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Given By
fy. S. SUFT. OF DOCI n^ENTS
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3^
fePOSE OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
(BASED ON THE TESTIMONY OF HERBERT A. PHILBRICK)
HEARINGS
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON UN-AMEEICAN ACTIVITIES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
JULY 23 AND 24, OCTOBER 10 AND 11, 1951
Printed for the use of the Committee on Un-American Activities
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE L—^J^ /^
89067 WASHINGTON : 1951 I ■'|^'-^
POBLIC
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/
U. S. SUPERINTENDENT OF OOCUMENrt
DEC 26 1951
COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES
United States House of Representatives
JOHN S. WOOD, Georgia, Chairman
FRANCIS E. WALTER, Pennsylvania HAROLD H. VELDE, Illinois
MORGAN M. MOULDER, Missouri BERNARD W. KEARNEY, New York
CLYDE DOYLE, California DONALD L. JACKSON, California
JAMES B. FRAZIER, Jr., Tennessee CHARLES E. POTTER, Michigan
Frank S. Tavennee, jr., Counsel
Louis J. Russell, Senior Investigator
JOHN w. Carrington, Clerk of Committee
Raphael I. Nixon, Director of Research
II
CONTENTS
Paga
Foreword v
July 23, 1951, testimony of Herbert A. Philbrick 1257
July 24, 1951, testimony of —
Harrv Eugene Winner 1307
Prof." Dirk J. Struik 1 1321
October 10, 1951, testimony of Donald C. Bollen 1353
October 11, 1951, testimony of —
Donald Tormev 1371
Nathaniel Mills 1390
Robert Goodwin 1397
Appendix 1401
ni
y
FOREWORD
The Committee on Un-American Activities of the House of Rep-
resentatives, in the course of its investigation to ascertain the scope
of infihration and influence of communism in areas containing indus-
tries of vital defense to the national welfare of this country, has heard
the following testimony relating to the New England area.
Also subpenaed to appear before the conunittee was Joseph Figuei-
redo who is referred to on several occasions in this testimony. The
committee has acceded to the request of Figueiredo's physician to post-
pone his appearance before the committee until such time as Mr.
Figueiredo's health will permit such an appearance. It is expected
that Mr. Figueiredo and such other individuals whose investigation
would appear to be warranted will be heard some time early in 1952.
From' the nature of the testimony concerning him, it is believed that
if !Mr. Figueiredo so desires he can furnish testimony that will be of
great assistance to the committee relative to detei-mining the extent
of Communist infiltration and influence in the New England area.
EXPOSE OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE OF
MASSACHUSETTS
(BASED ON THE TESTIMONY OF HERBERT A. PHILBRICK)
MONDAY, JULY 23, 1951
United States House of Representatives,
Subcommittee of the
Committee on Un-American Activities,
Washington^ D. C.
PUBLIC hearing
A subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met
pursuant to call at 10 : 55 a. m. in room 226, Old House Office Building,
Hon. John S. Wood (chairman) presiding.
Committee members present: Representatives John S. Wood (chair-
man), Clyde Doyle (appearance as noted in transcript), James B.
Frazier, Jr., and Donald L. Jackson.
Staff members present : Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel ; Thomas
W. Beale, Sr., assistant counsel ; Raphael I. Nixon, director of research ;
and A. S. Poore, editor.
Mr. Wood. The committee will be in order.
Let the record show that for the purposes of this hearing I, as
chairman, have set up a subcommittee composed of the following
members: Messrs. Frazier, Jackson, and Wood. We are all present.
Whom do you have, Mr. Counsel 'I
]\Ir. Ta\t:nner. Mr. Chairman, the investigation this morning is
shifting from the Baltimore area to the New England area, with
special emphasis ui)on the Communist Party activities in the State of
Massachusetts. Tlie witness this morninc; is Mr. Herbert A. Philbrick,
who occupies the witness chair.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Philbrick, will you stand and be sworn, please. Do
you solemnly swear the evidence you give this subcommittee shall be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God ?
Mr. Philbrick. I do.
Mr. Wood. Have a seat.
TESTIMONY OF HERBERT ARTHUR PHILBRICK
Mr. Tavexxer. Will you state your full name, please ?
Mr. Philbrick. M}^ full name is Herbert Arthur Philbrick.
JSIr. Tavenxer. Wlien and where were you born 't
Mr. Philbrick. T was born in Boston, Mass., May 11, 1915.
Mr. Tavex'x'er. Where do you now reside.
Mr. Phiijjrick. I reside in ^Melrose Highlands, Mass., a suburb of
Boston.
1257
1258 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Will you please state for the committee in a general
way what your education has been ?
Mr. Philbrick. I am a graduate of a school of civil engineering,
and also a graduate of several courses in advertising, salesmanship,
public relations, and so forth.
Mr. Tavenner. What has been your trade or profession ?
Mr, Philbrick. My profession is that of advertising. I am now
advertising and sales-promotion manager of the Maintain Store
Engineering Service in Boston.
IMr. Tavenner. Will you describe briefly for the committee what
your record of employment has been since the completion of your
education ?
Mr. Philbrick. ]\Iy first employment was with the Dickie Raymond
Co. of Boston, a direct-mail advertising firm. From there I went to
Cambridge, Mass., where I worked with the Holmes Direct Mail
Service, H-o-l-m-e-s.
Then I became assistant advertising director for the Paramount
chain of theaters, working for Harry Browning, advertising director.
Following that I worked for a short time for American Theatres
Corp., again as assistant advertising director; and from there as
advertising director for the Maintain Store Engineering Service, my
present employer.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Philbrick, the committee records reflect that in
the trial of the 11 Communist leaders, in the United States district
court in New York City, you appeared as a witness for the Government
in the course of that trial. Is that correct?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes ; it is,
Mr, Tavenner, During the course of that testimony it was indicated
that you had operated in an undercover capacity for the Government
in connection with various Communist Party activities, and in connec-
tion with the Young Communist League, American Youth for Democ-
racy, and possibly other organizations. Is that correct?
Mr, Philbrick, Yes; it is.
Mr, Tavenner, At the time you became a member of the Cambridge
Youth Council, which I understand you joined, you were not working
for a Government agency ; were you ?
Mr, Philbrick. No, sir.
]Mr. Tavenner. I would like for you to tell the committee in your
own words all the circumstances relating to your joining the Cam-
bridge Youth Council, and how your experience in that organization
led to your connection with the Federal Government.
Mr. Phil£ri;ck. Well, in the spring of 1940, in the course of can-
vassing for busin^s^or my firm, which at that time w^as the Holmes
Co. in Cambridge, I w\alked into an office at 7 Water Street, Boston.
I had no previous knowledge of this particular office or of any of the
individuals connected with it.
Upon opening the door I found I was in the office of an organization
called the Massachusetts Youth Council, and it was through that visit
that I became acquainted with Alice Mills, who was in charge of the
office at that time. Also, through her, I became known to Nathaniel
Mills, or Nat Mills, her husband, who was the head of the Massachu-
setts Youth Council.
C03M1VIUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1259
Through thoiu I also met a girl in Cambridge by the name of Toni
Grosse, who I found Liter was the head of the Harvard Student Union,
which was a branch of the American Student Union, in Cambridge.
I had always been in young ]^eople's work myself. I had been very
active as a youth leader in our Baptist church in Somerville, Mass. I
was very mnch interested in youth organizations and youth activities.
When I learned of the possibility of a Cambridge Youth Council which
would include the ])articipation of many youth organizations, such as
the YWCA, YMCA, and all the various church youth groups in Cam-
bridge, I was very much interested in it. So I became afliliatecl with
the eroup in that fashion.
]\ir. Tavenxp:r. Did you have any official position in the group that
was established; that is, the Cambridge Youth Council?
Mr. Philbrick. I became the chairman of the initial committee to
form the provisional Cambridge Youth Council, and subsequently
became chairman of the Cambridge Youth Council itself.
Mr. Tavenxer. What was the approximate date of the formation of
the Cambridge Youth Council ?
]Mr. Philbrick. I believe it was formally organized in the fall of
1940.
Mr. Tavenner. What were the purposes of that group ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, the purposes of the group, so far as the great
majority of the young people participating in it, were perfectly
legitimate and honest. Our main objectives at that time — and by that
I mean of the majority of the young people in the gi^oup — were, first,
to try to maintain peace for the United States, to try to keep the
United States out of the World War which was growing at that time;
also, to work on job-training projects for the young people, because at
that time unemployment was widespread among the youth. So, we
worked on NYA projects, I believe they were called, and other worth-
while functions.
Mr. Tavexner. What ])art did the two persons by the name of
Mills — I believe you said Nat Mills and Alice Mills — and Toni Grosse,
have in the original formation of this organization?
Mr. Philbrick. Xat ]Mills, as chairman of the Massachusetts Youth
Council, which included similar organizations in many cities and
towns throughout the State, otfered all help and aid and advice in
forming this group. He supplied me and other members in the initial
organization the names of various people to contact and see, names
of people he said would be interested in participating in the youth
group.
Toni Grosse : I have no recollection that she ever belonged to the
Cambridge Youth Council itself, but she did offer her office in Cam-
bridge, which I believe was at 1384 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge.
She offered us her office for the time being until we were able to get
offices for ourselves.
]Mr. Ta\-exxer. Was the Cambridge Youth Council affiliated with
the IVIassachusetts Youth Council or the American Youth Congress?
Mr. Philbrick. We were affiliated with the Massachusetts Youth
Council and the American Youth Congress through delegates that we
sent to these various organizations.
Mr. Ta\t:xxer. How long did you serve as chairman of the Cam-
bridge Youth Council?
1260 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Philbrick. I served as cliairman right through until the time
it folded, Avhich was during the summer of 1941.
Mr. Tavenner. Did this group have an executive secretary ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes ; it did.
Mr. Taveistner. Who was the executive secretary ?
Mr. Philbrick. The person in the position of executive secretary
was a fellow by the name of Arthur Solomon of Cambridge.
Mr. Tavenner. Arthur Solomon?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. S-o-l-o-m-o-n ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Had you known him prior to your association with
him in this group ?
Mr. Philbrick, No, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. AVill you state whether the poHcies of the organ-
ization and the programs which it adopted were those dictated and
chosen by the membership at large, or Mdiether there were any other
influences brought to bear which decided the policy and was influ-
ential in the selection of the projects?
Mr. Philbrick. To lead up to the question, very shortly after I
became involved in this youth movement I began to realize that there
was something wrong. Perhaps the major conviction that things
were not i-ight centered around the fact that we had an executive
board consisting of five people. One of the persons was myself, as
chairman; another one was a girl by the name of Alice Solomont,
S-o-l-o-m-o-n-t, who was the recording secretary of the group; and
the other three members were Arthur Solomon ; Sidney Solomon, his
brotlier; and another fellow by the name of Stanley Beecher,
B-e-e-c-h-e-r.
Alice Solomont and I soon found that in every matter having to
do with policy we were continually overruled by the other three. We
also discovered that at no time did the stand taken by those three vary
in any way from the position of the Massachusetts Youth Council or
of the American Youth Congress.
I might go on to say that all of the positions taken by the American
Youth Congress were not in accordance with the majority of the
membership of the Cambridge Youth Council, and yet, in spite of
that, we were most effectively controlled, so that we could not overrule
the policies of the American Youth Congress.
Mr. Tavenner. Was the general membership in the group aware of
that influence?
Mr. Philbrick. No ; they were not.
Mr. Tavenner. Or control?
Mr. Philbrick. No, sir.
Mr. TA\TiNNER. Then, as far as the youth groups which were rep-
resented in the Cambridge Youth Council were concerned, they were
totally unaware of the fact that outside influences were controlling
the policy of their organization?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. You stated that your experience aroused your
suspicions about those matters. What did you do about it?
Mr. Philbrick. As soon as I became convinced that I had run into
a Communist-front activity, I reported to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1261
I^Ir. Tavexxkk. Before taking that action, had you decided to resign
from the'position of chairman of the organization?
]Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. Yes, sir; I had.
Mr. Tavennek. After talking to the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, did you continue with your plan to resign?
Mr. Philbrick. No, sir; 1 did not.
Mr. Tavenner. What did you do?
Mr. Philbrick. I stayed in the group for the purpose of reporting
to the Government the activities of the Communists and their attempts
to control the Cambridge Youth Council.
Mr .Tav-enner. You were of the opinion then, I assume, that the
activities in connection with your youth organization were sucli that
the Government should be made aware of what was going on.
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. And that was your reason for reporting ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, -sir.
Mv. Tavenner. Did you continue in the organization, then, at the
behest of the Government ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; I did.
Mr. Tavenner. And I believe j^ou told us that you remained as
chairman of the organization until it disbanded in the summer of
1941?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. June 22, 1941, was the date of the invasion of Russia
by Germany, I believe, and that was the date, I believe, your organiza-
tion disbanded?
Mr. Philbrick. Of course, as 1 have already said, the prime objec-
tive of the majority of the members of the Cambridge Youth Council
was to keep America on this side of the ocean as long as possible, and
of course as of June 22, 1941, the comrades lost all interest in that
objective, so the Cambridge Youth Council, to all effects and pur-
poses, dissolved.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you acquire information as to other organiza-
tions of which Arthur Solomon was a member at the same time he
was executive secretary of the Cambridge Youth Council ?
Mr. Philbrick. I found out later that Arthur Solomon was the
head of the Young Communist League in Cambridge at the same time
he had been executive secretary of our organization.
Mr. Ta^^nner. How did you obtain that information?
Mr. Philbrick. He told me so.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee very briefly what func-
tions the Cambridge Youth Council performed during its existence,
what it did. what work it engaged in, in addition to the general spon-
soring of the policies which you have already mentioned?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, of course, there were two factions at work,
one the group I would call the legitimate gi"oup, and the other the
Young Communist group. It is rather difficult at times to separate
the two. But in addition to working for job training, working for
peace, and so forth, we also, through the Communist influence, worked
on other matters. One of them was to participate in a group called
the American Peace Mobilization, I believe, and through the YCL'ers
we were provided with, I believe, many petitions to be signed, and so
forth. So there was a great deal of activity, much of which I do not
1262 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
recall at tlie present time, which had to do with matters that were not
of prime interest to the majority of the members of the Cambridge
Youth Council.
Mr. Tavenner. How were the financial affairs of the organization
handled ?
Mr. Philbrick. Very loosely, I would say. We raised money
through friends and contacts we made, most of them believing in the
honest objectives of the group.
Mr. Tavenner. Were there any contributions made by any other
organizations to the work of your organization ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall of any.
Mr. Tavenner. Were there any occasions when the Cambridge
Youth Council performed any particular service for other organiza-
tions in the way of furnishing materials, newsprint, or paper of any
kind for use in circularizing the public?
Mr. Philbrick. . Another one of the difficulties we ran into — this was
at a very late date of the organization — was the fact that since, as it
turned out, a great deal of our mimeograph work was being done at
YCL headquarters.
Mr. Tavenner. When you say YCL you mean Young Communist
League ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. Since a great deal of our mimeograph work
was being done at Young Communist League headquarters, this, also,
without the knowledge of the majority of the membership, much of
our supplies, mimeograph paper and so forth, which we bought, were
actually delivered to YCL headquarters.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether any of the Cambridge Youth
Council materials were used by organizations other than your own and,
of course, the Young Communist League?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't know.
Mr. Tavenner. After the termination of your organization in the
summer of 1941, did you continue your relationship with Arthur Solo-
mon and his brother, Sidney Solomon, and others of the group which
you have indicated were exercising influence and control' over your
organization ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; I did.
Mr. Tavenner. And what was your purpose in doing that ?
Mr. Philbrick. My purpose was still to obtain information for the
Government concerning the activities of these individuals.
Mr. Tavenner. As a result of that relationship, were you urged to
join another organization known as the Cambridge Committee for
Equal Opportunities?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; I was.
Mr. Tavenner. Tell us a little more of the circumstances regarding
the establishment of that organization.
Mr. Philbrick. The Cambridge Committee for Equal Opportuni-
ties was another group which included a great many very fine people
from Cambridge who were honestly interested in obtaining some bene-
fits from the group. The purposes of it were — well, there were two
purposes. First, of course, the purpose of the Communist Party was
to establish this front to reach the Negro people of Cambridge. The
stated purposes, the legitimate purposes, were to try to end race dis-
crimination in jobs, and to obtain better housing and other opportuni-
ties for the Negro people of Cambridge.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1263
Mr. Ta%t:nxer. How long were you a member of that organization,
do you recall?
Mr. Philbrick. Only a short time. My initial capacity was as a
member of the sponsoring committee of the group.
Uv. TAM2NNER. But it was a group organized at the behest and
under the influence of Arthur Solomon and his associates?
Mr. Philbrick. Very largely; yes, sir. ■ ■ . r^
Mr. Tavenxer. During the course of your membership m the Cam-
bridge Committe for Equal Opportunities, were you approached re-
gardiiig- a desire to have vou unite with any additional organizations?
Mr. PniEBRiCK. In the spring of 1942 I was invited to join the Young.
Communist League.
Mr. Ta^^nner. By whom was the invitation extended ?
Mr. Philbrick. The invitation was by Arthur Solomon.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did you accept the invitation?
Mr. Philbrick. AfteV consultation with the Government, yes.
Mr. Tavenxer. Were you assigned to a group or cell of the Young
Communist League.
Mr. Philbrick. Yes ; I was.
Mr. Tavexxer. Will you tell the committee the circumstances of
your becoming a member, and the associations you had as a member
of the Young Communist League?
Mv. Philbrick. Well, my recollections are very vague for that
period of time. I recall that the first meetings of this new group —
which I understood was a group of people like myself, newly recruited
in to the Young Communist League — the first meetings were held in
my apartment at Cambridge, and it was then that I, together with
the others, was given the first indoctrination by the Communist Party
leaders who were in charge of the educational work.
I have very little recollection of the people who belonged to that
particular cell. It was a small group of 8, 9, or 10 people, perhaps.
Mr. Ta\^X"Xer. Was Arthur Solomon a member of the same group?
Mr. Philbrick. No; he wasn't.
Mr. Taa-exx^er, Was his brother Sidney Solomon a member of that
group ?
Mr. Philbrick. He attended one or two meetings, but it was my
understanding he belonged to another cell.
Mr. Tavex'xer. You have spoken of the incloctrinational phase of
the work while you were in the Young Communist League. Who
conducted or took the lead in the indoctrinational work?
Mr. Philbrick. Tliere was a girl comrade who conducted the ses-
sions, but I do not recall her name at this time.
Mr. Ta\'exxer. AVas your membership in the Young Communist
League of an open nature, or were you advised that your membership
would be kept secret?
Mr. Philbrick. I was advised that my membership would be kept
secret, and I was also instructed to keep my membersliip in the group
secret.
Mr. Taa-exxer. You have stated that you were unable to recall
at this time the names of the 8 or 9 persons who were associated in
this group with you at that time, but can you give us any description
or any opinion of the particular field of employment or profession
represented by those who associated with vou at "that time?
1264 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Philbrick. The group was composed of young people living
either in the community or attending one of the colleges in the vicin-
ity. We had, for example, some Harvard students, some Radcliffe
students, also some young people who were employed and living in
Cambridge.
JVIr. Tavenner. Were their last names given to you ?
Mr. Philbrick. Only their first names were given in these YCL
meetings.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you given any instructions after you became
a member?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall any instructions specifically, except
that I was given various jobs as a new member. For example, 1 was
asked to help out in the free Earl Browder campaign. I was instructed
to contact my friends and so forth as a non- Communist, and to obtain
their signatures for the free Earl Browder campaign.
Also, we worked on the Russian War Relief, as I recall, and in that
-connection we canvassed various people, looking for money and so
iorth. I guess those are the two most prominent ones I can recall.
Mr. Tavenner. Was any reason assigned as to why your member-
ship in the Young Communist League was to be kept secret ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was told that it was quite common for people in
executive or semiexecutive classifications, or for people working in
Government jobs, and for other various reasons, not to have their
party membership known publicly.
Mr. Tavenner. You have previously mentioned certain individuals,
Nathaniel Mills, Alice Mills, and Toni Grosse. Did it come to your
attention during the period you were a member of the Young Com-
munist League that any of these people were also members ?
Mr. Philbrick. After I became a member of the Young Commu-
nist League, I found that my comrades included Nat Mills, Alice Mills,
and Toni Grosse.
Mr. Tavenner. Though they were not, I assume, members of your
particular cell?
Mr. Philbrick. No.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. Were they times when you felt you were under
investigation yourself regarding the sincerity of your purposes in
joining the Young Communist League?
Mr. Philbrick. During the time we were discussing the possibility
of my membership — you see, I stalled Arthur Solomon until I had
time to contact the Government — during that time or immediately
thereafter I was contacted by Toni Grosse, who up to that time I had
not known as a member of the Communist Party or the Young Com-
munist League, and she proceeded to examine me quite thoroughly re-
garding my background, and to question me closely as to my reasons
for joining, and what I hoped to get out of the organization, and so
forth.
Mr. TA^^ENNER. To whom did you pay your dues while a member of
the Young Communist League ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall. It was to one of the members of our
group who served as treasurer.
Mr. Tavenner. How long did you remain a member of the Young
Communist League ?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1265
]\Ii'. riiiLiuucK. 1 remained a iiieiuber of the Young Communist
League right up until the time of its dissohition, which I believe was
in the fall of V.UX
Mr. Tavexnkh. What Avas the date of your joining the Young Com-
munist League ?
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. I joined the Young Communist League in the
spring of 1042 and remained a member until the fall of 1943, when
the organization was dissolved in Xew York City and an organiza-
tion called American Youth for Democracy was formed.
Mr, Tavenner. Prior to the dissolution of the Young Communist
League, was there any occasion at which you were present where
there was a discussion concerning the formation of the American
Youth for Democracy ?
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. Yes, there was.
Mr. Taa-exxer. Will you tell us about that, please?
]\rr. Philbrick. There were two or three discussions. One or two
of them were held in our own cell meetings. These centered around
an article which I believe was written by Max Weiss, and which ap-
]ieared in a magazine known at the time either as the Communist or
Political Afl'airs. We had some discussion regarding this new or-
ganization to be formed.
Then I had luncheon with Alice Gordon at which we discussed not
only the formation of the organization, but the question of my be-
coming State treasurer of the organization.
Mr. Tavexner. Will you tell us at this point who Alice Gordon
was^
Mr, Philbrick. She was the head of the Young Communist League
movement in district 1 of the Communist Party.
Mr. Tavexner. What was the area or territory of district 1?
Mr. Philbrick. That includes all the New England States with
the exception of Connecticut, I believe.
Mr. Tavex'xer. You have told us of various conversations relating
to the formation of an organization of youth. Had the name of that
organization been discussed prior to the time of the dissolution of
the Young Communist League ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer, Is it correct to state that the American Youth for
Democracy was a continuation of the Young Communist League, or
an extension of it ?
Mr. Philbrick. Substantially so, although the policies and pro-
grams of the American Youth for Democracy were considerably less
Marxist than those of the original Young Communist League.
For example, in the Young Communist League we, together with-
the Communist Party, taught and believed in a revolutionary over-
throw of the Government. In the American Youth for Democracy
this question was never brought up. It was strictly a win-the-w^ar
organization. But all members of the Young Communist League
were actually interested in the American Youth for Democracy.
Mr. Tavexx'er. Were you present at the convention in New York
at which the Young Communist League was dissolved?
Mr. Ppiilbrick. I was. I Avas a (lelegate to that convention.
Mr. Tavexxer. Will you tell us the circumstances of the formation
of the American Youth for Democracy ?
1266 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IIST STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Philbrick. The details are very vague now. We met for 3 or
4 days in New York City. Mecca Temple was one of the spots we met,
and Manhattan Center. We met first, I believe, on a Friday night.
I don't recall exactly. But we first met very briefly to go through the
formality of dissolving the Young Communist League. Committees
were set up then to form this new group, American Youth for De-
mocracy. The delegates were in almost every case the same delegates
as we had for the A YD the next daj.
Mr. Tavenner. So it was the same group which dissolved the Young
Communist League who organized the American Youth for De-
mocracy?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. Did vou hold a State office in the new organization,
the American Youth for Democracy ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I did. I became, as we had discussed in Mas-
sachusetts even before the organization was formed. State treasurer
for the group.
Mr. TA\TEN]srER. When you say "we" discussed, to whom do you
refer ?
Mr. Philbrick. Alice Gordon and other members of the Communist
Party.
Mr. Tavenner. In other words, the Communist Party formed a
slate of the officers to be elected in the Massachusetts chapter of the
American Youth for Democracy ; is that what you mean ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is correct.
Mr. Tavenner. Was that slate elected?
Mr. Philbrick. Tt was ; completely.
Mr. Tavenner. Wlio were the officers, other than yourself ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall the full slate of officers we had. Don
Bollen was chairman. I met him for the first time at the Young Com-
munist League convention in New York.
Mr. TA^^NNER. Were you able at that time or sometime later to
identify him as a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was.
Mr. Tavenner. At that time or later?
Mr. Philbrick. I assumed, since he was at the Young Communist
League convention, that he was a member. As Young Communist
League members we all understood that to all effects and purposes
we were members of the Communist Partv. I assumed he was, and
at a later date I met him at Communist Party meetings.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall the names of other officers whose
names appeared on this slate formed by the Communist Party
members ?
Mr. Philbrick. The only other name I recall right now was Bernice
Rogers. I believe she became secretary of the organization. Then
there were several others who also were on that list, but I am not
entirely sure which of those became members or officers at that
time.
Mr. Ta^'enner. Was Bernice Rogers a member of the Communist
Party to your knowledge?
Mr. Philbrick, Yes, she was.
Mr. Tavenner. You have partially answered this question, but
I would like to have it restated, probably a little more fully.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1267
What, in your oj.inion, -was the purpose of the formation of the
American Youth for Democracy at that time?
Mr. PiiiLBKicK. The purpose was to organize a large, mass youth
oi'ganization wliich would back the policies of winning the war, of
getting aid (o Kussia, and so forth. It was to be a non-Communist
organization, insofar as we did not advocate overthrow of the Gov-
ernment, and of course we watered down several other Marxist tenets
and beliefs in accordance with that period, which was the time known
as Browderism.
The purpose was to organize a large mass movement of young
people, the great majority of them being non-Communists, and to
organize them in a win-the-war youth movement.
Mr. Tavenner. How long were you a member of the American
Youth for Democracy ?
Mr. Philbrick. I remained State treasurer of AYD from the time
of its organization in the fall of 1943 up until the summer of 1945.
Mr. Tavenxer. What was the largest membership of the Ameri-
can Youth for Democracy in the State of Massachusetts, if you
know?
]Mr. Philbrick. The peak of membership in Massachusetts was
around 1,000 members.
Mr. Tavenner. During the period of time when you were active
in the American Youth for Democracy, did you have occasion to
come in contact with members of the Communist Party, or persons
known at that time, or even at a later date, by you to be members of
the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I did.
Mr. Tavenner. What was the occasion for your meeting those
individuals ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, there were two groups with whom I came
in contact. One was the group affiliated nationally with AYD, and
of course as State treasurer of AYD in Massachusetts, I met with
these people many times in working on the business of the . AYD
of Massachusetts.
One of these was Bob McCarthy, originally from Massachusetts,
a member of the furniture workers union, who became an officer in
the national group.
I also met people such as Robert Thompson; Carl Ross
Mr. Tavenner. Are these people all known to you to be members of
the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Leo Cooper, I recall working with him from time to time.
Max Weiss, of course, I met in New York, and he is an open member
of the Communist Party.
Claudia Jones, I believe, is known as an open member of the Com-
munist Party, and I met with her.
Mr. Wood. What is her first name ?
Mr. Philbrick. Claudia.
Mr. Tavenner. C-1-a-u-d-i-a?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. She is one of the 21 persons now under indictment
as members of the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. That is the same person.
89067 — 51 2
1268 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether there are also deportation
proceedings pending against her?
Mr. Philbrick. That is the same individual ; yes.
Mr. Taa^nner. I interrupted you in the listing of names of mem-
bers of the Communist Party with whom you came in contact during
this period.
Mr. Philbrick. Well, I believe I mentioned Max Weiss.
Marcella Sloane, from the national office of the Communinst Party ;
I became acquainted Avith her.
Those people I became acquainted with on a national level.
On the local level I met at regular intervals with the leaders of the
Communist Party in Massachusetts, most of these meetings taking
place in Communist Party headquarters in the Little Building in
Boston. At these meetings I received my instructions and orders
as to my activities as a Communist in the American Youth for Democ-
Mr. Tavenner. Can you identify the names at this time of any of
the Communist Party leaders on the State level who were active at
that time ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, Fanny Hartman was the person from whom
I received most of my instructions and orders, although I also wcx^ked
with Jack Green, Anne Burlack, Boone Schirmer
Mr. Taatnner. Will you spell that name ?
Mr. Philbrick. B-o-o-n-e S-c-h-i-r-m-e-r, I believe. His first name
was Daniel, so he was known to us as Dan as well as Boone.
Mr. Tavenner. You spoke first of Fanny Hartman. Can you give
us further identifying information concerning her?
Mr. Philbrick. She was in charge of and was running the district
1 office of the Communist Party at that time. She is the former wife
of Phil Frankfeld, who was also in Massachusetts for a period of time.
Mr. Tavenner. Is he the same Phil Frankfeld who came later to
Baltimore and became the district chairman of district 4 of the Com-
munist Party, consisting of the State of Maryland and the District
of Columbia?
Mr. Phh^brick. Yes, sir ; that is the same person.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you become acquainted with Frankfeld your-
self in connection with your work ?
Mr. Philbrick. No, I did not. He had moved out of Massachusetts
just prior to the time that I had gone in the party.
Mr. Tavenner. You have told us of your association and connec-
tion Avith these membere of the Communist Party, both on a National
and State level. Were you an actual dues-paying member of the
Communist Party at that particular time ?
Mr. Philbrick. I became a dues-paying member of the Communist
Party in March of 1944, which was also, of course, during this same
period of time when I was serving as State treasurer for AYD.
Mr. Tavenner. The contacts that you have mentioned with these
various individuals occurred prior or subsequent to the time you
actually became a member ?
Mr. Philbrick. Some before and some later.
Mr. Tavenner. What explanation do you have for a Communist
Party member having contact with you in this work prior to your
becoming a member yourself?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1269
Mr. l*iiii BRICK. Well, as I say, (lui-in<i- that period, though we were
only olKcial menibers of the Young Connnunist League, it was pretty
well untlerstood that I was under the discipline of the Communist
Party and taking orders from the Communist Party, and serving
as treasurer of A YD as a Connimnist.
Mr. Tavexxek. AVill yon tell the committee the c'-cumstances under
which you became a dues-paying member of the Communist Party?
]Mr. PniLmacK. In the spring of 1944 I became a member of a cell
on Beacon Hill whirh was headed up by Alice Gordon. She was the
head of that particular cell.
Mr. Tavex^xer. And at whose solicitation ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall just who it was who actually ar-
ranged for my formal joining of the Communist Party, except I know
it was worked out in consultation with Alice Gordon and Fanny
Hartman, but who made the first move, I don't know.
Mr. Tavexx'er. After arrangements were made for you to become
a dues-pa^'ing member of the Communist Party, did you consult an
agency of Government before taking the actual step ?
INIr. Philbrick. Yes, I did.
Mr. Tavex^xer. Returning now to the question of your activities
in connection with the American Youth for Democracy organization,
will you tell the committee how funds were raised by that organiza-
tion for the purpose of carrying on its work?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, we raised funds largely, of course, by the dues
from the various members. The dues were very small, however, run-
ning onlj' about a dollar or so a year, so in addition to that we had
to obtain money from other sources, mainly from various sponsors of
In addition to that, we ran Saturday night dances and raised money
that way. And W'e had direct contributions from party members and
friends.
Mr. Tavex'X'er. Wliat do you mean by party members ?
Mr. Philbrick. I recall one of the ways we used to raise money was
to get sponsors who would give a prearranged monthly donation
toward the maintenance of the organization, and some of these I later
learned were members of the Communist Party.
Mr. Tavex'x-^er. So funds were contributed directly by Communist
Party members^
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavexxer. Was there any occasion during the operation of the
American Youth for Democracy when that organization's policies or
programs w-ere at variance with those of the Communist Party ?
Mr. I^hilbrick. Never at any time were the policies and jirograms
of the American Youth for Democracy at variance with the policies
and aims of the Communist Party.
Mr. Tavexxer. With reference to your joining the Communist
Party in the spring of 1944, what reasons, if any, were given you for
inviting you to become a member of the Communist Party,' if you
recall ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall that any specific reasons were given
to me, except, of course, that it was time now that I should become a
full-fledged party jnember.
Mr. Tavexx-^er. You have testified that when you became a member
of the Young Communist League you were told' that the fact of your
1270 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
membership would be kept secret. Was tlie same statement made to
yoii with reference to the keeping of your membership secret upon
your joining the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir. Instructions were given to me at that
time, and I might say also earlier, at the time of AYD, that if at any
time anyone should charge I was a member of the party, or ask if I
was a member of the party, I was to state that I was not a member of
the Communist Party and had never been a member of the Commu-
nist Party. These same instructions were given to me again in the
spring of 1944 when I actually obtained for the first time a Commu-
nist Party card.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you always serve in the Communist Party as a
secret member ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was never known publicly as a Communist Party
member, and I was not known to many other Communist Party mem-
bers as a member.
Mr. Tavenner. The first time you were disclosed publicly as a mem-
ber of the Communist Party was when you testified in the course of the
trial of the 11 Communists in the United States district court in New
York?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Ta\t.nner. You have testified that you were active in various
youth organizations in your church fork. Did you continue to be ac-
tive in your church work after joining the Young Communist League?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I did. First of all, of course. I wanted to con-
tinue because I wanted to maintain my contacts with some healthy
minded individuals ; but beyond that, and to my good fortune, I was
instructed by the party to continue my contacts and to continue my
affiliations in all my normal groups.
These instructions were also given to other members in my cell.
We were told not to separate ourselves from any mass organizations,
because we were taught that as good Marxists we could lead the people
only if we maintained contact with the people.
Mr. Tavenner. Who gave you those instructions ?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe the first instructions came early in my
Young Communist League career. I recall that in a discussion at
the apartment of Dave Bennett we were given those instructions. I
was also given those same instructions by Fanny Hartman and by Alice
Gordon.
Mr. Ta\t5nner. Was Dave Bennett known to you to be a member
of the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. He was known to me long before I actually became
a formal member myself. I had already attended, on Dana Street
in Cambridge, training sessions, Communist courses, given by Dave
Bennett to a group of comrades there.
Mr. Tavenner. From the instructions which you received from the
Communist Party, did it appear, or were you led to believe, that in
the field of religious activity the Communist Party was incompatible
with any religious belief ?
Mr. Philbrick. Absolutely. We were taught that the socialistic
theories of Marx had nothing to do with the idealistic superstitions
of religious organizations.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF JMASSACHUSETTS 1271
Mr. Tavenner. When you became a member of the Communist
Party, did you register, or were you given a Communist membership
card ?
Mr. Phii.brick. I was given a membership card, but the members of
our group at the apartment of Alice Gordon were instructed to destroy
the cards, but to keep the card number in mind for purposes of identi-
fication, which we supposedly did ; however, instead of destroying my
card, I turned it in to the Government.
