris.
“Well,” drawled Slim. “Um…I…”
Morris relit his pipe and breathed out a puff of smoke. “Slim, you need a hint?” he said. “I’ll just rattle off a few names for you. Schwartz, Dreyfus, Bernstein, Epstein…”
Slowly the light dawned in Slim’s head. “Lordy,” he said, astonished. “They’re all Jewish!”
“Bingo!”
“Are you saying there’s some kind of government conspiracy to drive Jews out of Elsinore?”
“I don’t need to say anything,” Morris nodded. “The facts speak for themselves.”
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