Ben Hecht stated in his autobiography, "A Child of the Century", that Cohen called him to say he wanted to do his part in helping Hecht raise money to support Menachem Begin's Irgun in its fight for Israel's independence. Cohen called together a parlor meeting of people who did business with him and had Hecht address them on the importance of the cause. Each person was then asked to call out a sum he would donate. In some cases, Cohen told a donor "that's not enough," and they upped the pledge. Later, when Cohen was arrested, he called Hecht from prison to ask if he had access to some cash to help with his bail. When Hecht apologized, Cohen politely said goodbye, and they never spoke again.