Mr. Ta\T::nner. You spoke of having been assigned to a cell or unit
of the Communist Party. Did that unit or cell have a name ?
Mr. Philbrick. Not that I know of, no.
Mr. Tavenner. How many individuals were in that group?
Mr. Philbrick. It was a latlier small group. There were perhaps
seven or eight in the small group.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you give us the names of those who were mem-
bers with you of that particular cell ?
Mr. PiiiLBiucK. I don't recall now wdio the people were who be-
longed to that particular cell. My recollection is very vague, except
that Alice (lordon was the head of it.
Otis Hood used to drop around occasionally at our meetings, but
he was not a member of our cell.
Mr. Tavenner. Whose name did you just mention?
Mr. Philbrook. Otis Hood.
Mr. Tavenner. Was he known to you to be a member of the Com-
munist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. He is publicly known in ISIassachusetts as
a member of the Communist Party. He is pretty much the figurehead
for the party in the State of Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. When you became a member of this Communist
Party cell, were you knowm by your full name or just by your first
name ?
Mr. Philbrick. Only by my first name officially, although of course
one or tAvo of the members knew who I was from my affiliation in
AYD. But only first names were used or were placed on the Com-
munist membership cards.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you given any instructions at the time you
became officially a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. It was just after I had joined that we were given
instructions that the Communist Party was to be dissolved and the
Communist Political Association was to be formed.
Also, of course, in keeping with the regular routine of membership
in those groups, we were given a course of instructions, though I
do not recall what the course was at that' time. The major issue was
changing over from the Conmiunist Party to the Communist Political
Association.
Mr. Tavenner. When the Communist Political Association was
formed, were you kept in the same cell or group, or were you assigned
to a different group ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was kept in the same cell.
Mr. Tavenner. During this period of time were you still a member
of the American Youth for Democracy?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I was.
1272 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Taveivner. Was there any change in the policy of the American
Youtli for Democrac}^ followino; the dissohition of the Communist
Party and the formation of tlie Communist Political Association?
Mr. Philbrick. I would say that rather than the youth organiza-
tion following the policy of the party, the party was leading and we
followed the policy of AYI). In AYD we had been cooperating
with so-called progressive capitalists and so forth, and now the new
group was going to do the same thing.
Mr. Tavenxer. Were there other groups and organizations in Mas-
sachusetts at that time — that is, during the days of the Communist
Political Association — which became Communist-front organizations
and largely influenced and controlled by the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, there were.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee about each of them ?
Mr. Philbrick. AYell, I don't know if I can recall all of them.
There was a tremendous number of them. But in connection with the
youth movement we had various youth organizations which were,
again, infiltrated by Communist Party members and largely controlled
by them.
One of them was the Sweethearts of Servicemen. Sweethearts of
Servicemen was pretty much of a subsidiary of American Youth for
Democracy, and completely controlled and dominated by the Commu-
nist element.
Another group that we set up in Boston was known as Youth for
Victory. Youth for Victory was set up quite early in the war, and
there were many comrades, including myself, assigned to that group.
In Youth for Victory I was playing a part, upon instructions of the
party, as a non-Connnunist. The party ordered me to serve in vari-
ous organizations as a liberal non-Communist. I71 such capacity I
served as sponsor for an organization known as Youth for Unity.
And I believe there were a few others, too, that I do not recall at this
time, that were d( niinated and controlled by the party.
(Kepresentative Clyde Doyle entered the hearing room.)
Mr. Tavenner. What was the purpose of the Communist Party, if
you know, in infiltrating and controlling the policies of these groups?
Mr. Philbrick. The reason it was possible to get the support of a
large number of })atriotic young people was to Aviii the war. In that
connection, we wrapped bandages, carried on war-bond and war-
stamp sales campaigns, and so forth. For that reason we had the
support of very many fine citizens in Boston.
However, the objectives of the Communist Party were as follows :
We were told and instructed that, first of all, we were not only to
work for winning the war ; we were also to work very strenuously for
aid to Russia as a great ally of the United States, and we were to work
to get })eople to see Russia in a favorable and friendly light, and we
were to win support for the Soviet Socialist system of government.
Mr. Tavenner. In carrying out that program, did members of the
armed services of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics appear at
any of your meetings ?
Mr. Ppiilbrick. Yes. We had a gi'oup of comrades from Russia
come to Boston, and we had a reception for them and so forth, spon-
sored by these youth groups.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1273
Mr. Tavenner. Did you hold any oflflcial position in any of these
groups which you hiuC been directed by the Communist l\irty to
sponsor as a non-Communist?
Mr. PiTiLBRiCK. I was one of the organizers of Youth for Victory,
and 1 was on the sponsorinir connnittee of Youth for Unity; and be-
cause of my profession in the advertising iield 1 was instruct eel by the
party to work in the promotional activities of these organizations. I
did |)repare many of the folders and propaganda material for them.
Mr. Tavexxer. In the course of your experience in Massachusetts,-
did you learn of the National Council of American-Soviet Friend-
ship^
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. Yes, I did.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did it have a chapter in Boston?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, it did.
Mr. Ta\-ex'Ner. Can you tell the committee who were connected
with it, known to you to be members of the Communist Party, in that
particular chapter?
Mr. I'muiRicK. I do not recall at this time. I did know at that
time, and that information has gone to the Government, but I have no
recollection of it now. I know we worked with them closely.
The Youth for I nity was pretty much of a foreign language group.
We would sponsor, for example, folk dances, to which the young
people woukl come dressed in native costumes, and so forth, and in
that ca]iacity this youth organization was very close to us.
Mv. Tavex'x^er. You mentioned earlier in your testimony the name
of Marcella Sloane, I believe.
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavexx'er. Will you give us more identifying information
relating to her?
Mr. Philbrick. Marcella Sloane, I believe I have testified before,
I had already become acquainted with as attached to the national
office of the Communist Party. In the latter part of 1915 she was
assigned to Boston to organize and to direct a recruiting class for the
joarty.
Mr. Tavexxer. That is, for the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. For the (^omnninist Party or Communist Political
Association ; they were pretty much the same in membership.
So we set up a training class sponsored by AYD. Various comrades
in the organization were assigned to the ask of recruiting likely look-
ing [)ros|)ects for the party, and of having them come to these classes.
These classes were conducted by Marcella Sloane for a period of sev-
eral weeks, during which time her salary was paid by the national
office.
Mr. Tavexxer. Of the Conmiunist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. TA^^EX^^ER. What organizations were used as the recruiting
fields for these groups?
Mr. Pifii.BRicK. iVIaiidy AYD, but also some of the contacts we had
thrpugh Boston Youth for Cnity and Boston Youth for Victory.
Mr. Tavex-^xer. Do you know what success Marcella Sloane had in
recruiting members into the party as a result of the procedure you
have described?
1274 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Philbrick. I know they were successful in getting some of the
young people to actually join the CPA. Just how many, I don't know,
but I know there were a few.
Mr. Tavenner. You are familiar, of course, with the dissolution of
the Communist Political Association and the reorganization of the
Communist Party in 1945, are you not ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee briefly about that ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, in early 1945 a French Communist leader,
Jacques Duclos, had written an article or a thesis criticizing the Amer-
ican [Communist] Party for the so-called taint of Browderism. That,
of course, started the chain of reaction which ultimately, in July or
August of the same year, resulted in the reformation of tlie Commu-
nist Party and the return to ^larxism-LeninisuL
Mr. Tavenner. And also resulted in the ouster of Browder?
Mr. Philbrick. It did.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Did you attend either the State or national con-
vention at which the Communist Political Association was dissolved
and the Communist Party revived?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. I attended the convention in the State of
Massachusetts as a delegate. In the meantime, in the course of these
activities I had become a member of the Communist Party while in
Maiden, Mass. So in 1945 I attended the State convention as an alter-
nate delegate from the Maiden Club.
I also attended upon personal invitation of Dave Bennett, who was
then, I believe, secretary of the Communist Party in Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you recall the names of the other delegates from
the Maiden Club in addition to yourself?
Mr, Philbrick. My old friend Alice Mills was a delegate, and she
was a full delegate.
Gus Johnson was a delegate or alternate.
Frank Collier Avas a delegate.
And a girl named Grace was a delegate, not known by her last name.
Mr. Tavenner. They were all delegates from your club or cell in
Maiden, Mass.?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe three were delegates and the rest of us
were alternate delegates.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you notice any change in the attitude of the
Communist Party as a result of its revival after the ouster of Browder?
Mr. Philbrick. There was a very drastic change, which was to be
brought forward very forcibly in the course of these conventions and
later events.
The change, of course, was a revocation of the line that communism
could cooperate with any part of capitalism in any way, respect, or
manner. We were told specifically that the forces of imperialism had
been greatly strengthened by the war, and tlie newly formed Com-
munist Party must combat imperialism, and especially American
imperialism, in every way possible.
That, of course, was the major change, although there was a great
deal of other material that went along with it.
Mr. Ta\tcnner. Then the revival of the Communist Party in 1945
marked a return to the old Marx-Lenin principles of the Commu-
nist Party ?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1275
Mr. I'liiLiiKicK. Tliat is true.
Mr. Wood. The comniittee will stand at recess nntil 2 : 30.
(Thereupon, at 12:10 p. ni., a recess was taken until 2:30 p. m.
of the same day.)
AFTERNOON SESSION
(The subconuniltee reconvened at 2:30 p. m.. Representatives
"Wood, Doyle, and Jackson being present.)
Mr. Wood. Are you ready to proceed, Mr. Counsel ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes, sir.
TESTIMONY OF HERBERT ARTHUR PHILBRICK— Resumed
^Ir. Tavenner. Mr. Philbrick, you described for us this morning
the formation of the Communist Political Association and also its
dissolution. Did you take part in any of the convention activities
which led up to the formation of the Communist Political Associa-
tion i
Mr. Philbrick. I attended the conventions of the CPA — that is,
the formation of the CPA — but only as a visitor, not as a delegate.
In fact. I had attended Communist Party conventions as far back as
1943, I believe, as a visitor, but it was not until 1915 that I attended
as an actual delegate.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you at any time voice opposition to the forma-
tion of the Communist Political Association and the adoption of the
less stringent views or activity by that organization ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I did. It so happened that in 1944, just prior
to the acceptance of Browderism, I had been attending some classes
over at Dave Bennett's apartment which were very strictly Marxist
classes, advocation of violent revolution, and so forth. .
So when the discussion came up at Alice Gordon's apartment re-
garding the dissolution of the Communist Party and the formation
of the Communist Political Association, more to heckle the comrades
than anything else, I voiced strenuous opposition to the change. I
said I thought capitalism was still fighting for its own selfish ends,
and we were making a great mistake in overthrowing the great revo-
lutionary traditions of the party.
We had quite a time. The comrades were rather hard put for a
while to explain all the changes. But of course in the end I did give
in, as a good comrade, and admit that perhaps Comrade Browder was
correct.
To advance the story now to 1945, when the Communist Party
leaders again changed their minds and it was decided they had to
get rid of this very vile creature, Mr. Browder, it was remembered on
the State convention floor that Philbrick was the one who had held out
the longest against this great evil; and for that reason I became some-
what of a great hero in 1945, and that was one of the reasons why
I was assigned to educational work in the party, to teach Marxism to
other comrades.
I might add I had no success at all in convincing my comrades in
1944 that thev were wronj;.
Mr. Tavenner. Then, as a result of that action, you finally became
the head of the State Educational Commission of the Communist
1276 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Party at the dissolution of tlie Communist Political Association;
is that correct ^
Mr. Philbrick. No. I became a member of the education com-
mission in charge of the propaganda work, in charge of the leaflet
production. I was in charge of the printed material that the party
produced from that time on. The first chairman was Justine O'Con-
nor, then we had various chairmen throughout the years.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you recall now the names of the various chair-
men of that commission?
Mr. Philbrick. The members of the commission at the time I be-
came a member of it in 1945 were: Justine O'Connor; Otis Hoodf-
Boone Schirmer, who later became a chairman
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name?
Mr. Philbrick. B-o-o-n-e S-c-h-i-r-m-e-r.
Mr. Tavenner. Is that Daniel Boone Schirmer?
Mr. Philbrick. Daniel Boone Schirmer.
Max Weitzman.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name ?
Mr. Philbrick. I can't recall the spelling. It was something
like W-h-i-t-e-s-m-a-n or W-e-i-t-z-m-a-n: but Max was our chairman
for quite a period of time. He was normally known only as Max.
And Manny Blum was a member of the commission and a leader of
the group for a period of time.
Of course the group was headed up nationally by Jack Stachel of the
national office.
Mr. Tavenner. Did your commission receive its directions from
Jack Stachel?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, we did.
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., entered the hearing room.)
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee what your functions
were as a member of that commission?
Mr. Philbrick. The purpose of the commission as a whole in the
first instance was to set up Marxist training classes to get the party
back to its revolutionarv thinking of Mai'xism-Leninism, and to cleanse
the party of every element of Browderism, which, of course, was quite
prevalent, especially among the newer members who had joined during
the CPA period.
So our immediate task was to train every single Communist Party
member in the traditional Marxist-Leninist theory.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you describe briefly the traditional Marxist-
Leninist theory to which you have referred?
Mr. Philbrick. It was a long, involved course. I attended a course
at ?) Hancock Street in Boston, given to only a select number of com-
rades in whom the ])arty had absolute trust and confidence.
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., left the hearing room.)
Mr. Prilbrick (continuing). And we were trained in turn to be-
come instructors in INIarxism.
I then became educational director for the Eighth Congressional
District in Massachusetts. The Eighth Congressional District in-
cluded Maiden, Melrose, Everett, a part of Somerville, Wakefield, and
a part of Stoneham. As such I went from cell to cell and branch to
branch, either leading educational discussions myself, or many times
arranging for State functionaries, functionaries from the State office,
to come out to the branches and speak.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1277
The iri'ont difference between our teachin<2;s in tliis period as against
our teaehin<^.s before was tliat now the party taught tliat capitalism
had to be destroyed absokitely in order to establish communism; that
it could not be done by })eaceful means or by legislation, but it could
be done and accomplished only through a violent revolution; and we
were taught quite specifically that there was no other way to establish
communism in this country.
And of course in order to teach that we used all of the usual Marxist
textbooks anil numuals, starting right in with the book Value, Price,
and Protit, which was usually the beginner, then The Theory of Lenin-
ism, by Stalin; Capitalism by Karl Marx; and History of the C. P.
S. U. (B) : that was used as a textboook in my course.
Then, of course, the two most important books so far as teaching
the absolute necessity of revolution, were, first, Imperialism, the High-
est Stage of Capitalism, and State and Revolution. Those two were
the most important textbooks used to teach why it was impossible
for connnunism to be established in any other way except through a
violent revolution against the existing state government.
Mr. Tavenner. You spoke of having attended a special school, a
secret school, designed only for those in whom the Communist Party
reposed great trust. Who were the instructors in that school?
Mr. Philbrick. Fanny Hartman
Mr. Ta\t:'nner. Will you spell the last name?
Mr. Philbrick. Fanny Hartman, H-a-r-t-m-a-n. She was more or
less the coordinator for the school. She taught the first session, I
remember, and she taught some of the subsequent sessions.
A man named Sam, not identified by any other name, was another
one of the instructors.
And a woman party member by the name of Hulda, H-u-1-d-a, was
the third of our instructors. I w^as later able to identify her as Hulda
McGarvey, who was affiliated with the Samuel Adams School.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name, please?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe it is M-c-G-a-r-v-e-y, Hulda McGarvey.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you say she was affiliated with the Sam Adams
School ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; at a later date she also taught a class at the
Sam Adams School.
Mr. Tavenner. Was she also on the faculty of some college?
Mr. PiiiiJiRiCK. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. With some teaching staff?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know where ?
Mr. Philbrick. I did know. I don't recall at the moment.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you been able to identify the last name of the
person referred to as Sam ?
Mr. Philbrick. No, sir.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. You referred to the Sam Adams School. Do you
have any knowledge of the method of operation of that school ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, since I was on the educational commission
of the party, I became acquainted with the Sam Adams School quite
well. Of course the Sam Adams School was one of the big projects of
the Communist Party Educational Commission, and most, if not all,
of the courses used at the school were planned directly by the Com-
munist Partv. There were a few teachers on the staff of the Sam
1278 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS .
Adams School who were not Communist Party members, but not
many, and of course even the courses taught by the non-Communists
were selected ahead of time.
There were many things we did at Communist Party headquarters
for the Sam Adams School. First, since I was in charge of leaflet
productions, 1 helped to prepare the folders and fliers and pamphlets
for the Sam Adams School. This was done at the Communist Party
headquarters of Massachusetts, and the material went out to the public
supposedly as non-Communist material.
Mr. Tavenner. Were non-Communists invited to attend the school?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Where was the school located?
Mr. Philbrick. On Province Street in Boston, between School and
Bromfield Streets.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you give us the names of members of the teach-
ing staff at the Sam Adams School who were known to you to be
members of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Let's see if I can recall a few of them now.
Hulda McGarvey, of course, was one who was a member of the
Communist Party and a teacher at the Sam Adams School.
Anotlier Communist Party member who was a teacher at the school
was Arthur Timpson.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name, please ?
Mr. Philbrick. T-i-m-p-s-o-n. Arthur Timpson was the husband
of Anne Burlack, so her married name was Anne Timpson, although
she used the name of Anne Burlack.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. You have mentioned Anne Burlack previously in
your testimony?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. And you have identified her as a member of the
Communist Party also, have you not ?
Mr. Philbrick. Slie was a member of the Communist Party who
worked directly at Communist Party headquarters on many occasions
with me.
Another member of the Communist Party teaching at the Sam
Adams School was Mrs. Otis Archer Hood. She was the wife of Otis
Hood whom we have already mentioned, who has been at many times
the figurehead of the Communist Party in Massachusetts.
Mr. Wood. We still can't hear you.
Mr. Philbrick. I am sorry.
Another member of the teaching staff was Edwin Garfield, a mem-
ber of the Communist Party. I believe he was editor for quite a
while of the Morning Freiheit in Boston. He was also associated
with the Jewish People's Fraternal Order and with the IWO.
I believe that Saul Vail, V-a-i-1, taught a course at the Sam Adams
School, and he was known to me as a Communist Party member and
a member of IWO and JPFO. He was an undercover party agent,
because I know occasionally, instead of delivering material to his office,
I delivered it to his home on Parkdale Avenue in Boston.
Mr. Jackson. May I ask a question ?
Mr. Wood. Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson. You have mentioned aboveground and underground
members of the Communist Party. How much of a distinction was
there betwen the two?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1279
IMr. Philbrick. Yoii mean as to their aims and objectives?
Mr. Jackson. No; their mode of operation.
Mr. Philhrick. They were ahnost the same except that under-
o;round members were to behave in other oroanizations as ncm-Com-
mnnists, and were not to preach out-and-out Marxism, but they were
to go as far as they feU. it was safe, depending on the individual with
whom they were dealing.
"We were taught in that connection very thoroughly that always,
in our dealings with other people, we were to frame our conversations
in such a wa}' as to be on the level of thinking of our listener. We
were taught to deal with Republicans; we were taught to deal with
church people; we were taught to deal with liberals, and so on, of
different shades, and in all cases we were to push the Marxist line
only as far as we felt the person could be dealt with diplomatically.
Mr. Jackson. Was there a distinct separation in activities as be-
tween the so-called underground members and those who were in cell
organizations? Where was the chain of command to join the two
together ?
As I see it, they had parallel activities, with the same philosophy
and same aims and objectives, but there was no common contact as
between the two ; is that true ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is true. The underground party members
were organized in a separate group, and this group had no contact
with the neighborhood cells or branches of the party.
Mr. Jackson. That is the point I wanted to bring out.
Mr. Philbrick. That is correct.
Mr. Jackson. The only point at which they would converge would
be in a district chairman or a district functionary, and there would
be no connection in their parallel lines as they went about their sep-
arate activities?
Mr. Philbrick. That is true. Some of the people in the secret or
pro group were kept so secret that even the party functionaries at the
State headquarters did not know their identities.
jNIr. Philbrick. Thank you.
Mr. Tavenner. Continuing with the list of teachers, was Mr. Wil-
liam Harrison a trustee and teacher in the school during your period
in the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. I became quite well acquainted with William
Harrison, who was a Negro fellow, and a vice president for many
years. He had a course having to do with analyzing the news. Of
course his analyses were very good.
Mr. TA\Ti:NNER. Was Barbara Bennett on the teaching staff ?
Mr. Philbrick. I remember she was affiliated with the school, but
I have no recollection at this time of a particular course she taught.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you know her to be a member of the Commu-
nist Party?
Mr. Piiti.brick. Yes.
Mr. Taa-exner. Is she the wife of David Bennett ?
Mr. Philbrick. She is, or was, the wife of Dave Bennett.
IMr. Ta\t.nner. Was there a person by the name of Harrison Harley
affiliated with the Sam Adams School?
Mr. Philbrick. Dr. Harrison Harley was the director of the school,
I believe, and I met with him many times, at luncheon and so forth,
on matters pertaining to the school. However, I did not get to know
1280 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Harley as a Communist Party member, and to my knowledge he
did not know me as a member of the Communist Party.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with the Boston School for
Marxist Studies, sometimes referred to as the Boston Labor School
for Marxist Studies ?
Mr. Philbrick. Shortly before the trial of the 11 in New York, or
before my participation in it, I had worked with the State education
commission in preparing the material for that school.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you perform the same type of services for that
school as you did for the Sam Adams School ?
Mr. Philbrick. I did. I prepared a leaflet advertising the courses
to be taught at the school, and I believe I prepared an outline for one
of the courses.
Mr. Tavenner. Was that school Communist-controlled and con-
ducted ?
Mr. Philbrick. The Boston School for Marxist Studies was com-
pletely a Communist Party school. While non-Conninmists not only
attended but were urged to attend the Sam Adams School, the Boston
School for Marxist Studies was limited to Communist Party mem-
bers. Every person who attended the Boston School for Marxist
Studies had to be cleared by the State office and approved by the
party.
Mr. Tavenner. It was necessary to have Communist Party approval
before a person could enroll in that school ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. What was the purpose of having Communist Party
approval ?
Mr. Philbrick. The man in charge was Manny Blum.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell that name ?
Mr. Philbrick. He was known to us as Manny, M-a-n-n-y. I be-
lieve his full name, which I never heard used, was Emanuel.
Mr. Tavenner. And how do you spell his last name?
Mr. Philbrick. The last name was Blum, B-l-u-m.
I recall my own experience, which I believe indicates quite clearly
the subversive tactics used by the party, the means used to keep
their activities secret and underground.
In this case, although I had worked on the material myself, I had
no knowledge of where the classes were going to be held. There was
some delay, because I was busy at my regular job in addition to work-
ing for the Communist Party, and finally, on the day one of the classes
was to open, I stopped at the Communist bookshop, the Progressive
Bookshop, on Beech Street, and inquired of Frank Collier, who was
in charge of the bookshop, as to where the course was going to be held.
He said he couldn't tell me, that I would have to contact the State
office.
Bear in mind at that time I was a member of the pro group.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you mean the professional group of the Com-
munist Party of the State of Massachusetts ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
I was advised not to call from the bookshop. I called from a pay
station and asked if they could direct me to where the course was
going to be held that night, and they said they could not, that they
would have to speak to Manny about it.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1281
They came back and said, "We can't o;ive it to you riirlit now. Can
you come to headquarters T'
This was the first time I had been to headquarters. They told me
to use caution that I was not followed comintr down.
So I went down and saw Manny Blum. AVe en<>ajrcd in convei-sa-
tiou. Manny told me not to talk about some subjects because the
walls had ears, he claimed ; so there were many thin<rs we could not
discuss.
I asked again where the class was to be held, and rather than saying
it aloud he tore off a piece of paper on his desk and wrote the address,
15 Fayston Street.
I ki'iew that to be the address of Otis Archer Hood, so, sure enough,
I turned up at the home of Otis Archer Hood that night and one of
the classes was being held there.
I think that illustrates the great caution exercised in everything we
did in the Communist Party at that time.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you give me the names of any other persons
connected with the teaching staff at that school? You have given
the name of Hood as the person conducting the class the night you
attended.
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. I can't recall now. There were two other classes
in addition to the one taught by Mr. Hood.
Mr. Ta\'enner. The Boston Traveler of January 4, 1949, contains
a news item to the effect that the Boston School for Marxist Studies
will open and that Emanuel Blum, Otis A, Hood, and Mrs. Frances
01 rich would be instructors.
You have already testified that Hood was a member of the Com-
munist Party to your knowledge?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. And also Emanuel Blum?
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. Yes.
Mr. Tavexner. Do you know whether Frances Olrich was a mem-
ber of the Communist Party ?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. She was a member of the Communist Party, but
I met her in the party by the name of Smith.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall the first name ?
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. She used the same first name, Frances; Frances
Smith. In fact, Frances Smith and I worked on a training manual
together, something to the effect of Crises in Capitalist Economy. It
was a longer title than that. We worked on it strenuously.
Mr. Tavenner. And she is the same person as Frances Olrich?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavexner. The Daily Worker of January 21, 1949, contains an
article to the effect that Israel Epstein and A. B. Magill were instruc-
tors at that school. Did you know them, and do you know if they were
members of the Comnuuiist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. I did not meet either of them ; no.
Mr. Tavenner. The Daily Worker of December 26, 1948, contains
iu\ article to the effect that Samuel Sillen and Howard Fast were in-
structors at that school. Do you know either of those persons, and
do you know if they were members of the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't remember meeting either of those two gen-
tlemen in a Communist Party meeting, but I had understood from
other comrades that Howard Fast was a Communist Party member,
1282 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
and I believe the same is true as to Sam Sillen, who was connected
with the magazine Political Affairs, if I am not mistaken.
Mr. Tavenner. Was Political Affairs one of the magazines you
were required to study in your indoctrination course ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. Political Affairs was on the required reading
list and study list for the courses.
Mr. Tavenner. How long did you remain a member of the State
education commission of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. I remained a member of the State education com-
mission right up until the time I was expelled from the party.
Mr. Tavenner. And when was that '^
Mr. Philbrick. According to the party, that was 2 weeks after I
appeared on the stand.
Mr. Tavenner. As a witness in the trial of the 11 Communists in
New York City?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Philbrick, we have reviewed at considerable
length your activities in the Communist Party, in order to demon-
strate the fullness of your knowledge of its operations, for the princi-
pal purpose of determining what position you are in to testify as to the
objectives of the Communist Party in New England, and in Massa-
chusetts, in particular, with relation to basic industries.
As a result of your experience and your contacts within the Com-
munist Party, did you become aware of the policies and plans of the
Communist Party with reference to basic industries after the revival
of the Communist Party in 1945?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir, I did.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee what that was?
Mr. Philbrick. In 1946 and 1947, as an executive of the Communist
Party, I attended what were known as district executive conferences,
held in Boston. I believe these were titled "party building confer-
ences," and each of them, I found, was for the purpose of infiltrating
heavy industries, or key industries, in our area and in the United
States.
I remember specifically at one of the party building conferences the
comrades were instructed to take positions as colonizers; that is, to
take upon themselves the duty of being colonizers in the key industries.
That meant if you had a job in a small business or nonessential in-
dustry, you should leave it and take a job in one of the key industries.
These key industries were listed by the party leaders. We were told
they were industries important to the war effort.
We were instructed that the imperialist aims of the United States,
the war-promoting purposes of the United States, were to carry on a
war against the Soviet Union, and a war against the free peoples of
the world, that is, peoples inider the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union.
We were told that the chief means at the disposal of the American
imperialists was the productive capacity of this country, which they
said was owned directly by the capitalists of the United States.
We were taught that since this was the key weapon, it was the
weapon we had to attack and destroy as Communists.
We were told in New England one of the key industries consisted of
the General Electric plant in Lynn. We were told one reason why
colonizers were needed there was because it was involved in the de-
velopment of defense materials, including jet airplane engines. I
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1283
mi<ilit point out lliat at tliat time no one outside of the party liad any
knowUHl<::e that jot airphme engines were being developed at the (Jen-
eral p]lectric plant in Lynn, but they knew that.
Another key industry was the communications industry; another
was the leather industry, boots and shoes ; and another was the clothes
industry, service clothes, and so forth.
We were told that the steel industry and lines of transportation were
very important centers for Communist Party infiltration and colon-
ization, so various comrades were ordered at this time to take up jobs
at these spots.
Mr. Tavenner. You have outlined industries considered key indus-
tries in New England. AVas any distinction drawn between the key
industries in New England and nationally ?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. We were told in certain sections of the country the
steel industry would be the main point of concentration, whereas in
New England the steel industry was not as important. We had seven
or eight comrades assigned to the General Electric plant in Lynn, and
only one assigned to the steel industry, to my knowledge, to set up the
colonization program.
ISIr. Tavenner. Proceed with your discussion of the colonization
program.
]\Ir. Philbrick. As a part of the colonization program, but carried
out very secretly, a survey was conducted of certain plants. This was
a very complete survey. That program in New England was under
the direction of Daniel Boone Schirmer.
Mr. Tavenner. Was that on a national level or local level ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was told it was on a national level, but my only
information concerning it came from this local level.
I came upon it more or less by accident. I was working at Com-
munist Party headquarters on leaflet production at that time. One
of the means of prejDaring the survey was a mimeographed form
which I happened to prepare for Daniel Boone Schirmer.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall what information that form re-
quested ?
Mr. Philbrick. This had to do completely with industrial plants,
although I understand they made investigations along other lines too.
These particular forms that I worked on had to do with a complete
survey of the plants — what they were producing; how many they
were producing ; the labor unions ; the number of employees ; also the
number of comrades in these plants and exactly what influence the
comrades had in the unions. They also included a review of the
training and qualifications of the various comrades working in these
plants.
Mr. Tavenner. Did the forms request any information relating to
the facilities of the plants?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did they go to the extent of requesting blueprint
information as to the layout of the plants?
Mr. Philbrick. No; at least not on these particular forms.
Mr. Tavenner. Proceed.
Mr. Philbrick. As I say, I came upon it somewhat by accident,
and therefore did not know how much information Daniel Boone
Schirmer was getting from the comrades in the plants, but I know
89067—51 3
1284 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
he was callings on them for very specific information, including blue-
prints, but I had no knowledge of any particular blueprints.
Mr. Tavenner. You have spoken of persons being assigned to con^
duct the campaign for the colonization of these various basic indus-
tries. Can you tell the committee the names of any individuals who
were assigned to particular tasks of that character?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, I had a very complete list at the time. Of
course my recollection now has failed me so that I cannot recall all
of them. I know that at least 8, possibly more, Communist Party
members were assigned to the General Electric plant in Lynn. The
ones I recall now are :
One was a fellow by the name of Nat Goodwin.
Mr. Tavenner. In mentioning the names of these individuals, will
you please tell the committee whether they are employed at the Lynn
plant at the present time, and, if not, where they are employed, if
you know.
I believe you mentioned the first name as Nat Goodwin ?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. You mentioned earlier the name of Nat Mills. I am
wondering if you have the names confused?
Mr. Philbrick. No. These are two different people. Nat Goodwin
was assigned to the plant at Lynn, and Nat Mills also was assigned to
the General Electric plant at Lynn. The last I heard, all these people
were still working at the Lynn plant.
Mr. Tavenner. AVhen you say the last you have heard
Mr. Philbrick. That was in the spring of 1949.
Mr. Tavenner. You have received no information that their em-
ployment at Lynn has been terminated ?
Mr. Philbrick. No, sir.
Mr. Ta\^nner. All right. Now if you will give us their names,
please.
Mr. Philbrick. Nat Goodwin.
Don Bollen.
Mr. Tavenner. May I ask you one other thing: Do you know the
character of the work that each of these persons was assigned to do ?
Mr. Philbrick. No, sir, I don't, except, here again, to say that most
of these people are fairly skilled in union organizing, and of course
that was part of their task too. These were not single individuals who
were to go in there and remain isolated. Their task was to endeavor
to draw in as many other Communists as well as non-Communists in
those unions.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know how each of these persons was em-
ployed prior to going into this colonization work ?
Mr. Philbrick. No, I don't.
Mr. Tavenner. All right. Now if you will proceed.
Mr. Philbrick. Don Tormey, T-o-r-m-e-y, was another one as-
signed to Lynn.
I believe that is all I can recall at the moment. There were some
others, and I did know them well at the time.
Dave Bennett was named to head up the colonization of the steel
industry.
Mr. Tavenner. Before we go to steel, was there a Robert Goodwin
assigned to Lynn ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1285
Mr. Tavennek. Is he one of the persons in the group that you have
described? I mean, was he assigned for cok)nization purposes?
Mr. PiiiLBKTCK. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. And he was a pei'son known to you to be a member
of tlie Communist Party?
Mr. pjiiLBKicK. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Was Lynn engaged in the manufacture of jet pro-
pulsion engines at the time this action was taken ?
Mv. Philbrick. Yes, sir. According to the party, they were en-
gaged not only in the production but in the development of bigger
and better jet engines.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know anything about the results of their
efforts in colonization at Lynn ?
Mr. Philbrick. No. I did understand, in contact with Don Bollen
at a later date, that he was quite happy with the results up to that
time ; but specific information, I have none.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall whether any of these persons sent to
colonize L"E at Lynn became officials in the UE union at a later date?
Mr. Philbrick. Some of them did ; yes.
Mr. Ta\t;nner. Do you recall the names of those who did become
union officials?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall now.
Mr. Tavenner. Now if you will proceed to the steel industry.
Mr. Philbrick. Dave Bennett, w^ho for a time was a Communist
Party functionary, that is, he was on the Communist Party payroll,
was assigned to direct the colonizing of the steel industry.
Joe Fieguerito, F-i-e-g-u-e-r-i-t-o, [Figueiredo] I believe his name
is spelled, was ordered to take charge of the colonizing of the Fall River
and New Bedford district, and he in turn was to obtain other com-
rades in that district to assist him in this project.^
]\rr. Tavenner. What particular defense industries were located
at Fall River?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe they call it the needle trade, was quite
heavy in that area ; and also the shipyard in that area.
In addition to that, at least two comrades were assigned to organ-
ize the Boston & Maine Railroad. One of those I recall was a fellow
by the name of Gus Johnson. The other member was known in the
party simply as "Whitey." I did discover his real name, but that
slips me at the moment.
JNIr. Tavenner. May I ask you whether those last three named per-
sons are still emplo3'ed in the same industry, that is, Bennett, Figuei-
redo, and Gus Johnson ; and also a fourth I believe you stated was
known as Whitey.
Mr. Philbrick. Dave Bennett, I believe, was transferred shortly
before I appeared in the trial of the 11.
Mr. Tavenner. And that date was when ?
Mr. Philbrick. In the spring of 1949.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know where he was transferred to ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall.
Gus Johnson has since been deported as an undesirable alien.
(Representative Clyde Doyle left the hearing room.)
Whitey, the last time I heard, was still with the Boston & Maine
Railroad.
' See foreword. The correct spelling of this name Is Figueiredo.
1286 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
And Joe Figueiredo, up until the spring of 1949, to my last direct
knoAvledge, was still in the Fall River-New Bedford area.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether or not any of those four in-
dividuals were elected to positions of leadership in their respective
unions ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't believe that Gus Johnson or Whitey was
elected to any position of importance.
Dave Bennett, I understand, did manage to be elected to a minor
position in the steel industry.
