In the book Port Chicago 50 from the author Steve Sheinkin, the prosecution says on page 118 “this was a crucial distinction - there’s a big difference between “we refuse to handle ammunition” and ‘we don’t want to handle ammunition.’” This was mentioned to clarify the testimony of Joseph Small and it can harm the PC 50 soldiers. For example as stated in p. 118 “With the word “refuse” the list could be seen as evidence the men were planning to defy orders as a group. Without it, the list could be seen simply as the men’s way of requesting a change of duty.” This clearly explains why is so important this paper for the trial, and because of the word “refuse” said in the statement the meaning of it could change the perspective of the jury.