And Joe Figueiredo became — I can't recall now; it is my best recol-
lection— that Joe Figueiredo did also reach some position of impor-
tance in his union activities in the Fall Eiver-New Bedford area.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you familiar with any other assignments of
this character, tliat is, in the basic industries ?
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., returned to the hearing
room.)
Mr. Philbrick, I believe that is all I can recall at the moment, with
one exception — and there, again, with no specific names but simply of
the group. One group which was given the same instructions and
carried on a similar program of colonization was an organization
called the United Office and Professional Workers Union.
Mr. Tavenner. Yes. I will come to that in just a moment.
The group who were to take the leadership in the colonization of the
basic industries to which you have referred must have received instruc-
tions from the Communist Party in connection with their work as
time went on. Were you familiar with instructions or meetings of
any character that took place between those individuals and the
leadership of the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. I know that such meetings did take place, but I
did not attend them.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether or not officials of the Com-
munist Party met with leaders of the UE, either on a national or
local Ivjvel, in connection with the Communist Party plans and pur-
poses to infiltrate basic industries?
Mr. Philbrick. I know that such meetings did take place. One
such meeting, I know, took place at the rear of the Communist Party
book shop in Boston. They had a small room set up at the back of
the store. Most people didn't know it was there. But at least one
meeting between UE people and Communist Party people took place
quite secretly in that location.
Mr. Ta\t.nner. "V^Hiat was the location ?
Mr. Phh.brick. At the Progressive Book Shop on Beach Street in
Boston.
Mr. Tavenner. Were the UE officials who took part in that meet-
ing, members of the national or local organization?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe they were members of the local organiza-
tion.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know the names of any of them ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall now.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you familiar with the results of the meeting,
or the purposes of it?
Mr. Philbrick. There, again, I recall sending a report in concern-
ing it, but I have no recollection of the details of the information.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1287
Mr. Wood. At this point I am asking INIr. Frazier to take over, and
Mr. Doj'le ^vill be back in a few minutes, he has just gone upstairs,
so that you will still have a quorum of the subcommittee.
(Kepresentative John S. Wood left the hearing room.)
Mr. TA^•E^rNER. Mr, Philbrick, you referred to the work done
through the United Office and Professional Workers Union. What
were you about to tell us in connection with that?
Mr. Philbrick, In common with the industrial workers, this or-
ganization, too, received instructions concerning the necessity for
colonization in key industries.
Mr, TA^■ENNER, What plan was used to infiltrate organizations
through tliat group?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, they conducted somewhat their own pro-
gram, a bit separated from the industrial workers, and their chief aim,
I learned, I w^as told, and chief points of concentration, were in the
communications industry and in finance.
Most of these people, I will explain, were white-collar workers
and clerical workers, so that they would take up positions as private
secretaries and other jobs in the nature of white-collar work.
Mr. Tavenner. You say there were two principal areas in which
they desired to function, in finance and
Mr. Philbrick. And in communications.
Mr. TA\^]srNER, And in communications. Will you tell us what was
done in the area of finance, if you know ?
Mr. Philbrick, Here, again, we will have to go back to Marxism
for a moment.
We were told in Boston that one of the great centers of finance for
capitalism was that of insurance companies, especially in Boston,
rather than banks. So a program was started to infiltrate and to
build up strength within the large insurance companies in our area,
I was assigned directly to assist in one of the campaigns; this hap-
pened to be the campaign to organize the John Hancock Insurance
Co. in Boston, which is perhaps the largest, if not the largest, in the
country.
Mr. Tavenner. When you say to organize, what do you mean?
iVIr. Philbrick. To organize all the workers in the John Hancock
Co. as members of the UOPWA.
Mr, Tavenner. You received instructions from the Communist
Party to engage in that work?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right, and so I did, and in my usual capac-
ity I worked on the advertising and sales promotion for that cam-
paign. So for the party and for the UOPWA I prepared a great
many of their leaflets. On some I looked up the statistics and gath-
ered the material as well as printing it in printed form.
The comrade assigned as mj^ contact person — you see, I was still
an underground party member so I had to conduct myself in an under-
cover capacity — my contact was Helen Johnson, already a member of
UOPWA.
To establish a better cover for mvself, the party ordered me to join
the UOPWA, and that I did. I went down to the UOPWA office
and applied for membership and paid my membership fees and so
forth.
I was ordered not to go near the State headquarters of the Com-
munist Party, being a member of the pro group — —
1288 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES EST STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Wliat do you mean by the pro group ?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. The professional group in Boston, all the members
of which were underground.
Mr. Tavenner. Was the Helen Johnson to whom you referred
known to you to be a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; she was.
Since I could not go near State headquaters, we had to conduct our
communications with State headquarters by courier. The courier in
this instance was Carole Levy.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name?
Mr. PiiTLBRicK. L-e-v-y, also known to me to be a member of the
Communist Party.
Mr. Tavenner. Was there any other person engaged in that activity
with you who were known to you to be members of the Communist
Party?
Mr. Philbrick. There were one or two people in the pro group who
worked with me. Let's see if I can recall who they were.
One person who assisted on gathering statistics for me was a Com-
rade Mike, not known by his last name, a member of the pro group,
and the husband of a Comrade Norma, also not known by her full
name.
I am trying to recall ; it seems to me that Frances Smith, or Frances
Olrich, also helped provide some of the material. But most of it
came from Helen Johnson and from Carole Levy.
Mr. Tavenner. In addition to this purpose of the Communist Party
to infiltrate areas dealing with finance, you said they also desired to
infiltrate tlie communications industry ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you give the committee information of a con-
crete character regarding their work in that direction ?
Mr. Philbrick. I never obtained direct information as to how
much success they had in that field. I know they were to seek posi-
tions in the communications industry, that would be wire or tele-
phone, and also in the advertising field, the book-publishing field,
and in the newspaper and radio fields.
Mr. Tavenner. You have told us about the Communist Party plan
and program to colonize the basic industries, and then, through the
UOPWA, the various areas in finance and communications. Can you
tell the committee of any instances in which people did actually
change from their employment and take up work within these various
industries, pursuant to the directions of the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. I know that some of them did, upon orders of the
party, change their positions, but I have no recollection now of the
details or of the persons involved.
Mr. Tavenner. You have spoken several times of the professional
group of the Communist Party. Were you a member of that group ?
Mr. PiiiI;Brick. I became a member of the professional group in the
fall of 1947.
Mr. Tavenner. Tell us the circumstances under which that oc-
curred.
Mr. Philbrick. I joined the pro group upon orders of Fanny Hart-
man, and was instructed at that time that I was to separate myself
from the Eighth Congressional District work and from affiliation with
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1289
groups in that section, and join an underground Communist group
known only as Pro-4, or sometimes known as MO.
I was instructed at the time that I was to drop all contact with all
members of the Conmiunist Party with whom I had been previously
ufliliated. I was to drop out of sight and no longer affiliate with them
or fraternize with them on an official or a social basis. So far as the
comrades with whom I had been previously affiliated, I had appar-
ently dropped out of the Communist Party.
I was told that in the pro group I was to affiliate only with mem-
bers in my own cell, and that I was to keep the identities of known
people in my cell a secret ; that is, I was not to mention their names to
any other individuals, either that I knew them as Communists or as
non-Communists.
And so in either September or October 1947 I did separate myself
from the Eighth Congressional District and joined the pro group.
Mr. Tavenner. Where was this group located ?
Mr. Philbrick. There, again, as part of the system for staying
rmderground, the party had devious means and methods of keeping
this location secret.
Mr. Tavexner. Wliich locality ?
Mr. Philbrick. In Boston, or Cambridge.
From 1947 until I appeared in the trial of the 11, we met some-
times in the Beacon Hill area of Boston and sometimes in Cambridge.
On one or two occasions I was brought to the place of meeting without
even knowing the address. In other words, I was given the address
without any names of the individuals living there.
Sometimes we would meet in restaurants rather than at homes, in
order, again, to keep the identities of the members secret. No meeting,
for example, of the pro group ever took place in my home, and no
meetings took place in the homes of some of the other members of the
group.
Mr. Ta\"enner. Will you state to the committee w^hat the general
purposes of this group were ?
Mr, Phh^brick. First of all, all of these people were professional
people. They were engaged in the law profession, or the teaching
profession, or advertising, or as doctors, or in some other line of work
of a professional nature.
Their chief objectives were twofold. Number one, of course, was
to serve as Communist Party agents in Communist-front organi-
zations. By Communist-front organizations I mean those such as
the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee. At least two members
of my own cell were assigned to work in that group.
Then we were also instructed to participate in non-Communist
organizations. At that time, for example, the Progressive Citizens of
America might be considered as a non-Communist organization to
some extent. I believe members of the professional group worked
in the forerunner of the Progressive Citizens of America, known as
the Citizens PAC, was it not. Citizens Political Action Committee?
And of course we were asked to influence people in our normal sur-
roundings. For example, I was listed as a Republican in Melrose, and
listed as a Baptist, and I was to influence these people as best I could
in Marxism.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you directed by the Communist Party to be-
come a member of the Republican Party, or were you a member of the
1290 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Republican Party and used your membersliip at the instance of the
Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. I was requested to be a member of the Rej)ublican
Party by the Communists. From myhistory, which they had a very
good record of, they knew that my parents were both Republicans,,
so they said, "We think it is a good idea for you to be listed as a
Republican too, especially since the Democrats are very weak in your
town and the Republicans are the only ones that have any force
there."
Mr. Jackson. Did you make converts among the Republicans ?
Mr. Philbrick. I am afraid not.
Mr. Jackson. I am delighted to know that.
Mr. Philbrick. I was instructed by the party to be a liberal Re-
publican.
Mr. Jackson. Did they give you any model in the party whose
actions you might follow? Did they name any liberal Republican
after whom you could pattern your activities?
Mr. Philbrick. No ; they didn't.
Mr. Jackson. They might, though.
Mr. Tavenner. How many persons were in this professional cell
with you ?
Mr. Philbrick. There were between 70 and 80 members in the pro-
fessional group in the Boston area.
Mr. Tavenner. Were they all in one group, or were they broken up
into smaller units or cells ?
Mr. Philbrick. We were broken into smaller units or cells. If it
so happened that we knew a member in another cell, we were ordered
not to have anything to do with that member. We were to work
only with people in our cell. The last knowledge I had, there were
14 or 15 cells in the pro group.
Mr. Tavenner. How did you arrive at the conclusion there were
70 to 80 members in the professional cell of the Communist Party?
Was that in Boston?
Mr. Philbrick. That was just in Boston, in a fund-raising cam-
paign in 1948, as the party always does have fund-raising campaigns.
This particular fund-raising campaign was for a general fund to
strengthen the party. All comrades in all sections of the party are
asked to give a certain amount of money to this particular fund.
We in the professional group were asked to donate likewise.
I was told by one member of our cell at the end of the drive that we,,
the pro group, had contributed over $3,500 to that particular cam-
paign, which, I was told, was "pretty good in view of the fact that we
have only 70 or 80 members." I thought it was pretty good myself.
Mr. Tavenner. AVliat was the arrangement about the payment of
dues?
Mr, Philbrick. We paid dues once a month. Our dues were, ac-
cording to the Communist Party's routine, in line with the regular
dues of party members. In our cell our dues ran $2 a month auto-
matically, since we were in a little better bracket than the other
groups. I think that $2 was for those who made $75 or more a week.
In addition, we had to pay a sustaining fee. That ran from $5 a
month to $50 a month per person. At least one person was con-
tributing $100 a month.
Mr. Tavenner. We are getting in the Hollywood class now.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1291
Mr. Philbrick. That is not bad for Boston, which is very con-
servative.
Mr. Tavenner. How were these funds collected ?
Mr. Philbrick. They were turned over to the member of the cell
designated as treasurer, and the money was then given to the courier
for the party member in the next higher level, who passed it on.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you carry a Communist Party card as a mem-
ber of the professional group ?
Mr. Philbrick. In the pro group we were not even issued a Com-
munist Party card. I was told that under no circumstances should a
member of the professional group carry a Communist Party card.
Mr. Tavenner. There were 14 cells that made up the professional
group. You were a member of one of them. What was the name
of the group with which you were affiliated ?
Mr. Philbrick. MO.
Mr. Tavenner. Did those initials have any significance?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. They stood for mass organizations. Each
member of our cell was assigned to mass-organization work. That
would be work in Communist-front organizations such as the Pro-
gressive Citizens of America, Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee,
and I can't recall the others.
Mr. Ta\'enner. The other 13 cells were assigned to what general
type of work ? Was it the same or a different type of work ?
Mr. Philbrick. They would be assigned to various types of work
according to their normal occupations. For example, the doctors
would belong to a group comprised of physicians and so forth, and
they were to work in their usual trade organizations or trade groups
and infiltrate non-Communist groups.
Mr. Tavenner. Identifi*' as many of the different types of assign-
ments as you can recall. You have the group in the field of adver-
tising, of which you were a member. You have the doctors. What
other organizations were there?
]Mr. Philbrick. There was a teachers' group.
Mr. Tavenner. How many belonged to the teachers' group?
Mr. Philbrick. A very small number, I understand; perhaps five
or six.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know the names of any of them ?
Mr. Philbrick. No; I don't. Max Weitzman may have been one
of them.
(Representative Clyde Doyle returned to hearing room.)
]\Ir. Tavenner. What other groups?
Mr. Philbrick. There were at least two groups of college profes-
sors, one at Harvard and one at MIT ; and I know there were others
in the area, too.
]Mr. Tavenner. Do you know the names of any of those who were
in tlie college-professor group ?
IMr. Philbrick. Not directly ; no.
Mr. Tavenner. All right.
]SIr. Philbrick. Also, at least one and possibly two groups of peo-
ple working in Government organizations, that is, they went on the
jobs from civil service, for example, jobs in the Post Office Depart-
ment and other governmental positions,
Mr. Tavenner. Do you have any information as to the member-
ship of the so-called governmental groups ?
1292 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Philbrick. No. I was never affiliated with those particular
comrades as Communists.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you familiar with the names of any persons
who were members of the o^overnmental group ?
Mr. Philbrick. No ; I don't believe so.
Mr. Tavenner. Were there any other groups ? Were there any in
the field of religion?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; that is right. A very important group had
to do with the field of religious activity. That was one of the most
active groups.
Mr. Tavenner. Describe to the committee the method of operation
of that group.
Mr. Philbrick. I came very close to being well known to that
group just before appearing on the stand, and it was a pity I could
not remain in Cambridge two more months, because I am sure I would
have become well acquainted with that group. I would say these
people were at least posing as ministers of the gospel and playing the
part of ministers and religious leaders while in fact they were Com-
munist Party members using the cloak as a cover-up for their true
motives and intents.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know how many were in that group ?
Mr. Philbrick. My best guess is that in the Boston area there were
perhaps between 6 and 12 people in that particular cell.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you identify any of the individuals in that
group ?
Mr. Philbrick. No ; I can't, not by direct legal evidence.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, if you will return to the group of which you
were a member, who was the leader of that group, and how many
composed your own unit or cell ?
Mr. Philbrick. When I first joined the group in the fall of 1947
there were 12 members in my group. At the time I joined, the leader
was a man named Dick.
Incidentally, let me explain that in this group we used either first
names or nicknames or false names, which made it difficult at times
to learn the true identity of those you were closely associated with.
At the time I joined, the chairman was a person named Dick.
Immediately thereafter. Comrade Martha became leader of the
cell.
Mr. Tavenner. The first person named was Dick, and the second
Martha ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. Others in the group were known as Butch,
Peg, Helen
Mr. Tavenner. Quite familiar names.
Mr. Philbrick. Too familiar. That is the trouble. If a person's
first name or his nickname was uncommon, they would change it to
a common one.
Mr. Doyle. What was your name ?
Mr. Philbrick, They used the name of Herb.
Comrade Jackie, who happened to be a girl.
Comrade Norma.
Teddy, who was also a girl.
Faith.
And Henry.
Those were the names used by comrades in that first pro cell.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1293
Mr. Tavenner. During tlic course of time, did you become familiar
enough with those individuals whose first names you gave to learn
where they worked and what the last names of some of them were?
Mr. PiiTLKRicK. With some I did. For instance, Comrade Martha,
I had already known her to be Martha Fletcher.
Mr. Tavenner. Was she single or married?
]Mr. Philbkick. She was married. Her married name was Mrs.
Harold Fletcher, Jr.
Mr. Tavenner. Harold A. Fletcher, Jr. ?
Mr. Philerick. Harold A. Fletcher, Jr. At that time he was a
student at Harvard College. They have since gone to Europe.
I had known Martha previously because of her association with
Steve Fritchman and the Unitarian Youth movement.
Mr. Tavenner. What w^as her association with that?
Mr. Philbrick. She worked as secretary with Steve Fritchman for
1 or 2 years, I believe she told me, and also she was head of the Uni-
tarian Youth movement, which work she obtained through Steve
Fritchman.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you give us any further description of Martha
Fletcher or her activities?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall much more about her. I did, of
course, at the time, have a very complete record of her activities. She
lived at 15 Grove Street, G-r-o-v-e, in Boston, which was in the Beacon
Hill area, and we had many meetings at her apartment at 15 Grove
Street. We used a back room in the apartment.
I think most of her activities were centered around the Unitarian
Youth movement. At a much earlier date she had been selected by the
AYD as one of the youth to be honored, and I had met her at that
time, too.
Mr. Tavenner. This position of leadership which she obtained in
the Unitarian Youth group, you stated, was obtained through the
assistance of Rev. Stephen H. Fritchman?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. How did she obtain that position of leadership, if
you know ?
Mr. Philbrick. I am sure she obtained that position because she
was a Communist Party member and it was known she w^ould carry
out Communist Party tactics in her position there.
I never ran across Steve Fritchman inside a Communist Party meet-
ing, but I had many conversations with Martha about him, and she
left no doubt in my mind but that he w^as a Communist Party member.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know where Reverend Fritchman is at the
present time ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. He is in California at the present time, and
one of the Communist Party members in my group has gone out to
join him there.
Mr. Jackson. Is he the same Rev. Stephen H. Fritchman who is
connected with the arts, sciences and professions organization in
Hollywood ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes; that is the same man.
Mr. Jackson. With Miss Sondergaard and Mr. DaSilva and a few
others ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
1294 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. What is the name of the other associate of yours
to whom you referred when you said an associate had joined Reverend
Fritchman in California ?
Mr. Philbrick. I understand that Comrade Margo Clark, M-a-r-g-o
C-1-a-r-k, with whom 1 was closely associated as a Communist Party
member, as comrades over the entire period of 9 years that I worked
for the Government, I understand Margo Clark has joined Steve
Fritchman on the west coast.
Mr. Jackson. In Los Angelas ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Does Margo Clark have a sister ?
Mr. Philbrick, Yes. She had two sisters, I believe. Joy Clark was
another sister. At the time I first ran into Margo Clark she belonged
to a cell in Cambridge ; that was in 1940 or 1941. The cell in Cam-
bridge also included, I believe it was. Professor Bridgeman. I am
a little uncertain about it. I could identify him further that he was
a professor who came to Cambridge from a TVA cell.
Mr. Tavenner. We are a little uncertain here. We are going to
look it up and see in a few minutes.
Mr. Philbick. I believe he was studying at Harvard at that time.
Mr. Tavenner. He attended Dartmouth?
Mr. Philbrick. Pie attended Dartmouth and later went to Tufts
College.
Mr. Tavenner. Howard Allen Bridgeman ?
Mr. Philbrick, Yes, that is right.
Mr. Tavenner. He testified before this committee. in the Remington
case. Is that the same individual you are referring to ?
Mr. Philbrick. 1 believe it probably is.
Mr. Tavenner. He attended Harvard University in 1940, according
to his reply to a question I asked him.
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you identify Dr. Bridgeman as a member of
the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Not directly. Of course, at that time I was just a
fellow traveler, you might say, on the way to becoming a young
Communist, as I did not attend the meetings of that cell in Cambridge,
but I heard Margo Clark was attending the meetings of this cell.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you attend any Communist Party meetings at
the home of Margo Clark ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes ; I did.
Mr. Tavenner, Will you explain to the committee all you know
about the activities of Margo Clark in the Communist Party?
Mr. Philbrick. I worked with Margo Clark over the period of
9 years, and I believe for a time we belonged to the same cell, for a
short period of time, but as comrades we worked independently on
many projects.
I know that in addition to her regular Communist Party work
locally with our groups in Boston, Margo Clark also had a rather
wide network arrangement with Communists not only here in this
country, but overseas as well ; and so it was my deduction, although
she had never told me so in so many words, I gathered from what she
told me that she was pretty closely hooked up with an international
system of espionage.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1295
One of the persons she knew was Herman Field in New York City,
an arcliitect. At tliat time the name didn't mean mnch to me except
that he was an architect in New York. There were others, also,
whose names slip me at the moment.
Mr. Ta^-exner. Is the Herman Field to whom yon refer the brother
of Noel Field, the jierson who disappeared without explanation be-
hind the so-called iron curtain?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes ; that is the same person.
;Mr. Taa-exner. You were identifying the names of those who were
members of your own group. Will you please proceed with that?
Mr. Philbrick. Comrade Jackie was a girl, a stenographer or a
private secretary. Her assignment by the party for quite a while
was that of working with the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee.
In common with all the other members of our group, she was known
publicly as a non-Communist, as all of us were, so she worked in the
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee as a non-Communist.
She also worked either for or in the company of Mr. Angus Cam-
eron at Little, Brown & Co. in Cambridge. She lived in Cambridge
on Massachusetts Avenue, I believe. I believe she was a single girl.
The last I saw of her, which was about 2 weeks before I appeared on
the stand in Xew York, she was telling me about her work at Little,
Brown & Co.
Comrade Peg lived on Foster Street in Cambridge. We had meet-
ings at her house on Foster Street in Cambridge. Her husband was
also a member of the Communist Party, but a member of another
group, an industrial group. At a later date the}' moved to an indus-
trial city, I believe Detroit, to serve as colonizers there.
Comrade Henry was a writer, and I believe he wrote some articles
for the Xew Republic magazine, among others.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did you identify his last name?
]Mr. Philbrick. No. A great many of these people were never
known to me by their last names.
Comrade Butch was an artist. I did learn his name. I don't re-
member it now. He had a brother Pete who worked as a courier
between our cell and Communist Party headquarters if there were
important messages from Communist Party headquarters from time
to time.
Comrade Helen, I learned her last name was something like
Dugochet. I don't know how that was spelled. The phonetic spell-
ing would be D-u-g-o-c-h-e-t. I believe she was a British c itizen and
served as courier for the party, making many trips between here and
Great Britain.
Comrade Norma was also assigned to the Joint Anti-Fascist Ref-
ugee Connnittee.
Comrade Teddy was assigned to the Progressive Party. I don't
recall her name at the moment, but she plaj^ed an important part in
the Progressive Party work in Massachusetts.
I Ijelieve I mentioned Comrade Faith. I have no recollection at all
about what she did.
Mr. Tavexner. Did any other members come into this group after
you first became affiliated with it?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, there were three or four changes made dur-
ing my membership in the group.
1296 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
At the time that Peg and her husband moved out, we had a couple
of new members come in. These turned out to be Comrade Harry
and Comrade Eileen.^ I knew tliese two people. At least, I knew
Comrade Harry to be Harry Winner, W-i-n-n-e-r. Comrade Winner
had been very active in the Sam Adams School. He had also taught
classes for us in the AYD. He was very active in a great many
Communist-front organizations, so I came to know him quite well,
although up to that time I had never had any legal proof, or direct
proof, that he was a member of the Communist Party.
Mr. Tavenner. What was the procedure in having him assigned to
your group ?
Mr. Philbrick. These assignments were made from some place
above our echelon. That was decided by somebody higher than we
were.
Mr. Tavenner. How was he employed ?
Mr. Philbrick. He was employed, I believe, as the personnel direc-
tor of a rubber company in Maiden, Mass., the Converse Eubber Co.,
in Maiden, Mass. I had also known him as far back as 1946 in Maiden,
Mass., in connection with political campaigns in Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. Was Comrade Eileen ^ his wife ?
INIr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Were there others who became affiliated with your
group ?
Mr. Philbrick. Shortly after the first of the year, beginning
around January 1948, I was told to report to a Communist Party
pro-group cell meeting on Beacon Street, Boston, at 534 Beacon
Street, Boston, and I was given the apartment number, but no name.
This turned out to be a hotel, I believe the Hotel Fensgate, 534 Beacon
Street, Boston. This was in apartment 48, I discovered this apart-
ment was the apartment of one Sara Gordon, S-a-r-a G-o-r-d-o-n.
Mr. Tavenner. Any relation to Alice Gordon, previously referred
to in your testimony?
Mr. Philbrick. Not to my knowledge, no. We had meetings in
this apartment, which was a very, very beautiful swank hotel apart-
ment overlooking the Charles Eiver. It was Sara, I learned, who
was making the monthly contribution of $100 sustaining fund to the
party.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether any special contributions
were made by her or Alice Gordon to the Sam Adams School ?
Mr. Philbrick. It was Sara Gordon. At a much earlier date, I was
told at a cell meeting that Comrade Sara had been making contribu-
tions of $100 and upwards per month to the Sam Adams School. At
that time she was identified only as Comrade Sara. Later I learned
she had been one of the leading angels of the Sam Adams School in
Boston.
Mr. Tavenner. Can you give us any further information relating
to her ? Was she employed ?
Mr. Philbrick. No. She was independently wealthy, and she was
not employed in a wage-earning job that I know of.
Mr. Tavenner. Were there any other individuals with whom you
became acquainted, members of the Communist Party to your knowl-
edge, who took any part in the leadership in the educational field ?
1 Subsequently in hearings before the committee, on July 24, 1951, it was established that
Mrs. Harry Winner is named Irene.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1297
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. In the latter part of 1047 and beginning of 1948 in
onr pro gronp, we had been stndying one of these revohitionary books.
I believe at that time it was State and Revolution. By the time we
had finished the course we had a new member join our group. He had
apparently been informed as to the nature of our studies, so he-
Mr. T.w-ENNER. Let me interrupt you there. Do you mean joined
your piofessional cell ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. The same cell that we have been talking about?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, my particular cell. And so this new member
was brought in. He was a new member to our own little cell, not a new
member of the party. Pie was called in to conduct a summary of the
entire book, State and Revolution. This member, it turned out, was
Comrade Dirk Struik of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and of the Sam Adams School.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell both the first and last names, please?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe it is D-i-r-k, Dirk, S-t-r-u-i-k, Dirk J.
Struik, I believe.
]\Ir. Tavenner. Do you know whether he is presently employed in
the teaching profession ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. He is still with the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. He is a teacher of mathematics. He was one of the
sponsors of the Sam Adams School in Boston, and one of the sponsors
of the Thomas Jefferson School in New York City.
]Mr. Tavenner. Did he also teach or lecture in the Sam Adams
School ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, he did, and as a Communist Party member I
attended his classes, or the classes he gave, at the Sam Adams School.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you describe a little more definitely this meet-
ing which you state he attended of your group and summarized the
book, State and Revolution ?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, the nature of the course had been that we
had studied the nature of the state, the capitalist state, and the need
for violent revolution to overthrow that state.
Comrade Struik brought in a world-wide summary of the status of
capitalism in various parts of the world. He particularly dwelt on
the state of capitalism and imperialism in the Pacific, and at that time
instructed us that there we saw imperialism at its worst, such as in the
Dutch East Indies, and that we must back the Indonesian revolt and
the revolt of all colonial peoples throughout the Pacific area against
the inroads of capitalism, and the absolute necessity of overthrowing
capitalist control in those sections. It was a long discourse, running
about 2 hours in length.
Mr. Tavenner. How frequently did Dr. Struik attend the meet-
ings of your group ?
Mr. Philbrick. He attended meetings every other week, as that
was the custom of our group, to meet every other week. He attended
our meetings from that period right up through, I believe, the latter
part of May or first part of June.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Then you have been in many, many Communist
Party meetings with him?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Were those meetings closed meetings, that is, secret
dommunist Party meetings ?
1298 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr, Philbrick. They were very secret Communist Party meetings^
and it was impossible, absolutely impossible, for any person or any
individual to ever get into these meetings unless he was not only a
bona fide party member, but one who was very well trusted and who
had been passed upon by someone in the higher ranlvs as a party
member of sufficient trustworthiness to be permitted to belong to the
pro cell.
Mr. Tavenner. Is there any further information you can give the
committee regarding the Communist Party membership or activity
ofDr. Struik^
Mr. Philbrick. There were many instances over the years. I don't
know which are the most important. So far as the Communist Party
was concerned, and so far as the educational commission was con-
cerned, of which I was a member. Professor Struik was very influ-
ential in teaching Marxism at the Sam Adams School. This was a
required course for Communist Party members.
As a member of the educational commission, I was given instruc-
tions to prepare leaflets promoting the classes of Professor Struik
at the Sam Adams School, and all Communist Party members were
urged to attend that particular course. I attended it myself.
I might say that perhaps to pin it down a little further, in one year
we had two such courses for party members to attend. One of these
was to be given by Professor Struik, and the other was to be given
by Clive Knowles. At the last moment, Clive Knowles could not
teach the course, and someone else would have to teach his course.
I had already prepared the leaflets advertising both courses. I
was called to Communist Party headquarters and told that all com-
rades who had registered for the class of Clive Knowles were to shift
their registration to Professor Struik's class. The reason given was
because the new teacher taking the place of Clive Knowles was not a
Communist Party member, and it was felt that members of the Com-
munist Party should not be learning Marxism from a nonparty
member.
As a result. Professor Struik's course became so large he had to
teach them in two sections, one at 6 o'clock and one at 7.
Mr. Tavenner. Was Clive Knowles known to you to be a member
of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. In the early part of your testimony you were asked
a question about the American-Soviet Friendship in Massachusetts.
I hand you a letterhead of the Massachusetts Council of American-
Soviet Friendship, on which there is a letter dated February 5, 1946,
signed by Dirk J. Struik, executive director. Is he the Dr. Struik
to whom you have been referring ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is the same man.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you look at the names of the officers and spon-
sors appearing on the letterhead, and state whether or not any of the
persons shown to be connected with that organization were known to
you to be members of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Philbrick. This is quite a list.
Mr. Tavenner. Just take your time.
Mr. Philbrick. Edwin B. Goodell, Jr., I came to know as a Com-
munist Party member myself, but I never found him inside a Com-
munist Party meeting. However, he always cooperated very fully
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1299
and very completely with us in various Communist Party activities
from the early days of 1940 and 1911. For example, in June 1941,
■when the Connnunist Party switched from peace to open-the-second-
front, Mr. Goodell, who had worked with us on peace activities prior
to that date, went along with us to open-the-second- front.
Professor Struik is listed as executive director.
I am wondering if Eugene Blum, who is listed, is the same as
Manny Blum. I don't know.
Rev. Stephen H. Fritchnian, I have already testified to. He is
listed as a member of the board of directors.
William Harrison I knew to be a Communist Party member.
Mr. Tavenner. He is also listed as a member of the board of di-
rectors ?
Mr. Phtlbrick. He is also listed as a member of the board of di-
rectors, and I knew him to be a Communist Party member.
Sol Vail I knew to be a Communist Party member.
Mr. Tavexner, He is listed as a member of the board of directors?
Mr. Philbrick. He is listed as a member of the board of directors.
In the list of sponsors, Leslie Arnold heads the list. 1 knew that
individual to be a member of the Communist Party.
Richard Linsley I find in the list of sponsors. He was affiliated
with us in Communist Part}^ activities.
'Sir. Taa-enner. Was he a member of the Communist Party, to your
knowledge ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall.
Mr. Tavenner. Was he affiliated with the Sam Adams School?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, and with many other activities. I am trying
to remember if he attended one of our Communist Party meetings,
and I don't recall now.
I believe that is all of these people I can positively identify as mem-
bers of the Communist Party.
Mr. Ta\^nner. Were you acquainted with Elba Chase Nelson?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, I was.
Mr. Tavenner. What did you know about her?
Mr. Philbrick. I knew her to be the head of the Communist Party
branch located in New Hampshire, and I met her several times in
Boston and worked witli her on several matters having to do with
Conununist Party work.
She was chairman of one of the sessions in 1945 to reestablish the
Communist Party.
Mr. Tavenner. ]Mr. Philbrick, can you give the committee any
further infornuition that might be pertinent to the infiltration of
communism into the defense areas, particularly into basic industries,
particularly into the fields of finance and communications?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't believe we included that this John Hancock
organizing campaign was successful for the party, and that they
were able to set up the UOPWA union at the John Hancock Insurance
Co. at that time.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know what the over-all results in the UE
were ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall any specific information except I
believe I said before the comrades, generally speaking, according to
89067—51 4
1300 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Don BoUen, were quite happy with the results they were able to
achieve in the UE.
Mr. Tavenner. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Frazier. Mr. Jackson, any questions ?
Mr. Jackson. Is Rev. Stephen Fritchman, to your knowledge, an
ordained minister of the gospel ?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe he is.
Mr. Jackson, In what faith, do you know ?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe in the Unitarian organization. I know
that the comrades really were quite successful in infiltrating the
Unitarian movement in Massachusetts, and I guess on an international
scale too, from information I gained from Margo Clark.
Mr. Jackson. You stated you were more or less in charge of the
preparation and distribution of party pamphlets, literature, and
things of that sort. What was the principal outlet in Boston for the
Communist Party publications?
Mr. Philbrick. First of all, we had the Progressive Bookshop on
Beech Street. That was the Communist Party center for all Marxist
material and Marxist training material.
As literature director I would always go to Frank Collier or one
of the other persons in charge of the Progressive Bookshop and obtain
copies of the Daily Worker, copies of Political Affairs, and copies
cf the international publication, For a Lasting Peace, which we used
quite heavily in our educational work.
All that material I obtained at the Progressive Bookshop and in
turn sold to Communist Party members.
The material we prepared in the educational division was dis-
tributed by various means. Some we distributed just to Communist
Party members. The document Crises in Capitalism, consisting of
20 or 30 pages, was distributed to Communist Party members only.
However, the largest amount of material I prepared was for public
consumption, and this was distributed at shop gates. In the John
Hancock campaign it was distributed around the building to the em-
ployees as they would come and go from their place of employment.
Mr. Jackson. Was there a student cell on the Harvard campus?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, there was.
Mr. Jackson. One or more ?
Mr. Philbrick. Before they were broken up into small groups,
there was just one student cell, but in early 1948, in common with all
other cells, they were broken into smaller units, and there became
several cells instead of one.
Mr. Jackson. How about MIT ?
Mr. Philbrick. They had a student group at MIT.
Mr. Jackson. AndRadcliffe?
Mr. Philbrick. A very small one at Radcliffe, off and on. Boston
University had a student cell off and on. Some years they would be
successful and some years very unsuccessful.
Mr. Jackson, How was literature channeled into the cells?
Mr, Philbrick, Through literature directors who would bring it
back to the cells,
Mr. Jackson. You mentioned several organizations. The Youth
League for Unity was one, I think?
Mr, Philbrick, Yes.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 301
ISfr. Jackson. Sweethearts of Servicemen, and other groups. Was
there a coordinutino; body or coordinatinjT council for projects which
were undertaken in common?
Mr. Philbrick. Whenever we had a common project, that was
usually worked out at the AYD headquarters, but these groups in
themselves were supposed to be coordinating groups. The Youth
for Victory group was a coordinating group. Many legitimate groups,
YMCA, Young Men's Hebrew Association, settlement houses, and so
forth, were brought into Youth for Victory.
Mr. Ja( KSON. What can you tell the committee about the work of
the Civil Rights Congress in Boston?
Mr. Philbrick. I became a member of the Civil Rights Congress.
I was ordered to join that body by the party, I believe in 1948. The
comrade assigned to head up this particular work at that time was
Comrade Hank Cooperstock, C-o-o-p-e-r-s-t-o-c-k. He was sent from
New York City to take over the AYD after Don Bollen and myself
had dropped out and gone into other work. From there he went into
various other work, and at the time this group w^as set up in Boston,
he was assigned to that.
Mr. Jackson. To what extent was the Communist Party instru-
mental in the activities or in directing the policy of the Civil Rights
Congress ?
Mr. Philbrick. Completely. It is my recollection that the very
first meeting I attended, I was able to give to the Government infor-
mation that almost everybody in charge there were members of the
Communist Party.
One of the persons who attended that very first meeting — I don't
recall if he was a speaker, but he attended in some capacity — was
Harry Winner. He was mentioned in another part of my testimony.
Mr. Jackson. Was the Coo^ierstock you mentioned an attorney ?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall.
^Ir. Jackson. I think you stated that two members of your pro
group were assigned to tlie Anti-P'ascist Refugee Committee. Wlio
were those two ?
Mr. Philbrick. Comrade Jackie for a time played a leading part
in that organization ; and Comrade Norma was assigned to the group
at one period of time. Those two.
Mr. Jackson. You mentioned that Fletcher and his wife had gone
to Europe. Do you know in what capacity ?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe Harold Fletcher went to Paris to study
there — at a university in Paris.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know if he was a veteran or not ?
JNIr. Philbrick. My recollection is vague. It seems to me he might
have been, but I can't recall right now.
Mr. Jackson. I have no further questions. I want to thank you for
your testimony.
Mr. P^razier. Mr. Doyle.
Mr. Jackson. Just one more question : Is the Progressive Book-
shop still in operation?
Mr. Philbrick. No. Tliat was closed within the last few weeks.
Mr. Jackson. That is all.
Mr. Doyle. Mr. Philbrick, I was not privileged to hear your testi-
mony this morning. I was in an executive session of the Armed Serv-
ices Committee, of w^hich I am also a member, so I could not be here.
1302 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
If I ask you a question you liave already answered in the record,
tell me frankly it is already in the record, and don't take the time
of the committee to answer it again.
I am particularly interested in the youth angle. I noticed you said
repeatedly, "I was instructed by the party ; I was instructed by the
party ; I was told."
Who told you? When you say, "I was instructed by the party,"
who above you told you what to do?
Mr. Philbrick. That would depend on the area of activity. For
a time it was Alice Gordon who was head of the YCL. She was the
to}) boss in the Young Communist League.
Mr. Doyle. Do you know where she would get her instructions ?
Mr. Philbrick. From State headquarters. Many times I would
meet with her at State headquartei*s and would get my instructions
there.
Then at other times it would be Fanny Hartman who would give
me instructions. Manny Blum, who replaced Fanny Hartman at a
later date, was one of those from whom I received instructions. These
were all Communist Party functionaries.
Mr. Doyle. You stated the objective was to get the party back to
the revolutionary principles of Marxism-Leninism. Was that ob-
jective taught to young people in the youth groups? Do you under-
stand my question ?
Mr, Philbrick. Not exactly.
Mr. Doyle. You said the objective was to get the party back to the
revolutionary principles of Marxism-Leninism. Did you try to in-
struct the young people that revolution by force was necessary to get
rid of the capitalist state?
Mr. Philbrick. That is right ; young people from 1948 on, remnants
of AYD, remnants of YCL.
Mr. Doyle. What form of force were they to use ?
Mr. Philbrick. Pliysical force.
Mr. Doyle. What do you mean by that ?
Mr. Philbrick. Whatever force they had at hand. At one of the •
meetings of the progroup at a later date I recall it was Martha
Fletcher who was in charge of instructions for a period of time, and
she advocated and urged, at one of the meetings, the necessity for
the gathering of arms. She said, "We must arm the workers for this
fight against capitalism, and we must do it soon,"
Mr, Doyle. When was that ?
Mr. Philbrick. 1948. But as early as 1945 we were teaching young •
peo])le that force and violence were absolutely necessary to overthrow
the Government.
Mr. Doyle. Were these young people children of parents who were
already Communists?
Mr. Philbrick. Some of them, yes ; but others, no.
Mr. Doyle. Did these young people generally come from homes
where the parents were American-born, or were they foreign-born?
Mr. Philbrick. That is hard to say. They were both. We had
some young people who boasted parents who had practically come over
on the Mayflower. Otis Archer Hood, for instance, boasted that his
family was from a long New England lineage of Americans,
]\Ir. Doyle. Are you telling me, from your 9 years' experience as a
member of the Connnunist Party, that young people of teen age and ,
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 303
■■older in our country were being taught by the Communist Party,
-through you and others, that it would be necessary to gather arms—
that means military arms?
Mr. PiiiLBRiCK. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. And use them in a revolution ?
Mr. Philbrick. That is true.
^[r. Doyle. And did any number of these American young people
fall for that?
Mr. Philbrick. Not very many; not very many. For instance,
I mentioned this morning the Cambridge Committee for Equal Oppor-
tunities, a large group of Negro youth. As I worked among them,
went into their homes — this was, of course, in the early days of the
war and before there was a large defense eilort— I went through their
homes and met many of these Negro young people, many without jobs,
many with very poor living conditions, houses without toilets, houses
witli flush bowls in the basement, very bad; parents who were ill and
had been unable to get proper medical care ; as I went through that
area I thought, "By George ! I can't blame many of those people if
they do join the Communist Party."
And, of course, that was the object of the Communist Party, to stir
these people against the capitalist state of government ; to tell them
the reason they were so badly off was capitalism, Jim-crowism, and
so forth.
We worked in that Committee for Equal Opportunities for a whole
year, and very diligently, and to my knowledge only one member was
gained from that activity. Others, such as Alice Solomont, a Negro
girl secretary, quite the Cambridge Youth Council when she found
it was Communist ; a very fine girl.
Mr. Doyle. Then would you say that the propaganda of the neces-
sity to use force of arms, during your 9 years of experience, was prov-
ing successful or unsuccessful among the young people of America ?
Mr. Philbrick. Let's put it this way : The party would not teach
that to new members of the Communist Party.
]\Ir. Doyle. But they would still be the American young people.
"Within the group of American youngsters who were in the party,
am I to understand that they became convinced that they should use
force of arms ?
]\Ir. Philbrick. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. You understand my question ; do you ?
Mr. Philbrick, Yes. In the IBoston School for Marxist Studies,
for example, in a course I attended at Otis Hood's home on Fayston
Street, we had young people in that course. The course started' with
the evils of capitalism and so forth, but this particular course oc-
curred just about the time when an Italian Communist leader stated
that in a fracas with Russia Italian Communists would fight on the
side of Russia and not on the side of Italy.
The question came up in one of our sessions, and a member in the
class asked the question directly of Otis Hood, "If we have a war be-
tween the United States and Soviet Russia, whose side are we fiffhtine:
on?" " *=
Mr. Hood was quite put out that the comrade should not under-
stand quite simply and quite naturally that, since we were fighting
against American imperialism, naturally we would fight on the side
of the people's movement, which meant the Soviet Union.
1304 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Doyle. I will ask you just one or two more questions, and,
again, if you have answered any of these already, do not answer
them again. The propaganda you have just related about the use of
force of arms if need be, is that a Nation-wide program of the Com-
munist Party in America ?
Mr. Philbrick. Since 1945 this has been a very strenuous part of
their program ; yes, sir.
Mr. Doyle. And among the young people also ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Doyle. Does that come from a foreign country, or does it
originate among the American Communists, if you know ?
Mr. Philbrick. In our area these were largely American Commu-
nists who were teaching this.
Mr. Doyle. Where did they get their instructions ?
Mr. Philbrick. We took instructions directly from Jack Stachel
of the Communist Party in New York.
Mr. Doyle. I heard you say that, but I know Margo Clark well.
I deducted she was a member of an international espionage ring. Do
you know of any Americans who went to foreign countries and came
back and tried to propagandize the American youth that forceful
revolution was justifiable?
Mr. Philbrick. I don't recall, Mr. Frazier
Mr. Doyle. I am Mr. Doyle. You owe Mr. Frazier an apology.
Mr. Philbrick. Mr. Doyle. Arthur Timpson, the husband of Anne
Burlack, may have been one who had been to Russia and wlio had
studied there, and who had come back and was teaching courses in
that.
Mr. Doyle. I think this will be my last question, due to the lateness
of the hour. Do you feel, as a result of your 9 years of experience in
the Communist Party, there is real cause for alarm in our country
because of the extent of Communist teachings in our country that
forceful revolution is justifiable?
Mr. Philbrick. I think you would have to answer that question
in two ways.
First, I am sure we do not need to be alarmed that a great number
of American citizens will fall for the line. I would say the Com-
munist Party in this country has been very, very unsuccessful in con-
verting members of labor unions and youth to the Communist Party.
I know they have been reprimanded severely many times because of
that. So far as the average American citizen, I think he takes care of
himself very, very well, and that includes labor unions. I think they
have been doing a wonderful job. I am convinced the American
citizen can be depended upon to beat that kind of thing.
But, I think also we have to realize that it is a menace, in that small
numbers of disciplined, fanatic Communist Party members — which
they have to be, especially today, to stay in the party — these small
numbers can be doggone dangerous, particularly because of the sur-
veys they have made of our defense plants, and so forth. They have
been taught they can work in small groups, three to five, in sabotage,
and I believe we have a problem on our hands if we should get into war
with the Soviet Union. I know we have been successful in the past in
preventing sabotage. I am not sure whether we can now.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS ] 305<
Mr. Doyle. Didn't you say there was a meeting at which it was
said it nii<T;ht be necessary to irather arms?
Mr. PiiiLBKicK. That is right.
]SIr. Doyle. Was that a part of the revokitionary intent against
our Government?
Mr. PiiiLr.KK K. Yes.
]Mr. Doyle, I ask you this question because of your long experience-
as a member of the Connnunist Party.
The public law under which you are favoring this committee with
your testimony, Public Law 601, charges this committee with the
duty of studying the subject with reference to any necessary remedial
legislation. If you have given some of that to the committee already^
don't take the time to do it now ; but, if you haven't, I would like you
to take a minute and state to the committee any remedial legislation
you think would be helpful and constructive.
Mr. PiiiLBRicK. I don't believe I have any suggestion, sir, without
some thought on the matter. I would hesitate to give any cuff opinion^
The Communist Party claims you can't legislate it out of existence.
I think this is partly right. No matter how many laAvs we have against
murder, some murders are going to take place. And no matter how
many laws we have against stealing, some thefts are going to take
place, and so forth. And that is true of the Communist Party. No
matter how many laws we have against the Communist Party, some
people still, in spite of everything, are going to be in it. And some
will be in it almost because of the laws against it. They have what you
might call a will to die. The psychologists tell us there is a will to live,
with which we are familiar, and that there is also a will to die. I had
the feeling many times, as I sat in their meetings, that they were
plunging headlong to destruction and that they were looking forward
to this great world cataclysm. It was a very odd feeling to hear them
teaching it and almost wishing that it would take place.
Mr. Doyle. Let me call your attention to the Subversive Activities
Control Act of 1950 — Public Law 831, Eighty-first Congress, second
session. In section 2 of that law this declaration was made :
As a result of evidence adduced before various committees of the Senate and:
House of Representatives, the Congress hereby finds that —
(1) There exists a world Communist movement which, in its origins, its-
development, and its present practice, is a world-wide revolutionary move-
ment whose purpose it is, by treachery, deceit, infiltration into other groups
(governmental and otherwise), espionage, sabotage, terrorism, and any other
means deemed necessary, to establish a Communist totalitarian dictatorship
in the countries throughout the world through the medium of a world-wide
Communist organization.
From your 9 years of experience as a member of the Communist
Party, do you feel you liave enough legal evidence — the reason I ask
"legal evidence" is that I noticed you used that term yourself — do you
feel you have enough legal evidence to believe that declaration by the
Congress is well founded ?
Mr. Philbrick. It is, sir, completely.
Mr. Doyle. That is all. Thank you.
Mr. Fr(\zier. Any further questions, Mr. Tavenner ?
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Frazier. Is there any reason why the witness should not be
excused ?
1306 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Frazier. I wish to thank you, on behalf of the committee, for
the very valuable testimony you have given us.
(Witness excused.) •
Mr. Frazier. The committee stands adjourned until 11 o'clock to-
morrow morning.
(Thereupon, at 5: 15 p. m. on Monday, July 23, 1951, an adjourn-
ment was taken until Tuesday, July 24, 1951, at 11 a. m.)
EXPOSE OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE OF
MASSACHUSETTS
(BASED ON THE TESTIMONY OF HEKBERT A. PHILBEICK)
TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1951
United States House of Representatives,
subcoimmittee of the
CoMMirrEE ON Un-American Activities,
Washington^ D. G.
public hearing
A subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met
pursuant to call at 11 a, m. in room 226, Old House Office Buildingy
Hon. John S. Wood (chairman) presiding.
Committee members present: Repiesentatives John S. Wood
(chairman), Clyde Doyle, and Donald L. Jackson.
Staff members present : Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel ; Thomas
W. Beale, Sr., assistant counsel; Raphael I. Nixon, director of re-
search ; and A. S. Poore, editor.
Mr. Wood. The committee will be in order.
Let the record show that for the purposes of the hearing this morn-
ing I, as chairman, have set up the following subcommittee, composed
of Messrs. Dojde, Jackson, and Wood. They are all present.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Harry Winner, please.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Winner, will you hold up your right hand, please,
and be sworn. You do solemnly swear the evidence you give this sub-
committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God ?
Mr. Winner. I do.
Mr. Wood. Have a seat.
TESTIMONY OF HARRY EUGENE WINNER, ACCOMPANIED BY
HIS COUNSEL, H. CLIFFORD ALLDER
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state your full name, please?
Mr. Winner. Harry Eugene Winner.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Winner, are you represented by counsel?
Mr. Winner. I am represented by counsel.
Mr. Tavenner. Will counsel please identify himself for the record?
Mr. Allder. H. Clifford Allder.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you give your office address, please?
Mr. Allder, Columbia Building, 416 Fifth Street NW., Washing-
ton, D. C.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Winner, when and where were you born?
Mr, Winner. Brockton, Mass., October 22, 1901.
1307
1308 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Where do you presently reside ?
Mr. Winner. 82 Hancock Street, Maiden, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state to the committee briefly your educa-
tional background?
Mr. Winner. Very briefly, because I am merely a product of the
Brockton public-school system.
Mr. Wood. Will you elevate your voice, please, sir? We can't hear
you up here.
Mr. Winner. I am very sorry.
Mr. Tavenner. Where are you now employed ?
Mr. Winner. I am employed at the Converse Rubber Co., at Mai-
den, Mass. I have charge of two departments : the cafeteria and the
retail store.
Can you hear me now ?
Mr. Wood. Yes ; thank you.
Mr. Tavenner, How long have you been employed by that com-
pany ?
Mr. Winner. Since 1933.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you been employed constantly by that com-
pany since 1933 ?
Mr. Winner. That is correct.
Mr. Tavenner. Prior to 1933, how were you employed?
Mr. Winner. In Hackensack, N. J., where I lived for a brief period,
by the Citizens' Finance Corp., a defunct banking, automobile-financ-
ing corporation. It so happened that the person who owned and was
in charge of that became one of the principal owners of the Converse
Rubber Co.
Mr. Tavenner. What other types of work have you done for your
employer besides the two types of employment you have just men-
tioned ?
Mr. Winner. Actually, when I first went there, I worked in the
receiving room, where one tugs 250-pound bales of rubber. Then I
was in the shipping room ; then I operated the retail store for several
years; and now the retail store and the cafeteria. However, I do not
work in either one of them.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you at any time held a position in which you
employed people, or interviewed prospective employees in the plant?
Mr. Winner. No, sir. In the interest of expedition, what is in the
paper — that I am personnel manager — is incorrect.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you in charge of the employment of individ-
uals at any time while an employee of that plant?
Mr. Winner. The small number who would work in those two
•establishments I mentioned : the retail store and the cafeteria.
Mr. Tavenner. What is the total number of employees in the store
and restaurant?
Mr. Winner. In the store there were two, and in the cafeteria at
various times there were five or four.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Winner, the committee is making a study and
an investigation of Communist Party activities in the general defense
area of Boston, and I would like to call upon you to furnish the com-
mittee such information as you may have regarding Communist
Party activities and membership in that area which may be known
to you.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 309
During the course of his testimony here yesterday, Mr. Philbrick
i-eferred to the fact that yon had been connected or affiliated at one
time with the Sam Adams School in Boston. If that be correct, will
3'ou please tell us the nature of your affiliation with that school?
Mr. Winner. I regret that 1 must respectfully refuse to answer
the question. ]\Iy refusal is based upon the fact that my answer might
tend to incriminate me, and my refusal is by reason of the rights
granted me under the fifth amendment to the Constitution.
Mr. Ta\tenner. Do I understand that you are taking the position
that an answer to the question as to your affiliation with the Sam
Adams School might subject you to criminal prosecution if you
answer the question truthfully?
Mr. Winner. 1 reaffirm what I said before.
Mr. Wood. I am not sure, Mr. Counsel, that your initial question
which the witness declined to answer for the reasons he has stated,
was in fact a question or a statement. Will you ask him the question
in another form ?
Mr. Tavenner. Were you affiliated in any manner with the Sara
Adams School or its operation ?
Mr. Winner. I regret, again, that I must respectfully decline to
answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me,
and I stand on my rights under the fifth amendment, as before stated.
Mr. Tavenner. From information furnished the committee yester-
day, among the teachers at the Sam Adams School from time to time
were William Harrison, Dr. Dirk J. Struik, Stephen Fritchman, and
Barbara Bennett. Were you acquainted with any of these four
individuals ?
Mr. Winner. I must again — must I repeat the formula each time ?
Mr. Wood. It will be sufficient, sir, of course I can't anticipate Avhat
your answer will be, but if you are going to decline to answer there
will be no necessity for you to repeat your reason for refusing if you
state it is for the same reason previously given.
Mr. Winner. Precisely. That is my answer to the question just
masked me.
Mr. Ta\^nner. Are you acquainted with Mr. Herbert A. Philbrick?
Mr. Winner. I must refuse to answer that on the same basis, that
my answer might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Winner, I will read you a question propounded
to Mr. Philbrick yesterday in the course of the hearing and his an-
swer. The question : ^
You were identifying the names of those who were members of your own
group. * * * Di(j any other members come into this group after you first
became affiliated with it?
That question related to the professional group of the Communist
Party and was referred to as the MO section, meaning mass organ-
ization section. Mr. Philbrick's reply was this :
Well, there were three or four changes made during my membership in the
group. At the time that Peg and her husband moved out, sve had a couple
of new members come in. These turned out to be Comrade Harry and Comrade
Eileen. I knew these two people. At least, I knew Comrade Harry to be Harry
Winner, W-i-n-n-e-r. Comrade Winner had been very active in the Sam Adams
School. He had also taught classes for us in the AYD. He was very active in a
great many Communist-front organizations, so I came to know him quite well,
although up to that time I had never had any legal proof, or direct proof, that
he was a member of the Communist Party.
1 See pp. 1295 and 1296.
1310 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Do you desire to deny or affirm or explain that vStatement?
Mr. Allder, I object to the form of that question, Mr. Chairman.
There are so many things involved in that question.
Mr. Wood. I grant you the question is composed of several in-
gredients, but he is asked if he desires to deny, affirm, or explain any
of it.
Mr. Allder. I don't see how any person could remember all that
was read.
Mr. Tavenner. I will read it again and ask the witness to state if
there is any part of it that is untrue, to his knowledge. This is Mr.
Philbrick's reply :
Well, there were three or four changes made during my membership in the^
group. At the time that Peg and her husband moved out, we had a couple of
new members come in. These turned out to be Comrade HaiTy and Comrade
Eileen. I knew these two people. At least, I knew Comrade Harry to be Harry
Winner, W-i-n-n-e-r. Comrade Winner had been vefy active in the Sam Adams
School. He had also taught classes for us in the AYD. He was very active in
a great many Communist-front organizations, so I came to know him quite
well, although up to that time I had never had any legal proof, or direct proof,,
that he was a member of the Communist Party.
Mr. Winner. May I correct one inaccuracy in there, at least ?
Mr. Tavenner. Any inaccuracies, I would like for you to correct.
Mr. Winner. May I consult my counsel ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
(The witness conferred with his counsel.)
Mr. Wood. The question you are asked now is: In the statement
that has just been read to you, having been a statement by Mr. Phil-
brick, is there any statement in there that is untrue ?
Mr. Winner. I fear I must refuse to answer that on the basis
previously given.
Mr. Wood. You say you fear you must do it. Do you do it?
Mr. Winner. I do it.
Mr. Tavenner. What is the inaccuracy to which you referred wheik
you first started to answer the question ?
Mr. Winner. I think I shall continue to not answer that.
Mr. Tavenner. What is your wife's name?
Mr. Winner. Irene.
Mr. Tavenner. Irene. I notice in reading the statement that her
name appears as Eileen, E-i-1-e-e-n. Is that the inaccuracy to which
you referred?
Mr. Winner. That is an inaccuracy.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a member of the professional group of
the Communist Party?
Mr. Winner. I must decline to answer that also.
Mr. Tavenner. What is your reason for declining to answer?
Mr. Winner. On the grounds it might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you teach at the AYD or classes for the AYD ?
Mr. Winner. May I consult with counsel for a moment ?
Mr, Tavenner. Yes.
Mr. Wood. You may confer with counsel at any time you desire. I
would suggest that counsel, for the benefit of the record, explain
what the letters AYD stand for.
Mr. Tavenner. American Youth for Democracy.
Mr. Wood. Now you may confer with counsel.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1311
Mr. Winner (cafter consultation with his counsel). I decline to
finswer that also on tlie same grounds, on the grounds that it might
tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Martha Haven Fletcher,
also known as Mrs. Harold A. Fletcher, Jr. ?
jNlr. Winner. I shall decline to answer that on the grounds it
might tend to incriminate me.
;^lr. Tavenner. Were you a member of any organizations known
to you to be Communist-front organizations, as stated by Mr. Phil-
brick in his testimony? When I say member, I mean affiliated in
any way with a Communist-front organization.
Mr. Winner. I shall decline to answer that also.
Mr. Wood. On the same grounds ?
Mr. Winner. On the same grounds, and also because of the elas-
ticity- with which that term is used today.
Mr. Tavenner. The records of this committee reflect that the Sec-
ond National Negro Congress was held October 15, 16, and 17, 1937,
at tlie Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia, Pa. A program
of this congress includes a list of individuals under the caption, ''Bos-
ton sends greetings to the Second National Negro Congress." I hand
you the program and refer you to the page carrying the heading,
"Boston sends greetings to the Second National Negro Congress," and
ask if you see listed there your own name and that of your wife ?
JSlr. Winner. Yes, sir ; of course, I see it.
Mr. Tavenner. That organization was declared by the Attorney
General of the United States to be a Communist-front organization,
was it not?
]Mr. Winner. A long, long time later.
Mr. TAM2NXER. In 1948.
Mr. Winner. Yes. I had been a long time disaffiliated.
Mr. Tavenner. You are the individual mentioned in the greetings
that were sent to that organization, are you not ?
Mr. Winner. Yes; I am this person.
Mr. Tavenner. You state you became disaffiliated with the organi-
zation ?
Mr. Winner. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. When ?
Mr. Winner. As a matter of fact, very shortly thereafter. I can't
■even tell you when. I don't remember any serious activity in con-
nection with them.
Mr. Tavenner. You mean shortly after sending the greetings?
Mr. Winner. Sometime thereafter; perhaps a year or 2 years. I
<jan't tell you. I have practically no recollection of it, actually.
Mr. Taatnner. I also see listed, along with your name, the name of
Mr. William E. Harrison. Is he the Mr. William E. Harrison who
was connected with the Sam Adams School ?
Mr. Winner. I must decline to answer that question on the grounds
that it might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. AVooD. Mr. Winner, you say you must decline to answer. There
is no compulsion on you to refuse to answer.
Mr. Winner. I am sorry. It is just an unfortunate use of lan-
g'uage. I decline to answer on the grounds previously stated.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted wtih Mr. William E. Har-
Tison in 1937 when you signed this greeting?
1312 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that also, on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state to the committee, please, the cir-
cumstances under which you joined in extending this greeting to the
Second National Negro Congress?
Mr. Winner. I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I remember
when the organization was founded. I thought at the time that it
was a good thing, and I probably expressed that feeling. I have no
recollection of this, not the slightest ; but it is my name.
Mr. Tavenner. The committee records also disclose that in the New
York Daily Worker for Wednesday, February 15, 1950, at page 3,
there is an article captioned, "Boston notables protest CIO expulsion
plan." This article states that 26 educators, clergymen, and so forth,
sent an open letter to CIO President Murray protesting the plan to
expel CIO unions described as progressive. Among the names of
those signing this open letter is the name of Harry Winner.
I hand you the February 15, 1950, edition of the Daily Worker, and
ask you if your name appears there as a signer of that open letter?
Mr. Winner. Yes ; it appears there.
Mr. Tavenner. And did you sign the letter ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you explain the circumstances under which
your name was used in connection with that open letter ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that also, on the same grounds,
Mr. Tavenner. It is noted that the article refers to the expulsion
of certain CIO unions described as progressive. As a matter of fact
you know, do you not, that the expulsion of the unions by the CIO
was because of their Communist Party infiltration and control?
Mr. Winner. I know it was so alleged. I don't know if it was so
or not.
Mr, Tavenner. Did you protest the expulsion of the so-called pro-
gressive unions from the CIO ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that, also, on the same grounds.
Mr. Ta\^nner. It is noted from the same article that another signer
of this letter, along with you, was Prof. Dirk Struik. Was he also
opposed, to your knowledge, to the expulsion of the so-called pro-
gressive unions from the CIO?
Mr. Winner. You say his name appears there as one of those op-
posed. That is all I would know about it.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you talk to him about it?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. How was your assistance obtained in connection
with this protest?
Mr. Winner (after consultation with his counsel). Is there a date
on that letter?
Mr. Nixon. February 15, 1950.
Mr. Allder. The date on the letter. That is the date of the pub-
lication.
Mr. Tavenner. There is no date. The date line of the article is
February 14, appearing in the issue of February 15, 1950,
Mr. Winner. And your question, again?
Mr. Tavenner. Will you read the question, please.
(The question referred to was read, as follows : "How was your as-
sistance obtained in connection with this protest?")
Mr. Winner. I refuse to answer on the same grounds.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1313^
Mr. Tavenner. "Were you acquainted with Professor Struik in
February 1950?
Mr. AVixNER. I refuse to answer on the grounds it might tend to in-
criminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with him in 1947?
Mr. AA'inxer. I refuse'to answer on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with a person by the name of
Jackie, a woman, who was employed in the oflice of Little, Brown,
Inc.?
Mr. WiNXER. I decline to answer to the same grounds.
]\lr. Tamsnxer. Are you acquainted with ah individual by the
name of Henry, who contributed articles to the New Republic, if
you know of such contributions?
Mr. Wixxer. Can you give me the approximate date of that?
Mr. TA^■ENXER. 1947 and 1948.
Mr. WixNER. And he wrote for the New Republic?
Mr. Tavexx'er. Yes.
Mr. AVixNER. The New Republic is no less respectable this morning
tliat it was yesterday. Henry. Is there any more to the name?
ISIr. Ta\'exxer. According to the testimony of Mr. Philbrick there
was an individual in his particular professional cell or group of the
Communist Party by the name of Henry who wrote articles for the
New Republic.
Mr. Wixxer. I know nothing about him. I don't believe I know
anybody who ever wrote for the New Republic. If I did, I have for-
gotten. Certainly no one named Henry.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with Sara Gordon ?
Mr. Wixxer. I decline to answer that on the grounds previously
stated.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did you attend any of the meetings of the Civil
Rights Congress ?
Mr. Wixxer. I decline to answer that for the same reason.
Mr. Tavexxer. Were you a member of the Civil Rights Congress?
Mr. WiNXER. You are asking am I ?
Mr. Tavexxer. Were you at any time ?
Mr. Wixxer. I decline to answer that.
Mr, Tavexxer. Are you now ?
Mr. Wixxer. No.
Mr. Tavexxer. "When did you cease to be a member ?
Mr. Allder. I object to that.
Mr. Beale. Wait a minute. Let the witness respond.
Mr. Wood. The two answers he has given certainly indicate to
me there was a time when he was a member. He said he was not now
a member, and declined to answer whether he ever was or not. The
quebtion now is, if he ever was, when did he cease to be a member.
Mr. Wixxer. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Wood. You decline to answer that ?
Mr. WiXNER. Yes, sir, on the grounds it might tend to incrim-
inate me.
Mr. Tavexxer. Were you a member of the Civil Rights Congress
in 1947?
^Ir. Wixxer. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavexxer. AVere you a member on January 1, 1950 ?
Mr. AVixx'ER. I decline to answer.
1314 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a member yesterday ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer,
Mr. Tavenner. But you are not a member today ?
Mr. Winner. I am not a member today.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you affiliated with the International Workers'
Order in Boston, Mass. ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer on the same grounds.
Mr. Ta^tenner. Are you affiliated in any way with it today ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you affiliated with it in any way yesterday ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you affiliated in any way with it in 1950?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. In 1947?
Mr. Winner. No. I can't tell you the exact date, but it is several
years. I will have to decline to hazard giving the exact date, because
I might get into difficulties, but it is several years.
Mr. Tavenner. For how long a period of time were you affiliated
with it?
Mr. Winner. I am not certain. It is several years, however; a
few years.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you instrumental in organizing the Inter-
national Workers' Order in Massachusetts ?
Mr. Winner. No. I will ask you to clarify that, please.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you play any part in the organization of the
International Workers' Order in Massachusetts ?
Mr. Winner. You are asking me if I was one of the founders of it?
Mr. Tavenner. No.
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you one of the founders ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. In the State of Massachusetts ?
Mr. Winner. No; I was not. It is mucli older. I don't know
when it was founded, but I was certainly not one of the founders.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with the time when it was
organized in the State of Massachusetts ?
Mr. Winner. No. I know nothing about it. Specifically, I know
nothing. about the time it was organized in the State of Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you perform organizational services for it in
the State of Massachusetts ?
JMr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you solicit members for it ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer tliat on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you attend any Conmiunist Party meetings in
the State of Massachusetts in the years 1948 and 1949 ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you now or have you ever been a member of
the Communist Party ?
Mr. Winner. That is two questions.
Mr. Tavenner. All right. I will separate them. Are you now a
member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you at any time been a member of the Com-
munist Party?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1315
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same <]jrounds.
Mr. Tavenner. When did you sever your relationship with the
Communist Party ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a member of the Communist Party on
January 1, 1950 i
Mr. Winner (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to
answer on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a member of the Communist Party on
January 1, 1951?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. TA^^:NNER. Have you severed your connection with the Com-
munist Party since January 1, 1951 ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. Tavenner. I have no further questions.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Witness, you have answered you are not a member
of the Communist Party as of today. This is July 24, 1951. Were
you a member of the Communist Party yesterday ?
Mr. Winner (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to
answer that on the same grounds.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Doyle, any questions?
]Mr. Doyle. May I ask you a few questions, please.
Mr. Winner. Certainly.
Mr. Doyle. How large a plant is the Converse Rubber Co. with
reference to the number of employees it has ?
Mr. Winner. 1,100 employees.
Mr. Doyle. Does it liave any defense contracts with the United
States Government?
Mr. Winner. I am not associated with the management of that,
so that I actually do not know. We did during the war.
Mr. Doyle. Do you know what the general thought is in the plant,
is it generally understood among the employees they do Government
work ?
Mr. Winner. We did a great deal during the war, at least 50 per-
cent during the war, and I am sure there was bidding.
Mr. Doyle. You are sure there was bidding in the last year or two ?
Mr. Winner. I am sure of that.
Mr. Doyle. Wliat was the Sam Adams School ? I don't know. You
said you didn't teach there, but what was the school ?
Mr. Wood. He didn't say he didn't teach there.
Mr. Doyle. I live in California and I don't know what the Sam
Adams School was.
Mr. Winner. You live in California?
Mr. Doyle. Yes. I was born there. You were born in
Massachusetts.
Mr. Winner. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. What was the Sam Adams School ? Does it exist now ?
Mr. Winner. It does not exist.
May I speak to my learned counsel ?
Mr. Doyle. Yes, indeed.
Mr. Winner (after consultation with his counsel). It was a pri-
vate school known as the Samuel Adams School for Social Studies,
89067—51 9
1316 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
and it was put on the Attorney General's list, and shortly thereafter
the people who ran it closed it.
Mr. DoTLE. How long did it operate? You say it was a private
school ?
Mr. Winner. I mean it was not a public school.
Mr. DoTLE. How long did it operate ?
Mr. Winner. My guess it maybe 3 years. I am not certain of that.
Mr. Doyle. Was there a large attendance, and was it for children,,
adults, or what?
Mr. Winner. Adults.
Mr. Doyle. Evening classes?
Mr. Winner. Yes.
Mr. Doyle. Any day classes ?
Mr. Winner. Very few, if any. I think evening classes almost
exclusively.
Mr. Doyle. How large a faculty or teaching staff did it have?
Mr. Winner. I would have to guess at that.
Mr. Doyle. Guess, if you can, and help me get that information.
Mr. Winner. Anything for California. About 15, 17, 18.
Mr. Doyle. Then it was a social study group ?
(Representative Donald L. Jackson, a member of the committee,,
left the hearing room.)
Mr. Winner. Yes, if we are using the word "social" in the same
sense.
Mr. Doyle. I am using it in the sense it was a group of adult folk
studying economic problems and social problems.
Mr. Winner. There were art classes, dancing classes, handicraft,":
they were the largely attended classes.
Mr. Doyle. Dancing classes are always well attended.
Mr. Winner. Yes, even in New England.
Mr. Doyle. Anything that amuses the public is generally well
attended.
Mr. Winner. I think as a nation we like to be amused.
Mr. Doyle. Was the teaching staff paid, or were they volunteer
teachers ?
Mr. Winner. They were paid.
Mr, Doyle. Were they full-time instructors? Were they paid on
the basis of full-time instruction, or part-time ?
(Representative Donald L. Jackson, a member of the committee,,
returned to the hearing room.)
Mr. Winner. I don't know exactly what you mean.
Mr. Doyle. Were the instructors a group of men and women busily
occupied in the day hours at some other work, or who might have been
teachers at some other school in the day hours, and then taught 2
or 3 hours at night at the Sam Adams School ^
Mr. Winner. Yes. I tliink if that was not the case the amount
they were paid, as I remember it, would not have permitted survival,,
even in those days.
Mr. Doyle. I understood you to indicate that when the school was
declared subversive, or was named by the Attorney General of the
United States as subversive, it was closed shortly thereafter. Was
that tlie reason given for the closing of the school I I thought you
volunteered that statement.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1317
Mr. AYiNNER. Yes, I did. I would decline to be put on record that
that is a certainty. That is my belief. That is what we are dis-
cussing— our nnitual beliefs.
Mr. Doyle. That is right. If you have the knowledge, I would
like to have it. If you don't, I don't want you to guess at it. Were
you one of the instructors at that school ?
Mr. Winner. I have declined already to answer that question.
Mr. Wood. Do you here adhere to that answer?
Mr. Winner. I here adhere to that answer, and for the same reason,
Mr. DoTLE. Were there any students of college age at the Sam
Adams School?
Mr. Winner. It is my understanding they ranged from young
adults to old adults.
]\Ir, Doyle. Indicating yourself and me?
INlr. Winner. Indicating, sir, only myself. California is noted for
its products, including perennial youth.
Mr. Doyle. Including oranges.
Mr. Winner. Including oranges which are the best in the world.
Mr. Doyle. I agree with you.
Did the students pay tuition ?
IMr. Winner. Moderate.
Mr. Doy'Le, Did they buy their books, or were they furnished text-
books ?
Mr. Winner. I never heard of a private school that furnished
textbooks.
Mr. Doyle. When our counsel asked if you were a member of any
Communist-front organization as testified to by Mr. Philbrick — I
think he said he was a resident of your geographical area in Massachu-
setts— you said you declined to answer on the ground of elasticity
of the question.
Mr. W'lxxER. Xo. I declined to answer on the ground I have
previously stated. I added it was an elastic term.
Mr. Doyle. If I take out the elastic, would you decline to answer it?
Mr. Winner. You are doing a snappy job. I think my reason for
refusing to answer would hold even if you took the rubber out.
Mr. Doyle, I won't waste your time, then.
Mr. Winner. Thank you.
Mr. Doyle. I did note, however, that you felt you should add that
in addition to your constitutional privilege, which we all recognize.
Mr. Winner. You are a very observing young man.
Mr. Doyle. Is there a labor union at the Converse Kubber Co?
Mr. Winner. There is a labor union at the Converse Rubber Co.
It is an A. F. of L. union.
Mr. Doyle. Has there been throughout j^our employment there?
Mr. Winner. No. It was organized about 1939 or 1940. There has
never been a strike since then. We have excellent relations.
Mr. Doyle. Are you now or were you ever a member of the union ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Doyle. I just want to call your attention. Mr. Winner, to some
of the text of the law under which this committee operates, as passed
by the United States Congress. At the conclusion of reading a para-
graph or two. I will ask you whether you feel this committee should
1318 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES EST STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
follow its assignment under the law and undertake to locate any
persons or groups who are subversive in their intent. (Reading :)
The Committee on Un-American Activities, as a whole or by subcommittee,
is authorized to make from time to time investigations of (1) the extent, charac-
ter, and objects of un-American propaganda activities in the United States, (2>
the diffusion within the United States of subversive and un-American propa-
ganda that is instigated from foreign countries or of a domestic origin and
attacks the principle of the form of government as guaranteed by our Consti-
tution. * * *
Do you feel that is a worthy objective for Congress to assign a group
of its Members to do ?
Mr. Winner. I didn't follow you as well as I might, because you
are guilty of what I was guilty of and the chairman called my atten-
tion to it, but I gathered the general purport of it. I think it is the
duty —
Mr. Doyle. You refer to not speaking up loudly enough ?
Mr. Winner. You are a man of remarkable apprehension. That is
what I meant. I should have made it clearer.
I am not a lawyer. I can't make an interpretation of that. It
seems to me it is the duty of the Congress of the United States to
safeguard the United States in every way.
Mr. Doyle. Have you any suggestions or advice to give the com-
mittee of ways we can help uncover subversive activities in this
country ?
Mr. Winner. Wouldn't that be somewhat presumptuous of me?
Mr. Doyle. I don't think so. I feel you have information that
would be very valuable to this committee. To be very frank with
you, I am very sure you know some things that would be helpful to
protect your Nation and mine against subversive influences. I am
not asking you to waive your constitutional rights, but as man to
man I am talking frankly to you, and as man to man I have a hunch
that you could help us if you would.
One reason I have the hunch is that you have stated you disassoci-
ated yourself from a certain organization, and you have stated you
are not now a member of the Communist Party. The form of the
questions and answers indicates to me, as a fellow American, that
there was a time you were a member of the Communist Party. I am
not condemning you at this time. We find some American citizens
who were Communists and backed away from it when they discovered
the hellish designs of the Communist Party. They backed away and
came forward and helped us, and did not stand behind their constitu-
tional privilege.
Again, I am not urging you to waive your constitutional privilege.
I am asking you help us as Members of your Congress, to protect our
Nation against subversive influences. I give you that invitation very
energetically. I sort of feel that in your testimony there has been a
reservation. I have felt that you sort of wished you could come
forward and tell us a thing or two, and then you backed away from
it. Am I wrong? You said I was a very observing young man.
Mr. Winner. Correct.
Mr. Doyle. I observed that in your testimony, and I want to leave
that thought with you. I think I observed something about you,
that right now you have a regret. So have I. I don't mean to lec-
ture you in public.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1319
Mr. Winner. It may be the only time we ever meet will be in
public, so — thank you.
Mr. Wood. Any further questions?
Mr. Winner. I didn't understand that to be a question.
Mr. Doyle. No further questions.
Mr. Winner. Thank you, Mr. Doyle.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Jackson, another member from California.
Mr. Jackson. When did you go to Boston? I think you have stated
that previously.
Mr. Winner. ^Yhen did I go to Boston ?
Mr. Jackson. Yes, or to Maiden.
Mr. Winner. In 1933. That was in connection with my employ-
ment.
Mr. Jackson. I believe yon stated you left that defunct loaning
agency and went to the Boston company with another individual.
Did you both go to the Converse Rubber Co. ?
Mr. Winner. Let me explain that. ^Y\mt I said— or never mind
what I said, the facts are these : The owner and manager of the People's
Finance — you will have to forgive me if I do not recall the exact name
— the finance company in Hackensack, N. J., this family became tha
owners of the Converse Rubber Co. somewhat later.
Mr. Jackson. Are they still in ownership ?
]\Ir. Winner. Yes.
Mr. Jackson. I believe you refused to state whether or not you
know Dr. Dirk Struik?
Mr. Winner. Yes. I declined to answer that question.
Mr. Jackson. But in answer to a question by counsel, "Did you
talk to Dr. Struik in connection with the letter protesting the expul-
sion of CIO unions," you said "No," which indicates you probably
did know him.
Mr. Winner. I don't think that is a logical inference.
Mr. Jackson. It is the inference I draw. I ask again, did you know
him?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Jackson. Do you have any knowledge of the Boston School
for Marxist Studies ?
Mr. Winner. None whatever.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know anything about the Boston Labor
School for Marxist Studies ?
Mr. Winner. Is there such an outfit now ?
Mr. Jackson. There was such an outfit during the period of time
you have been in the vicinity of Boston.
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know Mr. Otis Hood ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know Rev. Stephen Fritchman?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Jackson. Do you know Herbert A. Philbrick ?
Mr. Winner. I decline to answer that on the ground it might tend
to incriminate me.
Mr. Jackson. What was the nature of the work done by the Con-
verse Rubber Co. during the last war? I believe you said 50 percent
of your production was devoted to war contracts. What did the com-
pany make?
1320 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Winner. We make rubber footwear.
Mr. Jackson. Tires?
Mr. Winner. No. We make no tires and no rubber novelties;
exclusively rubber footwear.
Mr. Jackson. Do you consider that the Communist Party seeks the
overthrow of this Government by force and violence ?
Mr. Winner. Do 1 consider that they do ?
Mr. Jackson. Yes.
Mr. Winner. Actually, I do not consider that they do.
Mr. Jackson. Would you report an act of sabotage in the plant that
you observed taking place?
Mr. Winner. I most certainly would.
Mr. Jackson. Whether that act of sabotage was being performed
by a member or functionary of the Communist Party or not?
Mr. Winner. I would report an act of sabotage — I would prevent
an act of sabotage, no matter by whom performed or threatened to
be performed.
Mr. Jackson. Would you bear arms for this country in the event
of a conflict with the Soviet Union ?
Mr. Winner. I would bear arms for this country if attacked by
anyone.
Mr. Jackson. Assuming it was not physically attacked so far as
the continental limits of the United States are concerned, would you
bear arms for this country ?
Mr. Winner. Would you mind expanding that?
Mr. Jackson. Assuming Boston or Jersey City or San Francisco
were not physically attacked, but for the security of this country it was
considered necessary to fight away from its shores.
Mr, Winner. I would fight to defend this country.
Mr. Jackson. Have you served in the Armed Forces ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Jackson. Were you registered for the last war ?
Mr. Winner. I was registered.
Mr. Jackson. What w^as your classification?
Mr. Winner. I don't know. I may have it. [After searching for
paper] I don't find it. I was over age, whatever that classification
was.
Mr. Jackson. What was the date of your birth ?
Mr. Winner. 1901.
Mr. Jackson. Do you decline to state whether or not you have ever
been a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Winner. I have so declined to answer that question.
Mr. Jackson. Have you ever been a member of any organization
that seeks the overthrow of the Government by force and violence?
Mr. Winner. I have never been a member of any organization that
sought to overthrow the Government by force and violence.
Mr. Jackson. Do you consider that the Communist Party seeks to
overthrow the Government by force and violence ?
Mr. Winner. No.
Mr. Jackson. Then it is entirely possible, in your mind, to be a
member of the Communist Party and still not belong to an organiza-
tion which seeks to overthrow the Government by force and violence ?
Mr. Winner. I think so.
COMiMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1321
ISIr. Jackson. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. Any further questions, Mr. Counsel ?
]\[r. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. Is there any reason why the witness should not be ex-
cused from further attendance ?
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. It is so ordered.
Mr. Winner. Thank jou. .
( Witness excused. )
]\Ir. Wood. In view of the fact I personally, along with counsel,
have an appointment at 1 o'clock, we will take a recess here until 2 : 30
this afternoon.
(Thereupon, at 12 : 10 p. m., a recess was taken until 2 : 30 p. m. of
the same day.)
afternoon session
(Tlie subcommittee reconvened at 2: 30 p. m., Representatives John
S. Wood, Clyde Doyle, and Donald L. Jackson being present, and Hon.
John S.Wood (chairman) presiding.)
Mr. Wood. The committee will be in order.
Let the record disclose that for the purposes of the hearing this
afternoon I, as chairman, have set up a subcommittee composed of
Messrs. Doyle, Jackson, and Wood, and they are all present.
Who is the witness ?
Mr. Tavenner. Dr. Dirk Struik.
Mr. Wood. Will you come around, please, Doctor. Will you raise
your right hand and be sworn, please.
You do solemnly swear —
Dr. Struik. I do solemnly swear —
Mr. Wood. That the evidence you give this subcommittee —
Dr. Struik. That the evidence I give this subcommittee —
Mr. Wood. Shall be the truth —
Dr. Struik. Shall be the truth —
Mr. Wood. The whole truth —
Dr. Struik. The whole truth —
Mr. Wood. And nothing but the truth —
Dr. Struik. And nothing but the truth —
Mr. Wood. So help you God.
Dr. Struik. So help me God.
Mr. Wood. Have a seat.
TESTIMONY OF DR. DIRK JUNG STRUIK, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS
COUNSEL, OLIVER S. ALLEN
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state your full name for the record, please,
Doctor ?
Dr. Struik. My full name is Dirk Jung Struik.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you represented by counsel?
Dr. Struik. I am represented by counsel.
Mr. Tavenner. AVill counsel please identify himself for the record?
Mr. Allen. My name is Oliver S. Allen of the bar of the Com-
monwealth of Massachusetts, with offices in the city of Boston.
Mr. Tavenner. What is your address in Boston?
Mr. Allen. 100 Milk Street, Boston, Mass.
1322 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Wlien and wliere were you born, Dr. Struik?
Dr. Struik. I was born on the 13th of September 1894, in Rotter-
dam, in the Netherlands.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you an American citizen ?
Dr. Struik. I am an American citizen.
Mr. Tavenner. When were you naturalized ?
Dr. Struik. I was naturalized in 1934.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. When did you come to the United States ?
Dr. Struik. I came to the United States in December 1926.
Mr. Tavenner. Where were you naturalized ?
Dr. Srtuik. In Boston.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state briefly what your educational train-
ing has been?
Dr. Struik. Gladly. I was educated in the public schools of the
Netherlands in Rotterdam, elementary and the equivalent of high
school ; then I got my Ph. D. at the University of Leyden in 1922. I
subsequently had an international fellowship and traveled and studied
mainly in Germany and in Rome, Italy.
That ended my formal education.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. And what was the approximate date of the ending
of your formal education ?
Dr. Struik. Well, I came back to Holland in 1926, 1 believe, before
I came to the United States.
Mr. Tavenner. When you came to the United States, did you take
up your residence in Boston ?
Dr. Struik. Strictly speaking, in Cambridge.
Mr. Tavenner. And have you lived there since that time ?
Dr. Struik. First in Cambridge, then I went to Holland and several
other countries for a year, and came back to Massachusetts, and since
that time, 1935, 1 have resided in Belmont, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. You reside where?
Dr. Struik. Belmont, B-e-1-m-o-n-t.
Mr. Tavenner. What countries did you visit when you returned to
Holland from the United States ?
Dr. Struik. Mexico ; the Netherlands ; very shortly, Germany and
Poland, and the U. S. S. R.
Mr. Tavenner. How long were you in the U. S. S. R. ?
Dr. Struik. Three weeks.
Mr. Tavenner. What part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub-
lics did you visit?
Dr. Struik. Moscow.
Mr. Tavenner, What was your purpose in going to Moscow ?
Dr. Struik. To be in attendance on a mathematics congress ; to be
exact, a seminar for the study of vectors and tensor analysis.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you invited to attend this particular con-
ference ?
Dr. Struik. I was.
Mr. Tavenner. By whom?
Dr. Struik. By Professor Kagan of the University of Moscow. _
Mr. Tavenner. Had you been employed in the United States prior
to your taking this trip ?
Dr. Struik. Wliich trip do you mean ?
Mr. Tavenner. The trip to Moscow ?
Dr. Struik. Yes. I was out from 1934 to 1935, but I came to the
United States in 1926.
COMJVIUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 323
Mr. Tavexner. How were yon employed from 1026 to 1934 ?
Dr. Struik. I was employed at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Mr. Taa-enner. In what capacity ?
Dr. Struik. First as a lecturer, then as assistant professor. I think
that was up to 193-4 I was assistant professor.
Mr. Tavexner. In what field ?
Dr. Struik. Mathematics.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you teach any other subjects besides mathe-
matics?
Dr. Struik. I am not quite sure if it was before 1934 or after
1934, but I believe it was before 1934 that I also gave a course in the
history of science.
Mr.'^TAA'ENNER. After you returned in 1935 from your trip abroad,
where were you employed ?
Dr. Struik. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. Tavenxer. You have been employed there constantly from
that time until the present ?
Dr. Struik. Constantly, that is correct.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. And you are employed there now ?
Dr. Struik. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. Dr. Struik, the committee, in investigating Com-
munist Party activities in New England, with special reference to
Massachusetts, is desirous of knowing what action the Commvmist
Party took with reference to the colonization of key industries by the
Communist Party. Do you have any knowledge on that subject ?
Dr. Struik. Sir, at this stage I have to decline respectfully to
answer that question on the ground that an answer to that question
might tend to incriminate me, and my refusal is based on the rights
guaranteed to me under the fifth amendment to the Constitution of
the United States of America.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. The committee also, in the course of its investiga-
tion into the subject of Communist colonization of key industries, de-
sires to know what part the Communist Party played in the education
of youth in the Massachusetts area, and the committee had informa-
tion that you would have some knowledge on that subject.
Dr. Struik. But I must respectfully decline to answer that ques-
tion, again upon the same gi'ounds; namely, that an answer to that
question might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with Mr. Herbert A. Phil-
brick?
Dr. Struik. I must again decline to answer that question upon the
same grounds.
Mr. Wood. Doctor, permit me to point out to you, sir, that in this
committee you are not under any compulsion to decline to answer
anything. The question is not what you must do; it is a question of
whether you do it or not.
Dr. Sti^ik. I stand corrected.
Mr. Wood. Do you decline to answer ?
Dr. Struik. I do decline to answer.
Mr. Wood. For the reasons stated ?
Dr. Struik. Yes.
Mr. Allen. And may it be understood that it is upon that ground
that he declines to answer further questions?
1324 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Wood. Unless he indicates differently, his declination to answer
further questions, if he does so decline, may be assumed to be on the
grounds stated.
Dr. Struik. Thank you.
Mr. Tavenner. Dr. Struik, Mr. Herbert A. Philbrick appeared ab
a witness before this committee yesterday, and in the course of his
testimony he told the committee that he had occupied a position on
the educational commission of the Communist Party of the State
of Massachusetts for a considerable period of time during the middle
forties.
He also testified that beginning around 1947 he was transferred to
what was termed the professional group of the Communist Party, and
that that group had been divided into 14 units or cells, and he had
been assigned to one of those known as the MO group, meaning — or
do you know what it means, the MO group ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question. That is sufficient,
is it?
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., a member of the committee,
entered the hearing room.)
Mr. Tavenner. Yes; quite sufficient. Mr. Philbrick testified that
the initials MO indicated, or stood for, the words mass organization.
Dr. Struik. Is that a question, sir ?
Mr. Tavenner. No; I am just telling you what he testified to, as
the basis for a question I am going to ask you.
After having so testified, I asked Mr. Philbrick this question. First,
I should say that Mr. Philbrick testified as to the membership of the
particular cell to which he was assigned in the professional group,
and after having given the names of those who were originally in
that cell with him, I asked him this question : ^
Were there any other individuals with whom you became acquainted, members
of the Communist Party to your knowledge, who tooli any part in the leader-
sMp in the educational field?
Mr. Philbrick's reply was :
In the latter part of 1947 and beginning of 1948 in our pro group —
meaning professional group —
we had been studying one of these revolutionary books. I believe at that time
it was State and Revolution. By the time we had finished the course we had
a new member join our group. He had apparently been informed as to the
nature of our studies, so he —
At that moment I interrupted him and asked him this question :
Let me inteiTupt you there. Do you mean joined your professional cell?
Mr. Philbrick replied :
Yes.
Mr. Tavennek. The same cell that we have been talking about?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, my particular cell. And so this new member was brought
in. He was a new member to our own little cell, not a new member of the party.
He was called in to conduct a summary of the entire book, State and Revolution.
This member, it turned out, was Comrade Dirk Struik, of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and of the Sam Adams School.
Is there any statement contained in JVIr. Philbrick's testimony which
I have read to you that is untrue ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
See pp. 1296 and 1297.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1325
Mr. Tavenner. Did you join a cell of the professional group of the
Communist Party in the latter part of 1947 or the beginning of 1948?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenxer. Did you conduct a clasg or lecture before a cell of
the professional group of the Communist Party on the book, State and
Revolution ?
Dr. SnJUiK. I decline to answer that question.
]Slr. Tavenxer. Did you lecture to such a group on any book or
ally subject?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Ta\'enner. Are you acquainted with the book. State and Revo-
lution ?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to an-
swer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Then the testimony continued as follows :
Mr. Tavenner. Will you si>ell both the tirst and last names, please?
Mr. Philbrick. I believe it is D-i-r-k, Dirk, S-t-r-u-i-k, Dirk J. Struik, I believe.
Your name is Dirk J. Struik, is it not ?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). Yes.
Mr, Tavenner. Thank you, sir. [Continuing reading :]
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know whether he is presently employed in the teaching
profession ?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. He is still with the Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology.
You are still with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are you
not?
Dr. Struik. I am.
Mr. Tavenner (continuing reading from answer by Mr. Phil-
brick) :
He is a teacher of mathematics.
You are a teacher of mathematics ?
Dr. Struik. I am a teacher of mathematics.
Mr. Ta\t:xner (continuing reading from answer by Mr. Phil-
brick) :
He was one of the sponsors of the Sam Adams School in Boston —
You were one of the sponsors of the Sam Adams School in Boston?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
^Ir. Tavex'Ner (continuing reading from answer by Mr. Phil-
brick) :
and one of the sponsors of the Thomas Jefferson School in New York City.
You were one of the sponsors of the Thomas Jefferson School in Xew
York City?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Taatenner (continuing, reading) :
Mr. Tavenner. Did he also teach or lecture in the Sam Adams School?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes. he did. and as a Communist Party member I attended
his classes, or the classes he gave, at the Sam Adams School.
Mr. Allen. Is that a question?
Mr. Tavtex'ner. I am about to ask the question.
Did you teach at the Sam Adams School ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
1326 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Did Mr. Philbrick attend classes given by you at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?
Mr. Allen. Will you repeat that question ?
Mr. Tavenner. Read the question.
(The question referred to was read by the reporter, as follows : "Did
Mr. Philbrick attend classes given by you at the Massachusetts Insti-
tute of Technology?")
Dr. Struik. I can only saj^ this, that I do not know. I have no
recollection of a student called Philbrick in my mathematics classes,
but so many students pass through the institute each year that I really
cannot truthfully say that there w^as a student called Philbrick in one
of my mathematics classes.
Mr. Tavenner. Did a student named Philbrick attend classes con-
ducted by you at the Sam Adams School?
Dr. Struik. I have to decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Wood. Do you so decline?
Dr. Struik. I do decline, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. What was the size of the classes at the Sam Adams
School as compared to your classes at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Did a Mr. Philbrick attend lectures or classes of
yours at any place?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner (continuing with the testimony on the previous day
of Mr. Philbrick) : ^
Mr. Tavenner. Will you describe a little more definitely this meeting which
you state he attended of your group and summarized the book State and Revo-
lution?
Mr. Philbrick. Well, the nature of the course had been that we had studied
the nature of the state, the capitalist state, and the need for violent revolation
to overthrow that state. Comrade Struik brought in a world-wide summary of
the status of capitalism in various parts of the world. He particularly dwelt on
the state of capitalism and imperialism in the Pacific, and at that time instructed
us that there we saw imperialism at its worst, such as in the Dutch East Indies,
and that we must back the Indonesian revolt and the revolt of all colonial
peoples throughout the Pacific area against the inroads of capitalism, and the
absolute necessity of overthrowing capitalist control in those sections. It was a
long discourse, running about 2 hours in length.
Does that refresh your recollection as to the summary or lecture
which Mr. Philbrick stated you delivered to his group ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. You were at that time rather vocal on the subject
of government in the Dutch East Indies, were you not, in 1947 and
1948?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of August 20, 1947,
at page 9, Dr. Dirk Struik, professor at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, was designated as the chairman of the American Com-
mittee for Indonesian Independence.
You were chairman of such an organization, were you not?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you the August 20, 1947, issue of the Daily
Worker, and ask you to examine the article appearing in the left-
hand top corner of page 9 and state whether or not your name ap-
1 See p. 1297.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 327
pears therein, and wliether or not yoii were designated as chairman
of the American Committee for Indonesian Independence?
Dr. Struik. The name of Dr. Dirk Struik, professor at the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, appears in this article.
Mv. Tavenner. Does it appear as chairman of the American Com-
mittee for Indonesian Independence?
Dr. Struik. I read on : "And chairman of the American Committee
for Indonesian Independence." Shall I read on?
Mr. Tavenner. That is enough, unless you desire to read further.
Are you the individual referred to in that article?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
My. Tavenner. Is there any other individual by the name of Struik
at tlie Massachusetts Institute of Technology?
Dr. Struik. To the best of my knowledge, no.
Mr. Tavenner (continuing with the testimony of Mr. Philbrick of
the previous day) : ^
Mr. Tavenner. How frequently did Dr. Struik attend the meetings of your
group?
At this point the question refers to the cell of the professional group
of the Communist Party of which Mr. Philbrick was a member, and
it was referred to by him as a highly secret group. [Continuing read-
ing:]
IVIr. Philbrick. He attended meetings every other vpeek, as that was the cus-
tom of our group, to meet every other week. He attended our meetings from
that period right up through, I believe, the latter part of May or first part of
June.
Mr. Tavenner. Then you have been in many, many Communist Party meet-
ings with him?
Mr. Philbrick. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Were those meetings closed meetings, that is, secret Commu-
liist Party meetings?
Mr. Philbrick. They were very secret Communist Party meetings, and It
vas impossible, absolutely impossible, for any person or any individual to ever
get into these meetings unless he was not only a bona fide party member, but
one who was very well trusted and who had been passed upon by someone in the
higher ranks as a party member of sufficient trustworthiness to be permitted to
belong to the pro cell.
After reading that portion of the testimony of Mr. Philbrick to you,
will 3'ou state to the committee whether or not you attended such a
closed meeting as that described by Mr. Philbrick?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner (continuing with the testimony of the preceding
day of Mr. Philbrick) :
Mr. Taa-enner. Is there any further information you can give the committee
regarding the Communist Party membership or activity of Dr. Struik?
Mr. Philbrick. There were many instances over the years. I don't know
which are the most important. So far as the Communist Party was concerned,
and so far as the educational commission was concerned, of which I was a
member, Professor Struik was very influential in teaching Marxism at the Sam
Adams School. This was a required course for Communist Party members.
As a member of the educational commission, I was given instructions to pre
pare leaflets promoting the classes of Professor Struik at the Sam Adams School,
and all Communi.«;t Party members were urged to attend that particular course.
I attended it myself.
I might say that perhaps to pin it down a little further, in 1 year we had two
such course for party members to attend. One of these was to be given by
Professor Struik, and the other was to be given by Clive Knowles.
»See pp. 1297 and 1298.
1328 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Are you acquainted with Clive Knowles?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer tliat question.
Mr. Tavenner (continuing reading from answer by Mr. Phil-
brick) :
At tbe last moment, Clive Knowles could not teach the course, and someone else
would have to teach his course.
I had already prepared the leaflets advertising both courses. I was called to
Communist Party headquarters and told that all comrades who had registered
for the class of Clive Knowles were to shift their registration to Professor
Struik's class. The reason given was because the new teacher taking the place
of Clive Knowles was not a Communist Party member, and it was felt that
members of the Communist Party should not be learning Marxism from a non-
party member.
As a result. Professor Struik's course became so large he had to teach them
in two sections, one at 6 o'clock and one at 7.
Does that refresh your recollection regarding your experience at the
Sam Adams School ? -
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you teach a class in Marxism at the Sam Adams
School?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did Mr. Philbrick prepare the literature and the
material advertising your course in Marxism at the Sam Adams
School, to your knowledge?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Dr. Struik, were you at any time a member of the
Communist Party ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you a member today ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you at any time denied that you were a mem-
ber of the Communist Party ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall that during the course of the trial
of the 11 Communists' in the United States District Court in New
York in the spring of 1949, Mr. Philbrick, who was a witness for
the Government in that trial, mentioned you as a member of the Com-
munist Party ?
(The witness conferred with his counsel.)
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall that ?
Dr. Struik. I recall that, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you make a public statement after that with
regard to Mr. Philbrick's testimony relating to you ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I have before me a photostatic copy of the April
9, 1949, issue of the Boston Post, which contains an article headed,
"No action by M. I. T. on 'Red' — Professor not to be curbed or censured,
says Killian — Struik denies being Communist," accompanied by a
photograph appearing over your name.
Will you look at tliat, please, and state whether or not that is
your photograph ? Do you recognize your likeness ?
Dr. Struik. Tliat is a very difficult question, sir. However, I can
say this, that behind
Mr. Tavenner. Will you just answer the question. Is that your
photograph ?
COMMUNIST ACTIMTIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1329
Dr. Struik. It looks like it.
Mr. Tavexxer. You don't doubt it, do you ?
Dr. Stri'ik. No ; I don't doubt it.
Mr. Tavenner. Yon recall tlie incident perfectly well, and you
know perfectly well that is your pliotograpli ?
Mr. Allex. What incident?
Mr. Tavenner. The publication of this article.
Dr. Struik. I recall the publication of this article very well.
]\Ir. Tavenner. And in that article is it stated you denied member-
ship in tlie Communist Party?
Dr. Struik. Let's see.
]\Ir. Taa-enner. Do you recall that ?
]S[r. Allen. One question at a time.
Dr. Struik. May I read what it says, sir?
]\Ir. Tavexxer. If you will just answer my question.
Dr. Struik. And your question is what ?
Mr. Tavex'X'er. Read the question.
(The question referred to was read by the reporter, as follows:
"And in that article is it stated you denied membership in the Com-
munist Party?")
Dr. S'lRuiK. I must look at this article to see if I said that.
]\rr. Tavexxer. Very well. Look as much as you like. If you
will
Dr. Struik. I am not finished reading it.
]\[r. Allex'. Mr. Chairman, there is a question pendino;.
Mr. Jacksox. ]Mr. Chairman, I ask that the counsel be instructed
he is here to confer with and advise the witness.
]Mr. Allex. But questions should not be asked to confuse the
witness.
Mr. Wood. Do you withdraw the question ?
Mr. Ta\tenner. No, sir. I wanted to point out where the language
I am inquiring about appears in the article.
Dr. Struik. I read the following :
Professor Struik said he has iiovcr advised anyone to join the Communist
Party and when anyone aslved him .such a question he would give that person
the advice to find out for himself.
Professor Struik said he readily agrees that Marxism and communism have
many things in common. At one time he likened the two isms to the relation-
ship of Christianity to some Christian church.
Mr. Tamsxxer. Now Avill you read the caption of the article?
Dr. Struik (reading) :
No Action by M. I. T. on "Red."
]Mr. Tavexxer. And the rest of it?
Dr. Struik (reading) :
Proftssor Not To Be Curbed or Censured, Says Killlan — Struik Denies Being
Communist.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did vou denv beino; a Communist?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answeuthe question, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. Will you also look in the center of the page and
see in black type in the centei- of the column, "Says Philbrick Lies."
Dr. Struik. I see it, sure, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did Mr. Philbrick lie in referring to you as a
member of the Communist Party?
1330 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. If you were correctly quoted in the caption to this
article, "Struik Denies Being Communist," was that a truthful
statement ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Chairman, I offer in evidence pages 1 and 2
of the April 9, 1949, issue of the Boston Post, and ask that they be
marked "Struik Exhibit No. 1."
Mr. Wood. Let them be admitted.
(The photostats above referred to, marked "Struik Exhibit No. 1,"
are filed herewith.^)
Mr. Tavenner. Dr. Struik, you have refused to answer questions
which might throw some light on your knowledge of Communist
Part}^ activities in the Boston area relating to education of youth,
the organization of the Communist Party, the secret units or cells of
the party, and the colonization of key industries by the Communist
Party, but there is information in the hies of the committee which
shows, or tends to show, your affiliation with a number of Connnunist-
front organizations which, unexplained, would indicate that you had
such knowledge even beyond the testimony of Mr. Philbrick on yes-
terday.
Dr. Struik. Is that a question ?
Mr. Tavenner. No. I will ask you a question.
So I feel I should ask you about a number of such affiliations with
Communist-front organizations, but before doing so, possibly you
have an explanation to make of your affiliation with such groups.
Do you ?
Dr. Struik. That is a question ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes. Do you have an explanation that you would
like to make ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Then I shall be compelled to ask you a immber
of specific questions relating to such organizations.
Were you affiliated in any manner with the Conference on Pan
American Democracy?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to
answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did not this conference set up the Council for Pan
American Democracy ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Was it not the founding meeting for the formation
of the Council for Pan American Democracy ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you a letterhead of the Conference on Pan
American Democracy and ask whether or not your name appears as
one of the sponsors of that organization ?
Dr. Struik. I see the name "Professor D. J. Struik."
Mr. Tavenner. As a sponsor?
Dr. Struik. As a sponsor.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a sponsor of the organization ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir. Excuse me.
May I see this thing once more ?
' See appendix, pp. 1401-1405.
COMAIUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1331
Mr. Ta\'enner. Yes. I believe the date is November 16, 1938; is
it not ^
Dr. Struik. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you another letterhead, dated September 22,.
1939, on which your name appears as a member of the National Com-
mittee of the American Committee for Democracy and Intellectual
Freedom. Will you identify your name as a member of the national
connnittee?
Dr. Struik. I see the name "Professor D. J. Struik, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.'-
Mr. Ta\"enner. As a member of the national committee of the
organization ?
Dr. Struik. As a member of the national committee.
]Mr. TA^'EN]srER. Is that you ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tav-enxer. The New Masses of April 2, 1940, published a letter
to the President of the United States to the effect that a recent raid
on the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, an indictment re-
turned by a Federal grand jury in Detroit against persons accused
of recruiting Americans to fight in the Spanish civil war, and the
work of the Dies committee, was evidence of a tendency to pervert the
spirit of the Bill of Rights. The name of D. J. Struik, associate pro-
fessor of mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, appears
as one having signed the letter.
Will you examine it and state whether or not you signed such a
letter?
Dr. Struik. I see my name, Dirk J. Struik, professor of mathe-
matics, Massachuetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you sign the letter?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr, Tavenner. I now hand you a letterhead dated August 10, 1940^
which reflects your name, D, J. Struik, as a sponsor of the Committee
to Defend America by Keeping Out of War. I will ask you to verify
that and state whether or not you were a sponsor of that organization.
Dr. Struik. There are two questions, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you verify the fact that your name appears
there ?
Dr. Struik. I see "Dr. D. J. Struik, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.''
Mr. Tavenner. And were you a sponsor of that organization ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know that this organization, the Committee
to Defend America by Keeping Out of War, was a mere paper organi-
zation created for the purpose of raising funds to finance the setting
up of the Emergency Peace Mobilization held in Chicago, August 31
and September 1 and 2, 1940 ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tav-enner. I show you a copy of the Daily Worker for March
5, 1941. Across the front page appears the headline, "450 educators,
ministers, writers call on F. D. R. to defend constitutional rights of
Communists." On page 2 of the paper, the name of Prof. Dirk J.
Struik appears in the article as one of the signers. Will you verify
that to see if your name does so appear ?
89067—51 6
1332 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Struik. I see the name Prof. Dirk J. Striiik, Cambridge, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances un-
der which your name was used in connection with that letter?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir,
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a program of the third biennial confer-
ence of the International Labor Defense, held in New York City
April 4 to 6, 1941. On the back page appears the following statement
over the name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik :
My sympathy is with you iif your fight against all attempts to treat the Con-
stitution of the United States with contempt.
Do you see the quotation which I read you, over your signature?
Dr. Struik, I see the quotation, and I recognize my name, "Pro-
fessor Dirk J. Struik, MIT."
Mr. Tavenxer. Did you sign that message to the International
Labor Defense ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a photostatic copy of a pamphlet pub-
lished by the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties. It
contains a letter addressed to President Koosevelt, dated July 11,
1942, urging reconsideration of the order of the Attorney General
for the deportation of Harry Bridges. On page 30, the name of Prof,
Dirk J. Struik appears. Will you verify the appearance of your
name on that page ?
Dr. Struik. I see my name.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances un-
der which your name was used in connection with this letter, and how
your name was solicited?
Dr. Struik. I decline, sir, to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I suggest you look again, at page 15. I call your
attention there to this language :
It is equally essential tliat the Attorney General's ill-advised, arbitrary, and
unwarranted findings relative to the Communist Party l)e rescinded.
Wliat findings did the Attorney General make regarding the Com-
munist Party with which you disagreed?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
]\Ir. Tavenner. What were the findings of the Attorney General
that in your opinion were ill-advised, arbitrary and unwarranted?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. You are familiar with the findings of the Attorney
General in the Bridges case, are you not (
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. You know it to be a fact, do you not. that the find-
ings of the Attorney General in the Bridges case relative to the Com-
munist I^arty were practically identical to the findings in the case
of the 11 Communist leaders convicted in New York.
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a page from the New York Times of
April 1, 194G. It contains an advertisement of the National Federa-
tion for Constitutional Liberties, with a statement opposing the use
of injunctions in labor disputes. The name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik
appears as one of the signers. Do you identify your name there ^
Dr. Struik. I identify my name, sir.
COMMUNIST ACTIMTIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1333
Mr. Tavennek. "Will you tell the comniittee the c ire urn stances under
which you si<>ue(l tliis stateuiout. and wlio solicited your signature?
Dr. 8tkuik. 1 decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a photostatic copy of a letterhead of the
Committee for Citizenship Rights. The name of Prof. Dirk J.
Struik ai)pears as an endorser. AVill you identify youi- name, please?
Dr. Stkuik. I'rof. Dirk J. Struik, MassacJuisetts Institute of
Technology.
Mr. Tavenxer, Is it not correct that this Couunittee for Citizen-
ship Eights was a committee for the defense of William Schneiderman,
secretary of the Connnunist Party in California '.
Dr. Struik. I can only read what I see here, that it was a committee
organized to defend William Schneiderman.
Mr. Tavexxer. And you did endorse that committee, did you not?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Ta%-exner. Were you personally acquainted with William
Schneiderman?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir. >
Mr, Tavexxer. Did you contribute or participate in any way in
his defense, through contributions or otherwise ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
]Mr, Tavexxer. I show you a copy of New Masses of July 8, 1947.
Beginning on page 12 appears an article entitled "Man Over Myth.''
Without going into the details regarding the content of this article, it
apj^ears to be an explanation or analysis of the Communist manifesto.
Is that correct ?
Dr. Struik. Let me read it. I see I signed it. It says :
Marxism and the scientific tradition. How tlie founders of modern socialism
transformed the nationalist outlook into a science.
Then it begins :
The Communist manifesto was written at the end of 1847 — almost a century
ago ; it appeared in February of the next year, on the eve of the revolution of
1848.
Shall I read more, sir?
Mr. Tavexxer. You may read more if it is necessary for you to
answer my question.
JSIr. Allex. What is the question ?
Mr. Ta\txxer. Read the question.
(The question referred to was read by the reporter.)
Dr. Struik. Yes, I thiidv it is an analysis mainly of the philosoph-
ical implications of the Communist manifesto and its impact upon
science and philosophy.
Mr. Tavexxer. Did you write the article?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. TA^^ENXER. I desire to offer the article in evidence, and ask
that it be marked "Struik Exhibit No. 2."
Mr. Wood. Let it be admitted.
(The article above referred to, marked "Struik Exhibit No. 2," is
filed herewith.^)
Mr. Tavexxer. Have you ever lectured upon the same subject?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
^ See appendix, pp. 1406-1411.
1334 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a school schedule for the spring term of
1947 of the Jefferson School of Social Science in New York City-
Will you examine it, please ?
Dr. Struik. I see the name Dirk J. Struik on the board of trustees.
Mr. Tavenner. Is it correct that you were on the board of trustees ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you turn to page 73 and tell us what you find
there?
Dr. Struik (reading) :
Struik, Dirk J.— Instructor, "What is Science?" (150) ; "Mathematics for
the Citizen" (155).
Shall I read on, on my qualifications?
Mr. Tavenner. No, that is sufficient. We understand your qualifi-
cations. Those numbers represented the numbers of the courses in,
the school, did they ?
Dr. Struik. I see " 'What is Science?' (150) ."
Mr. Tavenner. What does 150 represent ?
Dr. Struik. I suppose it is a number.
Mr. Tavenner. Obviously it is a number, but what does it repre-^
sent ?
Dr. Struik. I suppose the course.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you conduct the course 150 ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. You are aware of the fact that the Attorney Gen-
eral has cited the Jefferson School of Social Science as a Communist
organization ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you another folder, advertising the summer
session of 1944 of this same school. It still reflects your name as a
member of the board of trustees, I believe?
Dr. Struik. I see my name. Dirk J. Struik, listed on the board o£
trustees.
Mr. Tavenner. How long were you on the board of trustees of thia
school ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. On October 16, 1944, a dinner was given at the
Hotel Commodore in honor of the first anniversary of the American:
Youth for Democracy. A program reflects the name of Prof. Dirk
J. Struik as a sponsor. Will you examine the program and state
whether or not it so appears ?
Dr. Struik. I see, "Salute to Young America Dinner, Hotel Com-
modore," and on the last page I see, under the heading "Sponsors,"'
"Prof. Dirk J. Struik."
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a sponsor of that dinner ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you a sponsor of that dinner?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you affiliated in any way with the American
Youth for Democracy ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you a program relating to a testimonial
dinner on October 12, 1947, at the Pennsylvania Hotel, a dinner given.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE. OF MASSACHUSETTS 1335
hy the American Slav Congress. According to this program your
name appears as one of the sponsors. Is that true 'i
Dr. Struik. I see my name in the list of sponsors, sir.
Mr. Tavennek. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under
which your name was used as a sponsor of that organization?
Dr. Struik. Of this testimonial dinner in honor of Senator Claude
Pepper ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavenner. You decline to answer ?
Dr. Struik. I see this is a testimonial dinner in honor of Senator
Claude Pepper, by
Mr. Tavenner. By the American Slav Congress ?
Dr. Struik. By the American Slav Congress,
Mr. Tavenner. Will you please tell us the circumstances under
which your name was used in that connection?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavenner. An undated letterhead reflects the name of Dirk
J. Struik as a sponsor of a National Conference for Protection of
JForeign Born, a meeting sponsored by the American Committee for
the Protection of the Foreign Born. Do you identify your name ?
Dr. Struik. I see my name. Prof. Dirk J. Struik.
Mr. TA^TNNER. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under
which you sponsored this organization and who solicited your sponsor-
ship?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. According to an article in the Daily Worker of
April 4, 1941, you were a sponsor of this organization for the coming
year. Is that correct ?
Dr. Struik. I can only tell you what I see. I see that "73 Notables
Sponsor Foreign-Born Group," and I see the name "Prof. Dirk J.
Struik, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.,"
on that list.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Are you a sponsor at the present time of the organi-
zation, and, if so, will you state the circumstances under which you
became a sponsor ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you a letterhead of the Massachusetts Council
of American-Soviet Friendship, Inc., and I will ask you to examine it
and state whether or not your name appears as executive director of
that organization ?
Dr. Struik. I see "Massachusetts Council of Amrrican-Soviet
Friendship, Inc." and "Executive director. Prof. Dirk J. Stuik."
Mr. Tavenner. On the letterhead there also appears a letter over
your signature.
Dr. Stouik. I see my name. Dirk J. Struik, one in handwriting and
another in typewriting.
Mr. Tavenner. The one that is in handwriting is your signature,
is it not?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I offer that letterhead in evidence and ask that it
be marked "Struik Exhibit No. 3."
Mr. Wood. Let it be admitted, and I would like to see it.
1336 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
(The letterhead above referred to, marked "Struik Exhibit No. 3,"
is filed herewitli.^)
Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of November 10,
1918, tlie National Council of American Soviet Friendship — of which
your name appeared on "Struik Exhibit No. 3" as the executive direc-
tor of the Massachusetts chapter — sent greetings to the Soviet Union
on the thirty-first anniversary of the Russian revolution. The name
of Prof. Dirk J. Struik appears as one of those who joined in sending
greetings.
Mr. Allex. ]Mr. Examiner, it doesn't appear from what you have
given the witness that this comes from a publication, the Daily
Worker. You assure me that is the fact ?
Mr. Tavenner. I can only say it is clipped from the Daily Worker.
Dr. Struik. And the question, sir?
Mr. Ta\^nner. I pointed out to you from that article that the
name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik appears as one of those who joined in
sending greetings from the National Council of American- Soviet
Friendship to the Soviet Union on the thirty-first anniversary of the
Russian revolution. Will you tell the committee the circumstances
under which you joined in sending greetings to the Soviet Union, if
you did?
Dr. Struik. It was a message of friendship to the people of the
Soviet Union.
Mr. Tavenner. Very well. Any explanation you have to make of
it, we will be glad to have. Your distinction, then, is that you were
sending a greeting to the people of the Soviet Union?
Dr. Struik. According to this article, these people have sent a
message of friendship to the people of the Soviet Union.
Mr. Tavenner. On the anniversary of the Russian revolution?
Dr. Struik. It was the fifteeenth anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the United
States, and the thirty-first anniversary of the Russian revolution.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under
which you joined in sending those greetings, if you did?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you the Daily Worker of March 19, 1942,
and point out to you an article headed, "38 noted educators join
Browder appeal." On page 2 the name of Dirk J. Struik appears as
one of those who signed the appeal. Will you identify that as being
correct according to the article?
Dr. Struik. I see my name. Dirk J. Struik, professor of mathe-
matics.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee who interviewed you
with relation to your joining in on this appeal, if you did so join?
Dr. Stouik. I decline to answer tliat question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a photostatic copy of an undated letter-
head of tlie Schappes Defense Committee, which reflects the name of
Prof. Dirk J. Struik as one of the sponsors. Do you see your name?
Dr. Sti?uik. I see my name.
Mr. Tavenner Were you acquainted with Morris U. Schappes?
Dr. S'rRUiK. I decline to answer that question.
^ See appendix, p. 1412.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1337
]Mr. Ta\'ennek. Do you know whether he was a member of the
Communist Party ^
Dr. 8tkuik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
INIr. Tavexxeu. You are familiar with the charges made against
him at the school at which he was teaching ^
Dr. Stkuik. I decline to answer that question.
ISIr. Tavexxkr. I sliow you a ])hot()static copy of a page of the New
York Times of December 22. 1043, which contains an advertisement of
the Keichstag Fire Trial Anniversary Committee, of which Paul Robe-
son was the cliairnum. This was in honor of George Dimitrov, one of
the defendants in the Reichstag Fire Trial. The name of Prof. Dirk
J. Struik appears as one of the signers. Will you tell the committee
the circumstances under which you became a signer, if you did so?
Dr. Struik. I see my name. I decline to answer that particular
question.
Mr. Tavenxer. I show you a photostatic copy of a letter dated
July 11, 1947, wherein the name of Dirk J. Struik appears as one of
the sponsors of the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy.
"Will you tell the committee the circumstances under which you spon-
sored this organization and who solicited your sponsorship?
Dr. Struik. I see my name, sir. I decline to answer the question.
Mr. Tavex'Xer. You are aware of the fact, are you not, that the
Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy has been cited by the
Attorne}^ General as a Conynunist organization?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. In January 1948 the Committee For a Democratic
Far Eastern Policy sponsored a meeting called the National Confer-
ence on American Policy on China and the Far East. Did you attend
that conference?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavex'xer. Did you prepare a document for that conference
on the subject of American policy in the Far East?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. I show you the February 1948 issue of Spotlight.
Are you acquainted with it ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. Spotlight was the official organ of the Committee
for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy. On page 9 appears an article
entitled "Duplicity Charged to United States Policy in Indonesia;
Truce a Fake."
In this article it is said that "duplicity of American policy, which
has prolonged war in Indonesia at great expense to the American
people, was documented by Dr. Dirk Struik of the Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology."
Mr. Allex. You are not quoting that correctly. It is "great ex-
jiense to Americans."
Mr. TA^•EXXER. Great expense to Americans.
Mr. Allex. You have not quoted all of it.
Mr. Tavexxer. From the standpoint of this question, that is
enough: "Duplicity of American policy, which has prolonged war in
Indonesia at great expense to the American people"
Dr. Struik. To Americans.
Mr. Tavexxer. "To Americans, was documented by Dr. Dirk
Struik of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."
1338 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Did you document such an article ?
Dr. Struik. I can only say what I read. It says it was "docu-
mented by Dr. Dirk Struik of the Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology."
Mr, Tavenner. You only know what you see in the papers ; is that
right?
Dr. Struik. Not always.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you any independent recollection of it aside
from the paper that is before you ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you ever write any articles for Spotlight, the
official organ of the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I show you a copy of the June 1948 issue of the Far
East Spotlight, and refer you to page 7, where there appears an article
entitled "Who Fights the Indonesians?", by Dirk J. Struik, professor,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Does your name appear
there as the author?
Dr. Struik. I see my name there as the author.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall if you were the author of such an
article ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
May I make a remark, sir ? The picture of Brig. Gen. Evans F. Carl-
son is on the front of this Far East Spotlight.
Mr. Tavenner. According to a printed invitation, the Joint Anti-
Fascist Refugee Committee sponsored a reception for Mme. Irene
Joliot-Curie. On this invitation, Dr. Dirk J. Struik was listed as a
member of the national reception committee. Will you state whether
or not you were a member of such a committee, or first, whether it
appears on the paper that you were ?
Dr. Struik. I see my name, Dr. Dirk J. Struik.
Mr. Tavenner. Does that refresh your recollection, or do you need
to refresh your recollection as to whether you served on such a com-
mittee ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Tavenner. The Daily Worker of November 22, 1948, at page
4, carries an article entitled "Civic Leaders in New England Rap
Frame-Up of 12." That refers, of course, to the 12 Communist
leaders who were indicted in the Federal court in New York in 1949.
The gist of the article was that the Attorney General abandon the
prosecution of the 12 Communist leaders. The name of Prof. Dirk
J. Struik appears as one of those who signed the letter. Does your
name appear?
Dr. Struik. I see my name here.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you advocate that the Attorney General
abandon the prosecution of the 12 Communist leaders in New York
City?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you sign the letter referred to there, or did
you permit your name to be used in connection with it ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I offer that article in evidence, and ask that it be
marked "Struik Exhibit No. 4."
Mr. Wood. Let it be admitted.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1339
(The article above referred to, marked "Striiik Exhibit No. 4," is
filed hei-ewitli.^
Mr. Tavenner. The Daily Worker of October 15, 1948, page 3,
contains a news item to the effect that, on the evening before, a dinner
fornm was held at the Iceland Restaurant in honor of the 12 indicted
Communist leaders. This dinner Avas sponsored by the New York
State Civil Rights Congress, so the article says, and Prof. Dirk
Struik was one of the scheduled speakers.
Are you referred to there is one of the scheduled speakers?
Dr. Struik. Yes; scheduled speakers include Dr. Dirk Struik of
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Did you speak at this meeting or dinner in honor
of the 12 indicted Communist leaders?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. According to the Daily Worker of November 23,
1942. at page 3, Prof. D. J. Struik is named as an editor of Science
and Society. Will you refer to the article indicated and state whether
or not your name appears in that article ?
Dr. Struik. I see an article entitled "War Problems Are Main
Theme of Science and Society Institute," and it says, "Opening re-
marks of welcome will be made by Prof. D. J. Struik of the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology and an editor of Science and Society."
Mr. Tavenner. Did you ever contribute or write articles for this
publication Science and Society, of which the article says you were
an editor?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. I hand you the winter 1948 issue of Science and
Society, in which you are listed as one of the editors, and I ask you
to look at page 181, where you will find an article entitled "Marx
and Mathematics," by Dirk J. Struik. Do you see an article entitled
"Marx and Mathematics" by Dirk J. Struik?
Dr. Struik. I see that.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Will you explain to the committee what the afiinity
is between Marx and mathematics ?
Dr. Struik. Marx left certain mathematical papers, and it is of
great interest to the mathematicians to see what they contain. They
have a bearing on the foundations of mathematics, and I will be very
glad to explain to the committee the bearing of Marx on mathematics.
Mr. Tavenner. You made quite a study of the Marxist philosophy
in connection with mathematics?
Dr. Struik. I have always been interested in the bearing of Marx
on science in general and mathematics in particular.
Mr. Tavenner. And you have followed that study by participating
in the teaching of Marxism in certain institutions; have you not?
Dr. Struik. This I decline to answer.
Mr. Ta\'enner. Did you write the article entitled "Marx and Mathe-
matics" appearing in the issue which I handed you?
Dr. Struik. Yes.
Mr. Tav?:xxer. What other contributions did you make to this
magazine?
Dr. Struik. I write for this magazine occasionally book reviews,
and have occasionally contributed articles dealing witli the philosophy
^ Filed with the records of this hearing by tlie committee.
1340 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
and history of science. In tlie last number of Science and Society
you will find a review of a book by Herman Weyl of Princeton on the
foundations of mathematics. I have recently written a review of a
book by Professor Butterfield on the origin of mathematics. I try to
review mainly the contributions that deal with the social implications
of mathematics and science.
Mr. Tavenner. And you have made contributions of that nature to
this magazine Science and Society ?
Dr. Struik. Not only to this magazine but others, too.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you contribute frequently to the magazine
Science and Society ?
Dr. Struik. Not frequently.
Mr. Tavenner. You were an editor of it. Didn't you make your
principal literary contributions to the magazine of which you were an
editor ?
Dr. Struik. I write occasionally an article for Science and Society
on these scientific subjects, but not often, because I have other things
to do.
Mr. Tavenner. How long have you been an editor of Science and
Society ?
Dr. Struik. Since its existence.
Mr. Tavenner. When was that ?
Dr. Struik. You can see for yourself, sir. It is on there somewhere.
Mr. Tavenner. This issue in 1948 says volume 12, No. 1. Does
that mean that it is 12 years of age ?
Dr. Struik. Yes, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you still an editor of that magazine ?
Dr. Struik. Yes; I am an editor of that magazine.
Mr. Tavenner. What is the connection, if any, between the Com-
munist Party and this magazine entitled "Science and Society"?
Dr. Struik. (after consultation with his counsel). I refuse to an-
swer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. You have stated you helped to organize it, or pub-
lish it?
Dr. Struck. No. I said I was asked to join the editorial board.
Mr. Tavenner. At its inception ?
Dr. Struik. I joined, and from that time until the present I have
occasionally contributed an article to this magazine.
Mr. Tavenner. Who extended the invitation to you to join the
editorial board ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Who controlled the editorial policy of this magazine
at the time you first became an editor?
Dr. Struik. The editorial board.
Mr. Tavenner. Who composed it ?
Dr. Struik. I don't recall. You can easily find that.
Mr. Tavenner. Who composes the board at this time ?
Dr. Struik. You will find that. Living in Boston, I have very
little to do with editorial policy. My contribution was an occasional
book review or sometimes a manuscript.
Mr. Tavenner. What is there about the formation of this magazine
that makes you reluctant to tell us about its inception and who was
responsible for its inception ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1341
Mr. Ta-st^nner. Exclusive of yourself, is there any member on the
present editorial board who is known to you to be a member of the
Oonnnunist Party ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. As a matter of fact, Dr. Struik, is not this magazine
entitled "Science and Society" a Marxian quarterly of the Communist
Party ?
Dr. Struik. The name "Marxian quarterly of the Communist
Party" was never on the cover.
Mr. Tavenner. Oh, I am not asking you if it was on the cover.
Neither did this Communist Party cell advertise the place of its
meetings. But I am asking you if it is not a fact that it is an organ
of the Communist Party ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Ta\^nner. According to a program of the Cultural and Scien-
tific Conference for World Peace, the name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik
appears as one of the sponsors. Will you tell the committee the cir-
cumstances under which you sponsored this conference, if you did
sponsor it?
Dr. Struik. I see my name on it, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances
under which you sponsored that conference?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you written and contributed articles to any-
other organ of the Communist Party besides the magazine Science
and Society?
Dr. Struik. I object to the question, sir, because you said that
Science and Society is a Communist organ, or words to that effect.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, in effect, you have not denied it.
Dr. Struik. I have not denied it, but I do not want to make the
impression by answering this question in that form.
Mr. Tavenner. You have already done that by your previous
answer.
Dr. Struik. What is the question ?
Mr. Tavenner. Read the question.
(The question referred to was read by the reporter, as follows:
"Have you written and contributed articles to any other organ of
the Communist Party besides the magazine Science and Society?")
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer the question. It is not well
formulated.
Mr. Tavenner, If your objection is to the form, I will make it more
specific. Have you written or contributed articles to the publication
Masses and Mainstream ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. In the December 1948 issue, at page 58, is an article
entitled "Public and Private Morals" by Dirk J. Struik. Will you
examine it and see if you can identify it?
Dr. Struik. I see "Public and Private Morals" by Dirk J. Struik.
Mr. Ta\t.xxer. Are you acquainted with the fact that Masses and
Mainstream has been cited as an official organ of the Communist
Party?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. TA^•ENXER. Did you write the article that appt^ars in that pub-
lication over your name ?
1342 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Acording to a pamphlet, the Civil Rights Congress
sponsored a National Civil Rights Legislative Conference in Wash-
ington, D. C, on January 17 and 18, 1949. The name of Prof. Dirk
J. Struik appears as one of the sponsors. Will you tell the commit-
tee the circumstances under which your name was used there, if it
was so used ?
Dr. Struik. I see the name "Prof. Dirk F. Struik," but that is all
right, MIT. Then you ask me
Mr. Tavenner. To tell the committee the circumstances under
which you became a sponsor of that conference.
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenner. The Civil Rights Congress also sponsored a Bill of
Rights Conference held in New York City July 16 and 17, 1949. The
name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik appears as one of the sponsors of this
conference. Will you examine it ?
Dr. Struik. I see the call to the Bill of Rights Conference, and my
name appears on page 6.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances un-
der which you sponsored this conference of the Civil Rights Con-
gress and who solicited your sponsorship ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of January 3, 1949,
at page 3, the Committee of One Thousand made public an open letter
to Congress urging that the House Committee on Un-American Ac-
tivities be abolished. Among the signers on page 7 of the Daily
Worker appears the name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik. Will you ex-
amine it?
Dr. Struik. I see an article entitled "Signers of Open Letter to
End House Un-American Activities Committee," and among the
signers I see my name.
Mr. Tavenner. I do not intimate you do not have the right freely
to criticize this committee, but I am interested in the circumstances
under which you signed the letter, who obtained your cooperation and
support in the criticism of this committee ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of June 20, 1950, at
page 2, the name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik appears as one of those who
signed the World Peace Appeal, according to an announcement by
the Peace Information Center. Does your name so appear ?
Dr. Struik. My name appears.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under
which you signed this appeal, who solicited your signature?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. According to a press release of the Committee for
Peaceful Alternatives to the Atlantic Pact on December 4, 1949, at
page 10, the name of Prof. Dirk J. Struik appears as one of those
signing a statement calling for an international agreement to ban the
use of atomic weapons. Did you sign that statement?
Dr. Struik. I see my name.
Mr. Tavenner. Was your name used with your permission?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question. I see that among
the initiators of the statement were two Nobel-prize winners and a
great number of clergymen.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1343
Mr. Tavenxer. Do you know who solicited those Nobel-prize win-
ners for permission to use their names?
Dr. Struik. I don't know, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. How about you ? Who solicited you ?
Dr. Struik. That I decline to answer, sir.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with Martha H. Fletcher, also
known as Mrs. Harold A. Fletcher, Jr. ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavenxer. Are you acquainted with Harry Winner?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with his wife, Irene Winner?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with Sara Gordon ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with Otis Hood?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Tavexxer. Dr. Struik, I have asked you many questions re-
lating to the committee's record of alleged affiliations by you with
Communist-front organizations, which you have declined to answer.
Do you desire to make any explanation of your alleged affiliations
with such organizations that the committee may have in mind in con-
sidering the weight of your testimony ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Ta\'exxer. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Doyle.
Mr. Doyle. Professor, as to any of these communications which
have been oifered in which your name appears as a sponsor or in some
other capacity, is there any case in which your name was used without
your permission on any of those papers ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Doyle. Is there any case, in any of these papers offered to you
for identification today, in which your name was used without your
authority ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Doyle. I am sure I noticed you and your worthy counsel here
this morning in the committee hearing room ; didn't I ?
Dr. Struik. I was here, sure.
Mr. Doyle. I thought I observed you two gentlemen in the front
row, and I especially observed you when Mr. Winner was in the chair
this morning. You recall Mr. Winner was in the chair where you are
now sitting ?
Dr. Struik. Yes.
Mr. Doyle. When I was questioning him, I was anxious to know
about the Samuel Adams School, and he related, in substance, that
there were men and women in other occupations who taught at night
at the Sam Adams School. Were you one of the gentlemen who was
teaching at the Sam Adams School at night ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Doyle. Did you ever visit the Sam Adams School ?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to
answer.
]\Ir. Doyle. Did you know where it was located ?
Dr. Struik. In Boston.
Mr. Doyle. Did you ever see it ?
1344 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Doyle. How do you know it was in Boston ?
Dr. Struik. 1 knew it was in Boston because there were advertise-
ments of it.
JMr. Doyle. Where did you see advertisements of it ?
Dr. Struik. In the papers.
Mr. Doyle. What papers ?
Dr. Struik, I don't know. Perhaps some of the gentlemen behind
me can tell you, from the Post or Globe.
Mr. Doyle. What advertisements did you ever see about the Sam
Adams School ?
Dr. Struik. That I couldn't tell you.
Mr. Doyle. You said you remembered seeing them.
Dr. Struik. Oh, yes, several years ago.
Mr. Doyle. What did the advertisements have to say ?
Dr. Struik. I cannot tell you.
Mr. Doyle. That impressed you, on your mind, after several years?'
Dr. Struik. They said there was a Sam Adams School in Boston.
That is all I remember.
Mr. Doyle. Where was it located in Boston? Do you remember
that, too, after several years, the street number?
Dr. Struik. I couldn't tell you.
Dr. Doyle. How many ads did you see of the Sam Adams School
that you remember after several years ?
Dr. Struik. I couldn't tell you.
Mr. Doyle. More than one ?
Dr. Struik. I couldn't tell you.
Mr. Doyle. Were they advertising night classes or clay classes or
both?
Dr. Struik. I suppose so. I really couldn't tell you.
Mr. Doyle, What do you remember about it except that you saw it?
Dr. Struik. Really nothing more.
Mr. Doyle. Really nothing. I thought so. You w^ant me, now, as
one man to another, to understand that the reason you know anything
about the Sam Adams School is that you saw an ad in the paper
several years ago ? Is that correct ?
Dr. Struik. I don't understand the question.
Mr. Doyle. Do you want me, as one American to another, to under-
stand that the only reason you knew the Sam Adams School was
located in Boston w^as because you saw an ad in the paper several
years ago wdth that name to it? Is that correct? I am deliberately
reading my question.
Dr. Struik. Yes. It is not so easy to answer, sir.
Mr. Doyle. I realize it isn't. Your answers aren't easy to under-"
stand, either.
Dr. Struik. You asked if there were other reasons to remember that
the Sam Adams School was located in Boston ?
Mr. Doyle. That is right. You see, another reason why I asked you
that question was, Mr. Philbrick testified yesterday that you were
one of the instructors at the Sam Adams School. You have refused to
answer that question on the grounds it might incriminate you.
Dr. Struik. Right.
Mr. Doyle. Why would the fact you were an instructor at the Sam
Adams School tend to incriminate you ?
COMMUNIST ACT1\1TIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1345
Dr. Struik. I decline to ansAver that question.
Mr. Doyle. Why avouUI it incriminate yon, in your judgment, to
be an instructor at the Sam Adams School any more than it would in-
criminate you to be an instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technoloo-y ^
Dr. SriiUiK. I decline to answer tluit, sir.
Mr. Doyle. You said you knew that Mr. Philbrick had testified
in the trial of the 11 Connnunists in New York that you were a Com-
munist. I believe that is what you said you heard he had done. Were
you present at the trial and heard him testify?
Dr. Struik. No. I was at MIT at the time.
Mr. Doyle. I beg your pardon. I misunderstood.
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., a member of the committeey
left the hearing room.)
Mr. Doyle (continuing). How old were you when you came to the
United States ?
Dr. Struik. Thirty-one.
Mr. Doyle. Why did you come?
Dr. Struik. I was invited by the ISIassachusetts Insitute of Tech-
nology to lecture on subjects of mathematics.
Mr. Doyle. You were naturalized. I take it, therefore, that you
realize that we gentlemen here whom you are favoring with your
testimony today are Representatives of the United States Congress?
Dr. Struik. I recognize it, sir.
Mr. Doyle. This is your adopted country.
Dr. Struik. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. And, therefore, I assume that your obligations to this
country are not less than mine. You will agree w^ith that?
Dr. Struik. Absolutely.
Mr. Doyle. You heard me state this morning, very proudly, that
I was born in the State of California ; and I am sure you were in the
committee room when I emphasized to Mr. Winner that it was part
of the duties of this committee to uncover subversive conduct in this
country. You nod your head "Yes''?
Dr. Struik. I heard you say that.
Mr. Doyle. Of course, the nod of your head can't go in the record.
Dr. Struik. I heard you say that.
Mr. Doyle. What is your definition of "subversive" ?
Dr. Struik. I really can't define it.
Mr. Doyle. You can't define "subversive" ?
Dr. Struik. No, sir.
Mr. Doyle. Will you try, for the benefit of the committee ? What
does subversive mean in your judgment? You are a highly educated
gentleman. We can see that from the number of articles you have
written.
Dr. Struik. Subversive comes from the Latin word "subvertere,"^
which means to turn over.
Mr. Doyle. It means to destroy?
Dr. Struik. No. I would say "change rather radically." But I
am a professer of mathematics.
Mr. Doyle. Would you accept the definition by Mr. Webster of the
word "subversive" ?
Dr. Struik. I think I could.
1346 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Doyle. I suggest you read his definition, and you will find it
means to destroy. Assuming it does mean to destroy, don't you think
we, as a committee of Congress, should go the limit within our con-
stitutional prerogative and jurisdiction to find out people or organiza-
tions that are subversive? What is your answer? — not counsel's,
please. I am a lawyer, too. Counsel, and I happen to see and hear.
Please give me your answer. Professor.
Dr. Struik. Sure, it is your duty to find out subversive currents in
this country. It is a little difficult, I think, to find out what "sub-
versive" means. You say it means to destroy. There may be many
people in this room who w^ill disagree with you on w^hat is destructive.
There may even be a difference between members of your committee
on that.
Mr. Doyle. You would agree with me— wouldn't you ? — if we had
evidence, from Mr. Philbrick, for instance — and you heard it stated
you were a Communist — assuming we had his testimony, which we
did yesterday, that the Communist Party advocated forceful over-
throw of this Government by force and violence if necessary ?
Dr. Struik. If Mr. Philbrick's statement of the aims of the Com-
munist Party is correct, that would be highly subversive.
Mr. Doyle. What do you know about the aims of the Communist
Party and Marxism? Are they similar?
Dr. Struik. The question concerns the relation between the teach-
ings of the Communist Party and Marxism. The Communist Party
claims it is based on the teachings of Marx as brought up to date by
Lenin, The teachings of Marx are far more than the teachings of the
Communist Party. There are several parties that are not called Com-
munist Parties that are based on the teachings of Marx.
Mr. Doyle. What parties ?
Dr. Struik. Socialist Labor Party.
Mr. Doyle. That is one. You said several.
Dr. Struik. I didn't say in this country. I think the Socialist
Party of Italy is based on tlie principles of Karl Marx. But Marxism
is more than this. Marxism is a philosophy of the world. The Catho-
lic creed is also underlying the behavior of Catholic Parties in Europe,
such as in Holland. So Marxism, which is an all-sided philosophy,
underlies the political philosophy of many parties.
Mr. Doyle. I wanted your understanding of the princijjles of com-
munism and Marxism. Did you ever give this lecture in substance,
or in part, at the Sam Adams School ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Doyle. Have you any suggestions as to what steps we might
take to uncover subversive conduct? Have you any suggestions and
advice to give this committee, with whom you are meeting today, as
an American citizen, as to steps we might take to uncover subversive
conduct?
Dr. Struik. Yes.
(Representative James B. Frazier, Jr., leturned to hearing room.)
Mr. Doyle. What is it ?
Dr. Struik. At present there is a terrible struggle going on in
Cicero, 111. Negroes are being attacked, and the stories in the j^apers,
at any rate, suggest that it needs police protection, not of the Negroes,
but of the assailants. I don't know if it is true. I think that is a
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN" STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 347
place where a Committee on Un-American Activities would be very
interested in going.
Mr. DoYTj;. As you said, you don't know if it is true or not, but
you volunteered that that is a place where we might go.
Mr. Struik. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. Based on this hearsay?
Dr. Struik. Yes.
Mr. Doyle. Do you have any knowledge of your own of any Com-
munist cells in this country 'I This committee believes that we have
knowledge that communism in this country is subversive. Believe
me, sir, I will say to you that we believe that very thoroughly. I am
asking you now to tell us. And you are an American citizen charged
with the responsibilities of an American citizen, and evidently you
have prospered in this country ?
Dr. Struik. I am proud of it.
Mr. Doyle. So are we.
Dr. Struik. I have had my greatest chances in America, sir, and I
will never forget it.
Mr. Doyle. On that basis, then, do you have any knowledge of any
Communist cells in this country i AVe are telling you that we believe
comnmnism is subversive in this country. I am inviting you to tell
us wliether or not you have any personal knowledge of any Com-
munist cells in the country. Will you answer that, or will you claim
the fifth amendment?
Dr. Struck. I have to decline
Mr. Doyle. No; as our chairman has told you, you don't have to
decline. You don't have to do anything here.
Dr. Struik. May I offer you another suggestion for activity of this
committee ?
Mr. Doyle. I think I have taken up my time. I just wish to say
this to you, sir: I have two grandchildren who arrived in Wash-
ington last night to visit us a month, and I hope they don't grow up
to my age and come face to face with so many men who have been
blessed and have prospered in this country and then refuse to co-
operate witli the United States Congress in trying to uncover sub-
versive conduct.
Dr. Struik. I agree with you wholeheartedly in the sense I hope
my own daughters will never come in contact with people who, like
the hoodlums in Cicero, try to undermine the Constitution by force
and violence.
Mr. Doyle. Don't tell me that the only thing you know about the
Sam Adams School is that you saw an ad in the paper several years
ago.
Dr. Struik. I didn't say that.
Mr. Doyle. I practiced law some 25 years, and I make some of my
own conclusions, and I have a right to make them, when a witness
answers as you do. I am not happy over it, and I want you to know
I am not happy over such an answer to a frank question by me.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Frazier.
ISIr. Frazier. Dr. Struik, I believe you stated vou were naturalized
in 1936?
Dr. Struik. I was naturalized in 1934.
89067—51-
1348 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Frazier. Since that time, have you traveled in foreign coun-
tries ?
Dr. Struik. I was abroad in 1934 and 1935, and I gave counsel^
is that your title ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
Dr. Struik. A short report on that.
Mr. Frazier. At the time you took the oath as an American citizen,
did you have any reservations ?
Dr. Struik. None whatever. On the contrary, I was proud to take
the oath of allegiance.
Mr. Frazier. Were you a member of the Communist Party at that
time ?
Dr. Struik. I have to decline
Mr. Wood. Let's not use the word "have." Do you decline ?
Dr. Struik. I am sorry. I decline.
Mr. Frazier. At that time you also swore that you would bear arms
in defense of this country ?
Dr. Struik. I am not quite sure if that was in the oath, but if it
was, I certainly took it, and I fully agree with the sentiment expressed
by it.
Mr. Frazier. You have taught since what date at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology ?
Dr. Struik. In 1926 1 began to teach.
Mr. Wood. Did you say 1936 ?
Dr. Struik. No ; 1926.
Mr. Frazier. Have you engaged in any other work than teaching?
Dr. Struik. At MIT?
Mr. Frazier. Yes.
Dr. Struik. That is a long stretch of time. Give me a moment to
think. I have done some administrative work on committees, and
I have done an enormous amount of mathematical research.
Mr. Fi^vziER. How many lectures did you deliver a week out there ?
Dr. Struik. During the war we went up to 15. Now it is summer
school, and I have only one course of one and a half hours, but I ex-
pect to teach in the fall 9 hours a week.
Mr. Frazier. You seem to have had a great many other activities
away from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Struik. Well, spread over the years it seems like a good deal,
but most of that is science only ; but I have always tried to give my
time and support to such causes as I think are in the best interests
of the people of the United States.
Mr. Frazier. No further questions.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson. Dr. Struik, my distinguished colleague on the com-
mittee, Mr. Doyle, of California, said something about your favoring
us with testimony, and with all due deference to ]\Ir. Doyle, I must
have missed some of the testimony, because I don't recall that we have
had any testimony from you aside from your educational background.
I must say I am in full agreement with you so far as Cicero, 111., is
concerned. Certainly an investigation is in order in Cicero.
Would you sign an oath of loyalty to this country as a condition of
employment or as a condition of travel abroad ?
Dr. Struik. Would I sign what ?
Mr. Jackson. A loyalty oath.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1349
Dr. Struik. I am unalterably opposed to so-called loyalty oaths.
Mr. Jacksox. Suppose, as a condition to travel abroad, yon would
be required to sian the loyalty oath, Avould you so sign?
Dr. Struik. It Avonld depend on the wordin^r of such loyalty oath.
Certain loyalty oaths that have been proposed are objectionable.
]Mr. Jackson. Suppose the loyalty oath said you were not a member
of any croup or or^ranization that advocated the overthrow of the
Government of the United States by force and violence?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). May I ask a
question ?
]\[r. Jacksox. Answer my question. Suppose that the oath you
were required to take as a condition to obtaining a passport required
the statement from you that you were not a member of any group or
organization that advocated the overthrow of the Government of the
United States by force and violence; would 3^ou sign such oath?
Dr. Struik. In princi])le I would not object.
Mr. Jackson. You would sign sucli an oath^
Dr. Struik. I believe I would.
Mr. Jackson. Could you take such an oath in good conscience?
(The witness conferred with his counsel.)
Mr. Allex. Might the question be repeated?
Mr. Jackson. Yes. Could the witness sign such an oath in good
conscience?
Mr. Allen. In the future?
Mr. Jacksox. At the ])resent time.
Dr. Strt'ik. I decline to answer tliat question because it would tend
to incriminate me.
Mr. Jacksox. Have you traveled abroad during the past 10 years?
Dr. Struik. Last 10 years? Xo, sir.
Mr. Jacksox. You traveled abroad when?
Dr. Strutk. 1934 and 1035.
Mr. Jacksox. Not since then ?
Dr. Strutk. Xo.
Mr. Jacksox. Wliere did your visit take you at that time? Is that
the same journey you referred to in your early testimony?
Dr. Struik. Yes. And I was once in Canada on a short trip.
Mr. Jacksox. Were vou ever a meml)er of the German-American
Bund?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). I decline to an-
SAver the question, sir.
Mr. Jacksox. Did you ever subscribe to the Chicago Tribune?
Dr. Struik. I bouglit it occasionally when I was in Chicago.
Ml-. Jacksox. Did you buy the Daily Worker occasionally when you
were in New York?
Dr. S'lRuiK. Sure.
]Mr. Jacksox. Did you subscribe to the Dailv W^orker?
Dr. Struik. I am a subscriber to the Daily Worker,
Mv. Jac Ksox. Did you subscribe to the New^ Masses?
Dr. Struik. What is that?
Mr. Jackson. Masses and Mainstream?
Dr. Struik. Yes, I am a subscriber.
Mr. Jacksox. Have you ever known personally a member of the
Communist Party?
Dr. Struik. X"ow, let's see. I decline to answer the question.
1350 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Jackson. Have you ever known a member of the Republican
Party?
Dr. Struik, Yes.
Mr. Jackson. Have you ever known a member of the Democratic
Party?
Dr. Struik. As a matter of fact, I am a Democrat in the primary.
Mr. Jackson. Have you ever advocated or endorsed the overthrow
of the Government of the United States by force and violence ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Jackson. In this connection, I call your attention again to the
article in the Boston Post of Saturday, April 9, 1949, in which it is
stated, in part : ^
Professor Struik, however, said he "believes in many of the Communist prin-
ciples" but considers himself a Marxist and said "a Marxist does not believe in
the violent overthrow of the Government,"
Is that a correct quotation ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer the question, sir. May I, however,
add something to this if you permit?
Mr. Jackson. Yes; briefly.
Dr. Struik. Being a Marxist, I joined in the last war in the at-
tack to overthrow the Governments of Italy and Germany.
Mr. Jackson. So did every Communist in the country. It became
a matter of fanatical ambition.
Dr. Struik. Sir, the Communists in Germany, from all I know, were
opposed to the Hitler regime from the beginning.
Mr. Jackson. How did you feel about the entry of the United
Nations in Korea ?
Dr. Struik. I was sorry to see it, sir. I have always, from the be-
ginning, stood for an honorable, peaceful solution to that unfortunate
conflict. I am glad to say that there is a good chance that something
like this may happen in the near future.
Mr. Jackson. Again quoting from the article in the Boston Post,
there is a direct quotation from you in which you describe Mr. Phil-
brick as "a stool pigeon of no intellectual standing." Is that a correct
statement ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer.
Mr. Jackson. Do you believe that the 12 Communists who were
indicted in New York were victims of a frame-up, as you are quoted
again as saying in this article ?
Dr. Struik. A word like "frame-up" is an emotional word, but I
would like to say I tliink it was unfortunate that the Communist
leaders were found guilty in the Foley Square trial. It was a mis-
carriage of justice.
Mr. Jackson. In conclusion, I desire to make a very brief statement
for the record.
If you are not a member of the Communist Party and have never
been a member of the Communist Party, you have compiled a record of
affiliations with Communist-front organizations that would throw
most of the witnesses who have appeared before us in a blue funk, or
turn them green with envy. It is one of the most startling records
that has been presented since I have been a member of this committee.
In fact, some of the front organizations I had never heard of before
counsel mentioned them today.
1 See p. 1402.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1351
It seems to me you have, in effect, advertently or inadvertently,
offered every aid and comfort to the Communist Party by your,
activities in "Communist fronts.
You have refused to cooperate with the committee to any extent in
answering questions put to you in regard to your activities, and your
claims of possible self-incrimination have passed the conceivable realm
wliere you could in any way be held responsible for answering.
You have been identified by the previous witness as a member of
the Communist Party, and in that connection you have refused to
confirm or denv that 'alleged membership or public statements which
have been attrit)uted to you, in the public press in some instances.
Your entire testimony must leave this committee — I cannot speak
for the committee — must leave me in the position of believing that
you have been a member of the Communist Party, that you have lent
aid and comfort to the Communist Party, that you have lectured at
tlie Sam Adams School, and I think, based on the record, that any
assumption that might be drawn by the American people after you
leave the stand is as a result of your own failure to cooperate with this
committee.
Do you feel that your constitutional rights have been observed dur-
ing this hearing?
Dr. Struik (after consultation with his counsel). I can say this,
sir-
Mr. Jackson. 1 would like you to answer my question.
Dr. Struik. It is difficult for me to answer that question, because
I am not a lawyer.
Mr. Jackson. You have been permitted counsel ?
Dr. Struik. I have been permitted counsel.
Mr. Jackson. No duress has been placed on you to answer questions
when you chose not to answer on grounds of self-incrimination ?
Dr. Struik. Correct.
Mr. Jackson. Do you feel that any of your constitutional or civil
rights have been overlooked by this committee ?
Dr. Struik. I may say this, that a listing of perfectly good, ideal-
istic, patriotic organizations as Communist-front organizations has
been highly prejudicial, not only to me but to others.
Mr. Jackson. Idealistic, patriotic organizations that have been
found secretly transferring papers of this Government to other govern-
ments, planting their agents in various organizations, and doing other
things in such a manner that they would have assumed more gentility
if performed in some other manner.
That is all.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Tavenner, did you have additional questions?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes. The catalog of the Sam Adams School for
the summer session, 1947, reflects you were a member of the board of
trustees at that time, as well as an instructor.
Is it correct that you were a member of the board of trustees and
an instructor at the Sam Adams School in 1947 ?
Dr. Struik. I decline to answer that question.
Mr. Ta\-enner. Mr. Chairman, I desire the right to produce a
copy of that catalog and include it as a part of this record as Struik
exhibit No. 5.
Mr. Wood. So ordered.
1352 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
(The catalog above referred to, marked ''Struik Exhibit No. 5,"" is
filed herewith.^)
Mr. Wood. Is that the only question you have ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes, sir.
Mr. Wood. Is there any reason why the witness should not be excused
from further attendance on the connnittee?
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. So ordered.
(Witness excused.)
Mr. Wood. Mr. Jackson, did you have a statement you desired to
make ^
Mr. Jackson. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
In today's Washington Star there appears an article headed, "Shub,
Wertheimer keep Reserve commissions."
I call to the committee's attention tlie fact that on July 12 last
Louis Julius Shub and Gunther Wertheimer appeared before this com-
mittee and refused to answer questions put to them by counsel of the
committee.
Both Shub and Wertheimei- liold Reserve commissions, in the Army
and Navy respectively.
The Defense Department has announced that under present policy
there will be no revocation of commissions in the armed services of
witnesses who appear before this committee and refuse to testify.
It is my feeling in the matter that the holding of a Reserve conunis-
sion in the armed services of the United States is a privilege and not an
obligation, and witnesses who refuse to testify concerning their Com-
munist affiliations and Communist activities should not be retained
in positions of trust and responsibility in the armed services, where
they are in a position to create considerable havoc and do consider-
able harm in the event of trouble.
It is my intention to introduce legislation in the House wdthin the
next several days for the purpose of relieving such individuals of
commissions in the Armed Forces in the event of their refusal to an-
swer the legitimate questions put to them when they appear before
this committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. The committee will stand in recess subject to call.
(Thereupon, at 5 : 05 p. m., the committee adjourned, subject to the
call of the Chair.)
' Filed with tlie records of tliis heariiis by the committee.
EXPOSE OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE
OF MASSACHUSETTS
(BASED ON THE TESTIMONY OF HERBERT A. PHILBRICK)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1951
UisriTED States House of Representatives,
Subcommittee of the Committee on"
Un-American Activities,
Washington^ D. G.
PUBLIC HEARING
A subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met
pursuant to call at 11 : 45 a. m., in room 226, Old House Office Build-
mg, Hon. John S. Wood (chaii-man) presiding.
Committee members present : Representatives John S. Wood (chair-
man), Clyde Doyle, Harold H. Velde, and Charles E. Potter.
Staff members present : Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel ; Thomas
W. Beale, Sr., assistant counsel; John W. Carrington, clerk; Raphael
I. Nixon, director of research ; and A. S. Poore, editor.
Mr. Wood. Let us come to order, please.
Let the record show that, acting under the authority vested in me
as chairman of this committee, I have set up a subcommittee for the
purpose of holding this hearing, consisting of Mr. Dojde, Mr. Velde,
and Mr. Potter. The members are all present.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Donald Bollen.
Mr. Wood. Will you raise your right hand and be sworn, please?
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. Bollen. I do.
Mr. FoRER. We object to the absence of a quorum of the full com-
mittee, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. Are you represented here by counsel, Mr. Bollen ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes ; I am,
Mr. Wood. Will the counsel identify himself for the record, please?
Mr. FoRER. Joseph Forer, 711 Fourteenth Street NW., Washing-
ton, D. C.
We are proceeding under protest, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state your full name, please, sir?
TESTIMONY OF DONALD C. BOLLEN, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS COUNSEL,
JOSEPH FORER
r Mr. Bollen. Donald C. Bollen.
Mr. Tavenner. When and where were you born, Mr. Bollen ?
Mr. Bollen. On July 11, 1920, in Quincy, Mass.
1353
1354 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state for the committee briefly what your
educational training has been?
Mr. BoLLEN. Well, I went to grammar school, finished junior high
school, which was the ninth grade, and went perhaps a few months in
the tenth grade. That is, the first year of my senior high school.
Mr. Tavenner. Would you begin with that date — or rather, what
was the date of your completion of the tenth grade?
Mr. BoLLEN. As I recall it, it was 1935, the winter of 1935 and 1936.
Mr. Tavenner. What has been your employment since that period
of time ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Well, I don't remember every particular job that I
have had since then, because I have had so many short-time jobs.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, leaving out the short-time jobs, what has been
your main source of employment since 1935 ?
Mr. BoLLEN. My main source, or the job that I had during most of
that period, was field organizer for the United Electrical, Radio, and
Machine Workers.
Mr. Tavenner. When did you begin in that work?
Mr. Bollen. Oh, about the fall of 1942.
Mr. Tavenner. And how long did you continue in that position ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I was a field organizer from then until about December
1943, or at least around the end of 1943, possibly November. Then I
was a field organizer again for the United Electrical Workers from
about the middle of 1944, possibly July or August, until the end of
1950 or the first of 1951.
Mr. Tavenner. Prior to 1942, how were you employed?
Mr. Bollen. I had several jobs, as I said before. I have worked
on a farm. I was an usher.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, let us take, say, from 1940 to 1942.
Mr. Bollen. I worked in the shipyards at Fall River and Quincy,
Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. During the entire period from 1940 to 1942 ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes ; I believe so.
Mr. Tavenner. For whom did you work ?
Mr. Bollen. The name of the company I think was the Bethlehem
Steel Co., and the name of the yard at that time was the Fall River
Shipyard.
Mr. Tavenner. And where was this located, this work ?
Mr. Bollen. In Quincy, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, between 1943 and 1944, how were you em-
ploved ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question, because my answer
might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Then, when you ceased to be an organizer for the
UE, in 1950, what employment did you take?
Mr. Bollen. I became a leather worker.
Mr. Tavenner. Where?
Mr. Bollen. At the Bay State Belting Co. in Salem, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Where do you now reside, Mr. Bollen ?
Mr. Bollen. I now reside at 177 Essex Street, Lynn, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you still employed in the leather work that you
just mentioned?
Mr. Bollen. Yes; I am.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1355
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Bollen, a witness by the name of Mr. Herbert
Arthur Philbrick testified before this committee on July 23, 1951.
In the course of his testimony he revealed the fact that he had been
a member of the Young Communist League, and that an organization
knoAvn as the American Youth for Democracy was formed, which was
the outgrowth and successor to the Young Communist League.
In the course of his testimony, he stated that there was a slate of
officers for the newly formed organization, known as the American
Youth for Democracy, and that this slate of officers, the first officers
elected, was actually set up and formed by the Communist Party.
He referred to the fact that he was one of the officers on that slate, I
think State treasurer of the organization. He testified that you were
its chairman and that you were one of the members of this slate.
I would like to ask you to tell the committee how this slate was
organized and what information you have regarding the method by
which you were elected as chairman of this new organization, the
American Youth for Democracy, if it is true that you were so elected.
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons
that I gave before,
]Mr. Tavenner. Were you chairman of the American Youth for
Democracy ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. You have stated that you were an organizer for the
UE. In what district did you perform your work as organizer?
Mr. Bollen. Well, in the State of Massachusetts, which is called
district 2 of the UE. It is a part of district 2.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you ever an employee of the General Electric
Co. in Lynn, Mass. ?
Mr. BoLLEN. No ; I was never employed by the General Electric Co.
in my life.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. But there was a local of the UE union in General
Electric ; was there not ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes ; there was and is.
Mr. Tavenner. Your work as organizer included the performance
of your duties as organizer in the union located at Lynn, Mass., with
the General Electric ; did it not?
Mr. Bollen. To the best of my recollection I have never actually-
had any official assignment, so to speak, with that local union, with
the exception of perhaps someone calling me up a couple of times
to distribute a leaflet or something like that.^ But, actually, my main
assi|;nment with the union was never to work with that local union.
Mr. Tavenner. Was that excepted from your general assignment ;
and, if so, why ?
Mr. BoLLFJNT. Well, I don't know the reason why, but I was just
given certain assignments, and I carried them out, and that happened
to be one of several local unions that I wasn't assigned to.
Mr. Tavenner. But it was within the area in which you performed
your duties as an organizer for the UE ; was it not ?
Mr. Bollen. I have performed some duties as a UE organizer with-
in the general area of North Shore.
Mr. Tavenner. Wliich would include the General Electric plant?
Mr. Bollen. The General Electric plant is in the North Shore
area.
1356 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Now, during the course of the testimony of Mr.
Philbrick it developed from his testimony that he was a member of
the State education committee of the Communist Party. We de-
veloped through Mr. Philbrick at quite considerable length his activity
within the Communist Party. In fact, the testimony showed that
he had acted in an undercover capacity within the Communist Party
for a Government agency from 1940 or 1941 until the time that his
identity as connected with the Communist Party was disclosed in
his testimony in the trial of the 11 Communists in New York in the
spring of 1949.
Now, considerable details were developed in the course of his testi-
mony regarding his activities and his connection with the Communist
Party, in order to ascertain to what extent he was acquainted with
the Communist Party decisions and policy with reference to infil-
tration by the Communist Party into heavy industry in the Massa-
chusetts area. And that is the general subject of this investigation,
and that is why we have called you here to ascertain from you what
information you may have upon that subject and to call upon you
to fully and frankly give the committee the benefit of your knowledge.
In the course of Mr. Philbrick's testimony, he said this. And I will
omit questions which I asked him and will read directly from his
testimony, which will give you a background and a thorough under-
standing of his testimony.
May I ask you at this point : Have you read his testimony ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I have read some of it in the newspapers.
Mr. Tavenner. Then I think I should read to you from his testi-
mony, as follows : This was a question. I will read one question.^
As a result of your experience and your contacts within the Communist
Party, did you become aware of the policies and plans of the Communist Party
with reference to basic industries after the revival of the Communist Party in
1945?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that question-
Mr. Tavenner. I haven't asked you a question. I am reading the
question that was asked Mr. Philbrick.
And then he gave this answer : that he was familiar with it. Then
I asked him :
Will you tell the committee of these matters?
And Mr. Philbrick answered :
In 1946 and 1947, as an executive of the Communist Party, I attended what
were knov?n as district executive conferences held in Boston. I believe these
were entitled "party-building conferences," and each of them I found was for
the purpose of infiltrating heavy industry or key industries in our area and
the United States.
I remember specifically at one of the party-building conferences the parties
were instructed to take positions as colonizers; that is, to talie upon them-
selves the duty of being colonizers in the key industries. That meant if you
had a job in a small business or nonessential industry you should leave it and
take a job in one of the key industries. These key industries were listed by
the party leaders. We were told they were industries important to the war
effort. We were instructed that the imperialist aims of the United States,
the war-promoting purposes of the United States, were to carry on a war
against the Soviet Union and a war against the free peoples of the world;
that is, peoples under the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union. We were told that
the chief means at the disposal of the American imperialists was the productive
capacity of this country, which they said was owned directly by the capitalists
of the United States. We were taught that since that was the key weapon it
was the weapon we had to attack and destroy as Communists.
» See pp. 1282 and 1283.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1357
We were told in New England one of the key industries consisted of the
General Electric plant in Lynn. We were told one reason why colonizers were
needed there was because it was involved in the development of defense in-
dustries, includinsi' jet airplane engines.
I might point out that at that time no one outside the party had any knowledge
that .let airplane engines were being developed in the airplane plant in Lynn,
but they knew that.
Another key industry was the communications industry. Another was the
leather industry, boots and shoos. And another was the clothes industry, service
clothes, and so forth. We were told that the steel industry and lines of trans-
portation were very important centers for Communist Party infiltration and
colonization. So, various comrades were ordered at this time to take up jobs
at these spots.
We were told in certain sections of the country the steel industry would be
the main point of concentration, whereas in New England the steel industry
was not as important. We had seven or eight comrades assigned to the General
Electric plant in Lynn and only one assigned to the steel industry, to my
knowledge, to set up the colonization program.
As a part of the colonization program but carried out very secretly, a survey
was conducted of certain plants. This was a very complete survey. That pro-
gram in New England was under the direction of Daniel Boone Schirmer. I was
told it was on a national level, but my only information concerning it came from
this local level. I came upon it more or less by accident. I was working at
Communist Party headquarters on leaflet production at that time. One of the
means of preparing the survey was a mimeographed form which I happened to
prepare for Daniel Boone Schirmer. This had to do completely with industrial
plans, although I understand they made investigations along other lines, too.
These particular forms I worked on had to do with a complete survey of the
plants, what they were producing, how many they were producing, the labor
unions, the number of employees, also the number of comrades in these plants,
and exactly what influence the comrades had in the unions. They also included
a review of the training and qualifications of the various comrades working
in these plants.
As I say, I came upon it somewhat by accident and, therefore, did not know
how much information Daniel Boone Schirmer was getting from the comrades
in the plants, but I know he was calling on them for very specific information,
including blueprints, but I had no knowledge of any particular blueprints.
I know that at least eight, possibly more. Communist Party members were
assigned to the General Electric plant in Lynn.
Then he names a number of people, including the name '*Don
Bollen.'' Were you known as Don Bollen among your friends ?
Mr. Bollen. Either Don Bollen or Donald Bollen.
Mr. Tavexner. Were you assigned to perform any function for the
Communist Party at the General Electric plant at Lynn, as indicated
by ]\Ir. Philbrick's testimony ?
Mr. Bollen. Would you ask that question again, please ?
Mr. Tavenner. Would you read the question, please Mr. Reporter.
(The reporter read the question referred to.)
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question on the same grounds
as before.
Mr. Tavenner. Referring to that part of Mr. Philbrick's testimony
where he said that he was instructed that the imperialist aims of the
United States, the war-promoting purposes of the United States,
were to carry on a war against the Soviet Union, and that the pro-
ductive capacity of this country was the wea]3on which had to be
attacked and destroyed by the Communists, did you receive any in-
structions, or were you present at any conference or gathering where
that thought was expressed ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that for the same reasons as before.
Mr. Taa-enner. Mr. Philbrick said that it was not generally known
by the public that jet airplane engines were being manufactured at the
1358 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
General Electric plant, but that members of the Communist Party
knew it. Were you personally acquainted with the fact that jet
engines were being manufactured at the General Electric plant in
1945 ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I am not exactly sure of the dates, as to when I learned
of it, but for a few years I have known of it. I have read it in the news-
papers.
Mr. Tavenner. You obtained your information from the news-
papers ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you obtain it from any other source?
Mr. BoLLEN. I may have heard workers talking about it in Lynn.
Perhaps 1 did.
Mr. Tavenner. When did you first learn of it through workers?
Mr. BoLLEN. I don't know the exact date.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, you stated you did not know exactly. Can
you give the committee a reasonable idea as to what year you did
ascertain that information?
Mr. BoLLEN. I just can't remember when I first heard it.
Mr. Tavenner. Wlien you state you heard it from workers, do you
know whether any one of the persons who told you of the jet engine
work being done at General Electric at Lynn was a member of the
Communist Party?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons
given before.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Philbrick, in his testimony, as you will recall,
from my having read it, referred to a survey that was being conducted
at these various plants by the Communist Party. As a union organ-
izer, did you give instructions to any person within your union as to
the furnishing of information to you from which a report or a survey
could be prepared regarding the various matters which I read to you,
namely, what the plants were producing, how many they were pro-
ducing, the number of employees, the number of comrades — meaning
Communist Party members — in the plants, and what influence the
Communist Party members had in the unions?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons
given before.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you also give directions to any person to furnish
you with information regarding the lay-out of plants to be furnished
by you to that other person ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse, for the same reasons given before, to answer
that question.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you report the lay-out of any plants within your
district or any of these other matters which I have just mentioned such
as the number of Communist Party members in a particular union
or the nature of the work, to or for the benefit of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Nat Goodman, Nathaniel
Goodman — or Robert Goodman ?
Mr. Bollen. The question is. Am I acquainted with Robert
Goodman ?
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know where he worked ?
Mr. Bollen. The General Electric plant in Lynn.
COMl^rUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 359
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Nathaniel Mills?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, I have been acquainted with him.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know where he worked ?
Mr. Bollen. The General Electric Co. in Lynn.
Mr. Tavennfj?. Were you acquainted with Joseph Figueiredo?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons
given before.
Mv. Tamsnner. Were either Mr. Robert Goodman or Mr. Nathaniel
Mills members of the Communist Party, to your knowledge?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with Donald Tormey ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes, I am.
Mr. Ta^-enner. Is he a member of the Communist Party, to your
knowledge ?
Mv. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. How was he employed ?
Mr. Bollen. I believe his title was international representative of
theUE.
Mr. Tavenner. In what district ?
Mr. Bollen. In district 2, Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. Did that include the General Electric plant at Lynn ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. I referred in reading Mr. Philbrick's testimony to
a person by the name of Daniel Boone Schirmer. Were you ac-
quainted with him ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, ]\Ir. Philbrick, in the course of his testimony,
designated you as one of the persons who was directed by the Com-
munist Party to engage in the colonization of the General Electric
plant at Lynn for the Communist Party. Was Mr. Philbrick truthful
in that statement?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question, because it might tend
to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. In the course of Mr. Philbrick's testimony he was
asked if he knew what success had been achieved by the Communist
Party in its efforts to colonize the General Electric plant in Lynn,
Mass., and to that question Mr. Philbrick replied : ^
I (lid understand in contact with Donald Bollen at a latter date that he was
quite happy with the results up to that time, but specific information I have
none.
Do you recall having made that statement to Mr. Philbrick ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. TA^'ENNER. Are you now or have you ever been a member of
the Communist Party ?
Mv. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question, because it might tend
to incriminate me.
INIr. Ta\'enner. Let me ask the question — it is rather a double ques-
tion ; I probably should have asked you it in separate form. Are you
now a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you at any time been a member of the Com-
munist Party?
Mr. Boixen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. Ta\'enner. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
^ See p. 1285.
1360 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Wood. Mr. Doyle, any questions?
Mr. Doyle. Mr. Bollen, I see you were born in the month of July.
That month, according to people who believe in those things, has,
produced people who are generally very patriotic, very unselfish,
very generous, and have other motives that human beings ought to
have.
I was also, born in that month.
Mr. FoRKR. We were waiting for that,
Mr. Doyle. With that premise, may I say: How old were you
when you were a tield organizer the first time for the United Electrical
Workers? That was in 1942 ?
Mr. BoLLEN. To the best of my recollection, I was 22 years old.
Mr. Doyle. Only 22?
Mr. Bollen. That's right.
Mr. Doyle. How did you come by experience enough prior to 1942
to be chosen as an organizer for a union of the United Eelectrical,
Eadio, and Machine Workers? What was your experience before
1942?
Mr. BoLLEisr. Well, I was in the machinists department in the ship-
yard and became acquainted with the union there and decided I wanted
to be an organizer.
Mr. Doyle. Did you work from 1942 full time, at a full salary ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes, sir.
Mr. Doyle. Had you been an organizer in that shipyard union of
the United Electrical Workers prior to 1942?
Mr, Bollen, I was a steward, and I don't remember exactly whether
I was an executive board member or not, but I believe I was at that
time.
Mr. Doyle. Well, were there as many men as young as you, at 22,
say, who were leaders of the UE in those days in your area ?
'Mr. Bollen. You say of the UE union ?
Mr. Doyle. I mean were there many men of such young age as you
who Avere stewards and organizers, and so forth, at 22 or 23 years of
age in that union in those days ?
Mr. Bollen. I don't know whether there was or not.
Mr. Doyle. What is your mpression? I am not trying to catch
you. I am just interested to know generally what the leadership was
in that ai-ea in those days among those union workers.
Mr. Bollen. My impression is that there probably weren't very
manv at that young in age.
Mr. Doyle. 'in other words, T have a right to assume that you had
unusual ability.
Mr. Bollen. Yes.
Mr. Forer. I think he should have refused to answer that.
Mr. Doyle. May I ask, Were you married at that time ?
Mr. Bollen. No; I was not,
Mr. Doyle. Are you married now?
Mr. Bollen. Yes; I am,
Mr. Doyle. I suppose you have some children ?
Mr. Bollen. Two.
Mr. DoLYE. How old are they, approximately ?
Mr. Bollen. I have a son 4 years old and a daughter approximately
10 or 11 months old.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE^ OF MASSACHUSETTS 1361
Mr. Doyle. Well, you will agree with me again when I say you are
a lucky man. I am sure you do. Those children were both born in
Massachusetts ?
Mr. BoLLEx. Yes.
Mr. Doyle. During your first term of 1942-48 as organizer for the
UE workers, was there any controversy within that union — I mean
your local union, the shipyard union — as between what you would
generally term now and what you know. I generally term, it being
a commonly accepted term, the Couimunists and anti-Communists?
Ilnd tlint developed yet in the Massachusetts area?
Mr. B.'LLKX. I would like lo ask you to clarify that statement, be-
cause, you have mentioned both unions, and one of the unions you
mentioned I had no affiliation with during that period.
]Mr. Doyle. I am glad you did ask me to clarify it. I realize it
wasn't clear. I refer now to the time you were steward in the union,
before you became an organizer in the shipyard union. Was there
any conti'oversy in that local union of which you were steward, as
between the Communist group and those who were not ?
Mr. BoLLEX. Well, there are all kinds of controversies. I would
like to know just what kind of controversies you mean.
M]-. D;)YLE. Well, in other words, you know what a Communist
is. You have heard of them. Possibly you have met some of them,
maj'be in your own union. That is true, isn't it ? You know what a
Communist is? I am merely laying the basis now to see if I can
clarify my question for you. I meant to ask you very clearly and
very specifically, if you please, whether or not in your local union of
which you were stewarcl prior to the tune you became organizer the
first time for the UE there was any controversy between those known
to be Communists, if there were such in your union at that time, and
those who opposed the Communists, any controversy for positions of
officers or positions of leadership in the union, for instance ?
]Mr. BoLLEX. I refuse to answer that question on the same basis
tliat I o-ave before, for the same reasons.
Mr. Doyle. You mean that I am to understand that just telling
me the fact as to whether or not there was a controversy might in-
criminate you? How would that possibly incriminate you? I am
not asking you whether or not you were a Communist.
Mr. BoLLEX. I have already given my answer, and I still refuse
for the same reasons I gave before.
Mr. Doyle. Xow I will ask you this, then. During the time you
were the organizer for the TJEW. from ■42 to '43. the first time, was
there any controversy in the UEW in the Ljam or Boston areas be>-
tween the Communists and anti-Communists, to your knowledge?
Mr. BoLLEX. I refuse to answer that for the same reason.
Mr. DoYT.E. May I preface this next question and all the rest of
these questions by making the frank statement to you: I am ac-
quainted with some members of the UEW in my own State, and
I am not entirely uninformed as to some of these questions I am ask-
ing here. So I am well aware of some of the controversies. But I
am wondering whether you wouldn't cooperate with us, as a congres-
sional committee, and help us to know what the problem was in or-
ganized labor. You see, I am one of the jNIembers of Congress that
believes rather strongly in the rights of the American workmen to
1362 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
organize and to bargain collectively. I believe in it very vigorously,
sir. And you apparently did when you were organizer.
Are you an organizer now in any way for any union ?
Mr. BoLLEN. No ; I am not.
Mr. Doyle. Since when did that end ?
Mr. BoLLEN. As I answered before, around the end of 1950 or the
beginning of 1951.
Mr. Doyle. And that was your second assignment as an organizer,
then, that ended in '50?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes.
Mr. DoYLE. And during your second assignment, were you a full-
time employee of the UEW as organizer?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, I was.
Mr. DoYLE. Did you ever see this man, Philbrick, that we questioned
you about?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that for the same reasons.
Mr. Doyle. I did not ask you if you knew him, sir. Would it
possibly incriminate you in your judgment if you answered whether
you ever saw the man ?
Mr. Bollen. That was my answer. I repeat: I refuse to answer
for the same reasons I gave before.
Mr. Doyle. Are you a member of any lodge now or any union now
of any kind?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, I am.
Mr. DoYLE. "VVliat union?
Mr. BoLLEN. The International Fur and Leather Workers' Union.
Mr. Doyle. What was the name of that union, again ?
Mr. Wood. The International Fur and Leather Workers' Union.
Mr. Doyle. Are you an officer in it ?
Mr. Bollen. No ; I am not.
Mr. Doyle. Were you ever an officer in it?
Mr. BoLLEN. No.
Mr. Doyle. Are you a committee man in it ?
Mr. BoLLEN. No.
Mr. Doyle. Have you ever been?
Mr. Bollen. No ; t have not.
IVIr. Doyle. Has there been any controversy in that union between
the Communists and non-Communists ?
Mr. Bf)ij.EN. I refuse to answer that question for the same reason
I gave before.
Mr. Doyle. Did you serve in the Armed Forces in the last war?
Mr. B01J.EN. No ; I didn't.
Mr. Doyle. Why?
Mr. Bollen. I was put in 4-F because of a physical problem that I
have.
Mr. Doyle. If you were called bv the United States Government to
serve in the Armed Forces in this Korean conflict or any other conflict
in which the United States Government was at arms with a foreign'
nation, would you willingly, gladly, serve?
Mr. Bollen. Yes : I would go.
Mr. Doyle. And in that connection, are you aware of what the job
of this committee is? Has your counsel told you or has any one else
told you what the function of this committee is?
CORIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 363
Mv. BoLLEX. I believe so,
]Mr. Doyle. Did j^oii read it ?
Mr. BoLLKX. I have rend it in the newspapers.
Mr. Doyle. What newspaper?
]Mr. BoLLEN. I don't know exactly what newspaper.
Mr. Doyle. Yon don't know. What newspaper did you read the
testimony of Mr. Philbrick in, that you said you read? And when
did vou read it (
Mr. BoLLEN. AA^ell, I can't remember all of the newspapers that I
may have read anv of the testimony in. l)ut I did read it in the Boston
Globe, the Boston' Eecord. and very likely the Lynn papers, the Lynn
Item
Mr. Doyle. Did you read it in any other paper, a weekly paper, for
instance, published by any or^janization? Do you take any paper, be-
sides readino; the daily papers?
Mr. BoLLEN. What papers do you mean?
Mr. Doyle. Oh, published by any organization, by your own union,
for instance.
]\Ir. BoLLEx. Yes, sir ; I take the union paper.
Mr. DoYLE. Did you read about the Philbrick hearings in that?
]\rr. BoLLEX. Xo, I didn't.
Mr. DoYLE. Did you read about the Philbrick hearings at the time
they occurred?
]VIr. BoLLEX. Yes ; I believe I did.
Mr. Doyle. From day to day ?
Mr. BoLLEX. I don't remember if I read them from day to day. I
just remember reading them.
Mr. Doyle. And did you read in the paper where he mentioned you
in this testimony?
Mr. BoLLEX. Yes ; I did.
Mr. Doyle. Have you ever denied what he said about you in any
way ?
^h\ BoLLEX. Yes ; I have denied some of it.
I^Ir. Doyle. Where ?
ISIr. Bollex. I denied something in a newspaper, I believe, the Lynn
Telegram-Xews.
Mr. Doyle. Have you a copy of it ?
Mr. Bollex. No; I haven't.
Mr. Doyle. Where can we have a copy of it? Will you furnish the
committee a copy of it ? Was it a statement prepared by you ?
Mr. Bollex. I issued a statement ; yes.
Mr. Doyle. Is there any part of the testimony of Mr. Philbrick
which Mr. Tavenner has asked you about that you want to deny now?
You have heard what Mr. Tavenner read, that he testified to.
Mr. Bollex. No; there isn't.
Mr. Doyle. If you deny any part of it in the newspaper, what is that
part, so that you might repeat here a denial of anything he said?
Mr. Forer". Would you make a little clearer just what you are
asking?
]\Ir. Don.E. My point is this, Mr. Counsel, and Mr. Bollen : What
part of Mr. Philbrick's testimony was it that you denied in your
newspaper statement? Will you tell us?
89067—51-
1364 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. BoLLEN. I don't remember from recollection all of the state-
ment, but I would be glad to get a copy of it and send it to the com-
mittee.
IVIr. DoYT.E. Now, I am asking you what your statement was to the
paper in substance. Do you not remember that ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Rather than attempting to describe the actual article
and what was in it, I would rather have the committee see it com-
pletely.
Mr. Doyle. We would rather, too, but you are here now, and you
are under oath. What was it that you said through the newspaper
release about Mr. Philbrick's statement that you denied? Why do
you not deny the same things now ?
Mr. FoRER. One question at a time.
Mr. DoTLE. Well, just to help the witness — I do not mean to inter-
rupt him while he is conferring with counsel.
Mr. FoRER. No, the problem was that I don't know which question
you asked, Mr. Doyle, because you asked two.
Mr. DoYT.E. When I asked the second it was to give him, and you
as his counsel, my thinking. If he denied it, then why will he not
deny it now ? That is what I am asking.
AVill you now deny what you denied through the newspaper and
tell us what it was?
Mr. FoRER. Our problem is that there are still two questions there.^
Mr. DoYEE. I will make it one question. What statement did you
make to the newspaper in denial or claim of denial as to Mr. Phil-
brick's testimony involving you ?
Mr. BoLLEN. To the best of my recollection, I said that I nevp.r
worked at the General Electric Co. and I am not a member of the
Communist Party. And I remember ending up with something
about: I don't intend to be intimidated by such charges — or some-
thing like that.
Mr. Doyle. That is all you remember of your own prepared state-
ment, after reading Mr. Philbrick's testimony involving you?
Mr. BoLLEN. That is all I can remember right now.
Mr. Doyle. How long ago was that, approximately ?
Mr. BoLLEX. It was either a week or 2 weeks. I can't remember.
Mr. Doyle. It was along in the middle of July of this year, was it
not, that he testified? Now, when did your denial come out in the
papers, that you prepared? I have not seen it, you see. That is why
I am asking.
Mr. Bollen. It was between a week and 2 weeks ago. Just when,
I don't remember.
Mr. Doyle. You mean 2 weeks previous to this date today, October
10?
Mr. BcLLEN. I would say it was between that period and a week
ago.
jMr. Wood. You say in that statement you denied that you are a
member of the Communist Party?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes ; I did.
Mr. Wood. Do you deny it now, under oath ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that for the same reasons I gave
before.
Mr. Doyle. Now, let me see if I understand, young man. Because
I do not want to ask you two questions in one and have you confused
COIVEVIUNIST ACTI\'ITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 365
at all. You read Mr. Philbrick's statement involving you, and then
you issued a press release, you say, between 2 and 3 weeks ago. In
that you made the denials such as you chose to of Mr. Philbrick's
statement involving you. I take it, therefore, and you tell me if I
urn in error, please, that in that newspaper release you denied every-
thing that you believed was untrue in Mr. Philbrick's statement. Is
that true?
JNIr. BoLLEN. I don't understand your question.
Mr. Doyle. I thought it was very simple. In that press release
Avhich you issued between 2 and 3 weeks ago, did you den;^ every
charge or statement which Mr. Philbrick macle against you which you
felt was untrue ?
Mr. BcLLEX. Even to this day I haven't read all the charges that
he has made. I am not familiar with all of them.
]Mr. Wood. Would you yield to me again ?
Mr. DoYLE. Yes; indeed.
Mr. Wood. You stated a while ago, as I understood it, that you were
willing to submit to this committee a copy of the statement that you
did make to the press. Is that true?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes.
Mv. Wood. Are you willing to submit that to the committee ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes ; I am.
Mr. Wood. Are you willing to come before the committee with that
statement and state under oath what you state in the statement?
Mr. BoLLEN. No ; I am not willing.
Mr. Doyle. If you say you did not read all Mr. Philbrick's state-
ment involving you, but you read some of it, how do you know he said
anything about you that you did not read?
Mr. BoLLEN. I don't know, if I haven't read it. •
Mr. Doyle. You are sure no one has told you that he said anything
else about you which you did not read ?
Mr. Bollen. I don't know.
Mr. Doyle. You don't know. I notice when our counsel asked you
or told you that Mr. Philbrick testified before this committee that you
were chairman of the American Youth for Democracy, you said, "I
refuse to answer that for the reason that the answer might incrimi-
nate me." Do you remember your answer to that question ?
Mr. BoLLEX. Wliat was the question ?
Mr. DoTLE. Here a few minutes ago our legal counsel asked you
whether or not Mr. Pliilbrick's testimony, under oath by the way, that
you were chairman of the American Youth for Democracy was true,
was a fact. And you said, "I refuse to answer on the grounds that
the answer might incriminate me."
]\Ir. BoLLEN. I remember saying that.
Mr. Duyle. Well, now, you read in the paper, did you not, that
Mr. Philbrick had said that you had been at one time chairman of
the American Youth for Democracy?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, I did.
Mr. Doyle. Did you deny that in the paper?
Mr. Bollen. No, I didn't.
Mr. Doyle. Why, if it was untrue ?
Mr. Bollen. That didn't occur to me. That wasn't the main ques-
tion that I wanted to answer.
1366 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. DoTL,E. What were the main questions you answered other than
the two you have given us? I mean, other than the two statements
which you say 3^ou put in the paper, and which you denied through
the newspaper statement, what other statements were there in that
newspaper article which you read which you did not answer which
you now want to deny under oath? Three weeks ago, young man,
you made a statement through a newspaper. It was not under oath
then. I have not had the benefit of reading that article. But I would
suggest to you, as one American to another, that here would be a pretty
good opportunity for you to clean up this matter under oath and tell
this committee, as a committee of your Congressmen, if there is any-
thing else that appeared in the Philbrick statement that you want to
deny. Why do you not come in good faith before us, instead of
hiding behind the first and fifth amendments ? What keeps you from
coming clean, as a father of two American children, in coming before
a committee of Congress? What are you afraid of? Is that too-
blunt?
Mr. BoLLEN. No, I don't think that question is too blunt.
Mr. Doyle. Then why do you not come forward, as a father of two
children, born and raised in this good country that gave you birth?
We are not trying to catch anyone, Mr. Bollen, believe me. We are
not trying to trap anyone. We are asking your cooperation as a
person that we have information was a former Communist, if you are
not now. And I am especially taking the time of this committee,
and I hope the committee will not be aggravated with me in asking
one more question of this young man,
I am especially interested in you, sir, because you were so young
when you went into organized labor work, 22 years of age. You are
the father of two fine kids. You have a great future ahead of you
if you use it right. And we are trying to prevent a world conflagra-
tion that may put your boy in arms like mine was ; where he may not
come through, as mine did not. I am saying to you that you had
better wake up. Here is your chance, in good faith, clean, without
any duress or without any pressure, to come forward as a young
American and help the American Congress to discover where there
are subversive influences and subversive programs. And if it is true
that you were a leader of the Young Communist League or a Young
Communist Committee of any kind at one time in this country — ■
suppose you were. You might have been misled and misguided like-
a lot of other folks were. For God's sake, man, have you not waked
up to the fact that the Communist Party in our country is subversive
and its main objective is to help destroy our form of government if
possible ? You know that, and I know darn well that you do.
You will pardon me for speaking that bluntly, Mr. Chairman, to-
him.
But I want to urge you. I am a lawyer, too, and I know your
lawyer's duty is to advise you of your legal rights. But if you were
what Philbrick said you were — and you have not denied it this morn-
ing under oath ; I do not know why — if you were what Philbrick said,
I am saying to you, "Come on across and come clean." And you can
follow your lawyer's advice in some ways. And I want to say to this-
lawyer : Sure. Advise your client of his rights. But I think it is time
some of you American lawyers also saw to it that some of these-
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1367
boys that want to come clean and have been misinformed about what
would happen if they told the truth are able to come clean.
1 think it is time some of the members of the American bar became
aware of their full constitutional obligation and saw to it that these
former Communists who want to get out of it and come clean and stay
out of it and get more of a chance than they are getting can do so.
And I am not directing this particularly to you, Mr. Counsel. I am
dii'ecting it to all the members of the American bar, of which I am
a member.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Velde?
Mr. Velde. I have just one or two questions.
■ Wlien did you join the International Fur and Leather Workers?
Mr. BoLLEN. It was some time in January of this year, 1951.
Mr. Velde. Of course, that was after they had become disassociated
from the CIO ; is that right ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, that is right.
Mr. Velde. Now, as to your statement to the press, do I understand
correctly that this was a prepared written statement issued by you ?
]\Ir. Bollen. Yes, that is right.
Mr. Velde. In that statement you said that you were not a Com-
munist, about 2 or 3 weeks ago ; is that right ?
Mr. Bollen. I said 1 or 2 weeks ago.
Mr. Velde. One or 2 weeks ago. Did you also in that statement deny
that you had ever been a Communist ?
Mr. BoLLEN. No, I didn't.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Potter?
Mr. Potter. Mr. Bollen, the charges made against you by Mr. Phil-
brick are serious charges. He stated that you were one of the group
that was charged with the responsibility of conducting a so-called
survey, industrial survey, to obtain blueprints, and so forth, from the
plant for the Communist Party.
The courts have determined that the Communist Party of the
United States is an international conspiracy, and that members of
the Communist Party are subservient to directions which originate in
the Soviet Union. Now, secret information that you might have had
a part in obtaining, according to the charges of Mr. Philbrick, could
involve something very serious. Here you have an opportunity to deny
those charges. And by your refusal to deny them, the only implica-
tion that this committee and tli^ American people have is that the
charges made by Mr. Philbrick are true.
I would like to ask this one question. If you saw an act of sabotage
or espionage, would you impart that act to the proper governmental
officials?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes, I would.
Mr. Potter. Even though the acts were committed by members
of the Communist Party ?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes.
Mr. PoTT-ER. Now, you claim you would impart that information.
Here is a man who has testified under oath and made charges against
you. If those charges are not true, that man has committed perjury.
If the charges are true, you have been a very disloyal person.
I have no further questions.
1368 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Wood. Mr. Bollen, I understood you to say a while ago that
you were willing to furnish this committee with a copy of the state-
ment which you released to the press some week or 2 weeks ago. Is
that true?
Mr. BoLLEN. Yes.
Mr. Wood. When can you let the committee have that copy ? How
early can you get it to us?
Mr. BoLLEN. Oh, I believe I could get a copy by this week end and
put it in the mail immediately.
Mr. Wood. Would you, then, if you were brought back here under
subpena before this committee, testify to the truthfulness of it? I
am going to ask you to furnish it to us in any event. As soon as you
can get it, I am going to ask you if you will mail it to the clerk of
this committee. Would you then come back under oath and verify
the truthfulness of that statement?
Mr. Bollen. I don't think I would.
Mr. Wood. That is not exactly an answer. Would you, or would
you not ? Because if you will, we want you back here.
Mr, Bollen. No, I wouldn't.
Mr. FoRER. He doesn't mean that he would disobey a subpena.
Mr. Wood. I understand that. I do not want to put the taxpayers
to the expense of bringing him back here if he still will not verify
the truthfulness of his statement. That is the reason I was asking
at this time. I did not want to take any advantage of it.
Mr. FoRER. I just wanted to clarify that.
Mr. Wood. In any event, please send that to the clerk of the
committee.
I understood you to say that while you were working in the Gen-
eral Electric Co. you did get information from some of the workers
of that organization, information to the effect that they were pro-
ducing jet engines.
Mr. Bollen. I never worked for the General Electric Co.
Mr. Wood. While you were engaged in activities as an organizer,,
did you not say that you got information that they were producing
jet engines there?
Mr. Bollen. I believe I said that I have read it in the papers and
I perhaps have heard workers mention something about it.
Mr. Wood. So vou did c-et that information from workers?
Mr. Bollen. I have heard that from them, I think.
Mr. Wood. I want to ask you this question, and I do not know
whether I have asked you the question before. If it is repetitious, let
it be so. Were any of the workers from whom you received such
information members of the Communist Party, to your knowledge?
Mr. Bollen. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. Wood. Were you ever employed by the United States Gov-
ernment ?
Mr. Bollen. Yes ; I believe I was.
Mr. Wood. In what capacity, and when?
Mr. Bollen. I was in the Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC's,
and the exact dates I am not sure of, but to the best of my recollection,
I was in the CCC's in 1937 and 1939, that is, parts of those years, and
possibly part of 1938. ^
Mr. Wood. Was your connection with the Civilian Conservation
Corps that of an enrollee, or an official capacity ?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 369
Mr. BoLLEN. Just an enrollee.
Mr. Wood. Aside from beino; an enrollee in the Civilian Conserva-
tion Corps, which did a magnificent work for the youth of our coun-
try in many instances, in most instances, have you held any other
position with the Government?
Mr. BoLLEN. Not that I can recall.
Mr. Doyle. Mr. Chairman, may I ask a few more questions^
In view of your answer, young man, just now, to the chairman, when
you said "Not that I recall," I will ask you to think for a minute and
I will ask you to be pretty specific as to whether or not you ever have
worked for the United States Government. Just think for a min-
ute. I want your positive answer as to whether you have been.
Mr. BoLLEN. I still can't recall working for the United States Gov-
ernment, with the exception of the CCC's.
Mr. DoYLE. Have you ever traveled abroad ?
Mr. BoLLEN. No ; I haven't.
Mr. Doyle. Let me ask this question. Do I understand, Mr. Bollen,
that when our distinguished chairman asked you if you would swear
under oath before this committee that your statements in the news-
paper, at least, which you gave, were all true — did I understand you
to say you would not swear under oath that they were true ?
Mr. BoLLEN. That is right.
Mr. DoYLE. Do I understand, then, that you put some things in a
newspaper statement that you now know not to be true ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I didn't say that.
Mr. Doyle. I know you didn't. I am just saying to you that that
is my impression pretty definitely. My impression is that that is
where you find yourself in this instance.
Mr. Wood. There is one more question I wanted to ask him.
"Wlien you obtained information from any of the employees of the
General Electric Co. as to the type of material that was being pro-
duced, particularly jet engines, did you get that information from
such employee or employees voluntarily by them, or did you request
it?
Mr. Bollen. What information, again, please ?
Mr. Wood. That they were making jet engines. Did you request
such information from them?
Mr. Bollex. No, I haven't.
Mr. Wood. Did you ever request any information from any em-
ployee of the General Electric Co. as to what was being produced
in that plant ?
Mr. Bollex. I don't remember ever doing that. I would like to
say that as far as producing jet engines in the community, it was
common knowledge. That is, it was in the newspapers.'^ People
were discussing it.
Mr. Wood. I mean, before it became common knowledge, when it
was classified information, did you get the information before it
became common knowledge?
Mr. BoLLEN. I don't believe so.
Mr. Wood. Did you ever seek it ?
Mr. BoLLEx. No.
Mr. Wood. Did you ever seek any information from people in that
plant as to what was being produced?
Mr. BoLLEX. I don't recall that.
1370 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Wood. Did you ever pass any information tliat you received
of that kind along for use by anybody else ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I don't know. Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't.
Mr. Wood, I will make it a little more specific. Did you ever pass
it along to any official or functionary of the Communist Party ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that question for the same reasons
stated before.
Mr. Wood. I am sorry that you do so refuse.
Any further questions, Mr. Counsel ?
Mr. PoTi'ER. I have just one more question.
What would the Communist Party do with that information that
was secured in connection with the plant ?
Mr. BoLLEN. I refuse to answer that for the same reason.
Mr. Wood. Any further questions, Mr. Counsel ?
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. Do you think the witness can be excused ?
Mr. Tax-enner. I think he ought to be continued under the subpena.
In other words, the subpena, I think, should be continued for a period
of 2 weeks.
Mr. Wood. Subject to notification of his return.
Mr. Doyle. I feel the same way about it, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Tavenner. I w^ould like for you to set a specific day.
Mr. Wood. I will continue the subpena in force until the 24th of
this month. That would be 2 weeks from this day, at 10 o'clock, subject
to notification in the event you are not to appear. If you do not get
a further notification from this committee, you will appear here at
10 o'clock on the 24th of this month.
And I understood that in the meantime you are to mail to the clerk
of this committee, Mr. Carrington, a copy of the statement that you
released to the press.
Mr. FoRER. Can we do it the other way around ?
Mr. Wood. No, because there might be some question. I would
rather leave it like I have left it. Unless he gets a notification that
he does not need to attend, let him come back here on the 24th. We
are leaving it that way. As it stands now, he is to appear here at 10
o'clock on the 24th.
Mr. FoRER. The only question I ask is that as soon as the committee
makes up its mind definitely, will they notify him as quickly as
possible ?
Mr. Tavenner. I will notify you.
Mr. Wood. Until that time, the 24th of this month, the witness is
•excused.
Mr. FoRER. I assume the reason is that you want to examine the
statement before you make up your mind?
Mr. Doyle. It might not be that that is the only reason. I would
not want you and the witness to conclude that that is the only reason.
Mr. Wood. The witness is under subpena to return here on the 24th
unless he is notified prior to that time.
(Thereupon, at 1 : 05 p. m., an adjournment was taken, subject to
the call of the Chair.)
EXPOSE OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE
OF MASSACHUSETTS
(BASED ON TESTIMONY OF HERBERT A. PHILBRICK)
thursday, october 11, 1951
United States House of Representatives,
Subcommittee of the Committee on
Un-American Activities,
Washington, D. C.
PUBLIC HEARING
A subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met
pursuant to adjournment at 11 : 37 a. m., in room 226, Old House Office
Building, Hon. John S. Wood (chairman) presiding.
Committee members present: Representatives John S. Wood, Clyde
Doyle, Harold H. Velde, and Charles E. Potter.
Staff members present : Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel ; Thomas W^
Beale, Sr., assistant counsel ; John W. Carrington, clerk ; Raphael I.
Nixon, director of research ; and A. S. Poore, editor.
Mr. Wood. The committee will come to order.
Let the record show that for the purposes of the hearing today, and
acting under the authority that is vested in me as chairman of the
committee, I have set up a subcommittee composed of Mr. Doyle, Mr.
Velde, and Mr. Wood.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Donald Tormey ?
Mr. FoRER. Mr. Chairman, we object to proceeding in the absence
of a quorum of the full committee.
Mr. Wood, Will you hold up your right hand and be sworn, please ?
Do you solemnly swear that the evidence you will give before this
subcommittee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God ?
Mr. Tormey. I do.
Mr. Forer. For the record, we are proceeding under protest, Mr.
Chairman.
Mr. Wood. The record so shows.
Mr. Tavenner. What is your name, sir ?
TESTIMONY OF DONALD TORMEY, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS COUNSEL^
JOSEPH FORER
Mr. Tormey. Donald Tormey.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Are you represented by counsel ?
Mr. Tormey. I am.
Mr. Tavenner. Will counsel please identify himself for the record ?
Mr. Forer. Joseph Forer, 711 Fourteenth Street NW., Washing-
ton, D. C.
1371
1372 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Wlien and where were you born, Mr. Tormey ?
Mr. ToRMET. In 1918, in South Ashburnham, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Where do you now live?
Mr. ToRMEY. Beverly, Mass.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you outline for the committee briefly your
educational background ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I attended the public grammar schools and high
schools in Massachusetts and graduated in 1928; graduated from a
Boston accounting school in 1931.
Mr. Velde. Will you speak up just a little louder, if you will, please?
Mr. Tormey. I attended and graduated from the public schools of
Massachusetts, grammer and high school, and graduated from an
accounting school in Boston in 1931.
Mr. Tavenner. How are you now employed ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I am international representative for the United
Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America — ^TJE.
Mr. Tavenner. In what district do you hold that position ?
Mr. Tormey. District 2.
Mr. Tavenner. And that includes what area ?
Mr. Tormey. That includes all of New England, but most of my
work is in Massachusetts.
Mr. Tavenner. Wliat has been your record of employment since,
say, 1935?
Mr. Tormey. Well, for 51/2 or 6 years I worked in the accounting
section of the WPA in the Boston headquarters. In 1941 I came to
work for the UE.
Mr. Ta\ti:nner. What date? 1941?
Mr. Tormey. That is right.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you worked for the UE constantly since 1941 ?
Mr. Tormey. With the exception of about a year in the Army.
Mr. Tavenner. When was that?
Mr. Tormey. That was from the fall of 1942 until the fall of 1943.
Mr. Tavenner. How long have you been an international repre-
sentative of the UE ?
Mr. Tormey. Well, although my duties haven't changed much, there
are a couple of titles that staff people have with unions. One is
"organizer"; the other is "international representative." Actually,
there is not too much difference between what they do, but you get
$10 more for being an international representative, and I have had
that title for about a year.
Mr. Tavenner. Just a minute. Ten dollars more for what period
of time ?
Mr. Tormey. A week.
Mr. Tavenner. All right. When did you become international
representative ?
Mr. Tormey. About a year ago.
Mr. Tavenner. And prior to that time you were organizer for the
same district ?
Mr. Tormey. In that district ; yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Or in that district. When did you become or-
ganizer ?
Mr. Tormey. 1941.
Mr. Tavenner. And you were organizer constantly from 1941 until
about a year ago ?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 373
Mr. ToRMEY. That is the title. I am still an organizer; different
title.
Mr. Tavexxkr. Were you an organizer in the same locality during
all that period of time, or were you transferred from one area to
another within your district ^
Mr. ToRMEY. Well, most of that time I have worked out of either
Boston or the office in the North Shore, but working out of that office
I go all the way from New Bedford to the south and Springfield, Vt.,
in the north.
Mr. Tavenner. Specifically what area did you cover? Or I would
rather put tlie question this way : What was the area embraced within
your district over which you were organizer at the time that you
became an international representative?
Mr. ToRMEY. A vear ao;o?
Mr. Tavexner. Yes.
Mr. Tormey. Well, for the last couple of years, most of my time
has been spent at Lynn.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. At Lynn ?
Mr. Tormey. With some side trips for either negotiations or arbi-
trations or walking picket line.
Mr. Ta\tnner. And when did your duties begin at Lynn ? I mean,
when was that particular area assigned to you ?
Mr. Tormey. Well, I was assigned to Lynn for about 30 or 40 days
in the late winter of 1949, February probably. And then I received
an assigmnent to go to Lynn in May of 1949 and have been there
since.
Mr. Tavexxer. Prior to that time, had you worked any as organizer
in the area of Lynn. Mass. ?
Mr. Tormey. What does the area mean ? Surrounding communities ?
Mr. TA^•ENXER. Well, the area within which Lynn is located.
Mr. Tormey. Well, Lynn is part of district 2 of the UE.
Mr. Tavexxer. Yes, but you have told us that your duties were
not coexistent with the entire district.
Mr. Tormey. That is right.
Mr. Tavexxer. It was only ])art of it. So I am trying now merely
to ascertain what sections of district 2 have come under your juris-
diction as organizer. ' ■ ■
Mr. Tormey. Well, almost any section where the district president
wanted to send me. But I spent a lot of time in and around Boston
and up on the Xorth Shore. That would cover Lj-nn, Beverly, Salem,
Ipswich — most of the towns up through there.
Mr. Ta\'t:xner. And over what period of time was that true ?
Mr. Tormey. Well, that was true in 19 — .
Although I was on a special assignment in 1941 and 1942, when I
worked out of the Boston office up until the early part of 1949, I
would go up to the Xorth Shore whenever I was"^called by a local
union. We never used to go to local unions itnless we were called in.
Mr. Taat^^x^xer. All right. You have told us you were assigned to
specific duties in the area north of Boston, as I understood it.
Mr. Tormey. Sometimes, yes.
Mr. Tavexxer. A^Hiich would include Lynn and the various other
places you mentioned?
IVIr. Tormey. You mean some of our locals would be located there?
Mr. Ta\t:x'xer. Yes.
1374 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. ToRMEY, Sure.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, my question was : Over how long a period of
that time were you given assignments of that character ^
Mr. ToRMEY. To plants of our union that would be located up in
that area?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes, including Lynn, Mass.
Mr. ToRMEY. Oh, that has been going on for years. Whenever there
is an assignment up on the North Shore. Although sometimes when
we had organizational campaigns up there, there would be more than
one organizer around. But if some local called for either negotiationL
or arbitration or taking grievances through some step in the grievance
procedure, or if we had an organizational problem on the North Shore,
I would go over there, the same as I would go to either Fitchburg or
New Bedford.
Mr. Tavenner. When did you perform your first duty?
Mr. ToRMEY. On the North Shore?
Mr. Tavenner. At Lynn, Mass.
Mr. ToRMEY. Are you talking about any particular company?
Mr. Tavenner. As an organizer, for UE.
Mr. ToRMEY. Are you talking about any particular company?
Mr. Tavenner. Any company.
Mr. ToRMEY. Any company in Lynn ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
Mr. ToRMEY. Why, in 1942 we had an organizational drive in the
Boston Machine Works. We won an election tliere.
Mr. Tavenner. Was that the first time that you went to Lynn?
Mr. ToRMEY. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. When was the first time you performed your dutie&
as an organizer in the General Electric plant at Lynn ?
Mr. ToRMEY. As an organizer?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
Mr. ToRMEY. Tlie first time I ever went to our local union that had
had bargaining rights with General Electric Co. was during the
strike in 1946. We had a Nation-wide strike against General Electric
Co. at that time.
Mr. Tavenner. Excuse me. Had you finished ?
Mr. ToRMEY. No, I w^as going to tell you what it was about.
Mr. Tavenner. All right.
Mr. Tormey. You see, GE had a plant up in Lowell that was in an-
other union and wasn't on strike. So I went down to Lynn, and I
talked to the executive board of our local down there. And we set
a picket line up in Lowell, closed it down for a couple of weeks just to>
show the company we could do it. That is, the leadership of local
201 did.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, that was in the performance of your duties as
an organizer ?
Mr. ToRMEY. That is -right.
Mr. Tavenner. What other work did you do at the General Electric
plant other than as an organizer?
Mr. ToRMEY. I never did any work in the plant of any kind, type,
or description.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, what work did you do in connection with your
union at the General Electric plant other than as an organizer ?
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IK STATE. OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 375
Mr. ToRMEY. Well, the next time I went to the local union was to
speak to the veterans coininittee at the local union following the close
of the war. I was a member of the veterans conunittee of the district,
and there was a confusion about this GI bill of rights — who had sen-
iority and who didn't — and we had a meeting of the veterans com-
mittee down there, and I spoke there. That was the second time.
Mr. FoREK. Can we have the date of that ?
Mr. Taatexner. Yes, if you would like.
JMr. Tormey. That was later in 1{)46, as I recall it.
(Representative Charles E. Potter entered tlie hearing room at this
point.)
Mr. Tavenner. Then, if I understand you correctly, beginning in
1946 and intermittently after that, on up until the time you became in-
ternational representative, you engaged in the performance of your
duties as an organizer of UE at the General Electric plant ?
Mr. Tormey. No. Just twice.
Mr. Tavenner. Just twice.
Mr. Tormey. And I have already related those two times.
Mr. Tavenner. There were no other times I
Mr. Tormey. There were no other times, to my knowledge, that I
recall, sir, up until 1949.
Mr. Tavexxer. And what has been your connection with the work
at the plant since 1949 ?
Mr. Tormey. Well, in the winter of 1949, the district president of
•our union received a call from the local officers of our union, which
holds bargaining rights, or did at that time, in GE. A rival union
was trying to organize one of the departments into a craft and had
filed a petition with the Labor Board for an election, and the petition
liad been granted. The rival union had organized and signed up about
80 percent of the members of this union in their rival union. We at
that time had not complied with the provisions of the Taft-Hartley
law as a union, either the local or the international. Consequently
we were not on the ballot. The vote would either be for this rival
union or no union at all. And we had reason to believe that if we
could convince the membership to vote "no," the company would con-
tinue to recognize our local as the bargaining agent for that depart-
ment.
So 1 must have spent about 30 days on that job. And the majority
Toted "No," and they stayed in the union.
Mr. Tavenxer. When was that?
Mr. Tormey. That was in the late winter, probably February and
maybe part of March, in 1949.
Mr. Tavexner. In addition to the times you have already men-
tioned, when you performed your duties as an organizer of UE at
iynn, Mass., whether in the General Electric or some other organiza-
tion, will you tell us the number of occasions when you performed the
duties of your office at Lynn, Mass.? You see, you have named, I
think, about three occasions — twice for UE and once for the Boston
Machine.
Mr. Tormey. That was an organizational job; Boston Machine
€o., back in 1942.
Mr. Tavexxer. Yes.
Mr. Tormey. I negotiated several contracts for the union with that
.company, spent some time in a couple of strikes at a lamp plant in
1376 COIMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
that town, helped neootiate contracts at a lamp plant in that town^
and we liad another local in there with a few small shops which I
occasionally worked on negotiations with and a conple of strikes.
Mr. Tavenner. Over what period of time did that take place?
Mr. ToRMEY. UE is always engaging in either negotiations or organ-
ization or trouble w4th the companies, one way or another, and
that took place whenever it happened, although I wasn't always
assigned. Sometimes I might be in Springfield, Vt., or New Bedford,,
and the president would have to send somebody else.
Mr. Tavenner. It is quite obvious that you would not do that if you
were not there, but I am trying to find out the dates or the period.
Possibly it was intermittently during the entire period. I am just
trying to ascertain the facts.
Mr. ToRMEY. We must have 40 shops organized between Boston and
IpsM'ich. That is a lot of shops to take care of.
Mr. Tavenner. Yes. Well, at Lynn, Mass., over what period of
time were you engaged in performing your duties as an organizer?
Mr. Turmey. Well. 1 imagine the small sho])s in Lynn probably
took maybe anywhere fi'om 10 to 15 peicent of my time over a period
of, oh — of course we had a lot of strikes in Lynn in 1946. Everybody
did. And it took longer than that. But over a period of time prior
to 1946 and some time in 1945. especially in negotiations, it would take
from 10 to 15 percent of the time, because we had a business agent in
one of the locals.
Mr. Tavenner. Would you say over what period of time it took 10-
CO 15 percent of your time ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I would say every year, from the time I came back
from the Army.
Mr. Tavenner. Up until 1949, wlien you ceased to function as an
organizer?
Mr. ToRMEY. I didn't really cease to function as an organizer..
Ml. Tavenner. Well, until the present time?
Mr. ToRM^Y. We don't have quite as many locals tliere as we used
to have.
Mr. Tavenner. Then, would you say it would be correct to state
that it took about 15 percent of your time in Lynn from the time you
began your work as an organizer up until the present time?
Mr. Tormey. No, it is probably less than that. I wouldn't put it
at above 10 percent. There might be weeks wjien I Avould have to-
spend 2 or o days if it was tougli negotiations. But, then, there woidd
be months running, and I wouldn't stop in at all.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Tormey. there appeared before the committee
on July 23, 1951, pursuant to a subpena served upon him. Mr. Her-
bert A. Philbrick. Mr. Philbrick, in testifying before the committee,
stated in some detail what his connection had been with various organ-
izations in Massachusetts, including the Young Communist League
and the Connnunist Pai'ty. He told us how he became a member of
the State educational commission of the Connnunist Party. He also
told us that as a member, as an executive, of the Communist Party,
he met with various groups and received from them knowledge of
the plans and the purposes of the Comnnniist Party in infiltrating"
certain types of industry in Massachusetts.
Now, inasmuch as he has mentioned you in connection with this,
I want to read vou his testimonv relatino- to it. In order to save-
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1377
needless repetition, I Avill read his answers, whicli make a rather con-
nected story, rather than to read my questions each time they were
asked.
Mr. Philbrick testified as follows : ^
In 1946 and 1947, as an executive of the Coinnuniist Party, I attended what
were known as district executive conferences lield in Boston. I believe thpse
were titled party building conferences, and each of them I found was for the
purpose of infiltrating heavy industries or key industries in our area and in
the United States.
I remember specifically at one of the party building conferences the comrades
were instructed to take positions as colonizers; that is, to take upon themselves
the duty of being colonizers in the key industries.
Mr. ToRMEY. Do you mind if I have a smoke ?
Mr. Tavenxer. Not at all.
Mr. Wood. Help j'ourself .
Mr. Tavenner (continuing to read) :
That meant if you had a job in a small business or non-essential industry you
should leave it and take a job in one of the key industries.
These key industries were listed by the party leaders. We were told that
they were industries important to the war effort. We were instructed that
the' imi)eralist aims of the United States, the war-promoting purposes of the
United States, were to carry on a war against the Soviet Union and a war
against the free peoples of the world, that is, peoples under the jui'isdiction of
the Soviet Union.
We were told that the chief means at the disposal of the American imi^eralists
was the productive capacity of this country, which they said was owned directly
by the capitalists of the United States. We were taught that since this was the
key weapon it was the weapon we had to attack and destroy as Communists.
We were told in New England one of the key industries consisted of the Gen-
eral Electric plant in Lynn. We were told one reason why colonizers were
needed there was because it was involved in the development of defense ma-
terials including jet airplane engines. I might point out that at that time no
one outside of the party had any knowledge that jet airphme engines were being
developed in the jet airplane plant in Lynn, but they knew that.
Another key industry was the communications industry, another was the
leather industry, boots and shoes, and another was the clothes industry, service
clothes, and so forth.
We were told that the steel industry and lines of transi)ortation were very
important centers for Communist infiltration and colonization, so various com-
rades were ordered at this time to take up jobs at these isi>ots.
We were told in certain sections of the country the steel industry would be
the main point of concentration, whereas in New England the steel industry was
not as important. We had seven or eight comrades assigned to the General Elec-
tric plant at Lynn and only one assigned to the steel industry to my knowledge to
set up the colonization program.
As a part of the colonization program, but carried out very secretly, a survey
was conducted of certain plants. This was a very complete .survey. That nr^-
gram in New England was under the direction of Daniel Boone Schirmer. I was
told it was on a national level, but my only information concerning" it came
from this local level. I came upon it more or less by accident. I was working
■It Communist Party headquarters on leaflet production at that time. One rf
!ie means of preparing the survey was a mimeographed form which I happenrd
io prepare for Daniel Boone Schirmer. This had to do completely with industrial
plants, although I understand they made investigations along other lines, too.
Tht^ particidar forms that I worked on had to do with a complete survey of the
plants, what they were producing, how many they were producing, the labor
unions, the number of employees, also the number of comrades in these plants,
and exactly what influence the comrades had in the unions. They also Included
a review of the training and qualifications of the various comrades working in
these plants.
As I say, I came upon it somewhat by accident and therefore did not know
how much information Daniel Boone Schirmer was getting from the comrades-
in the plant, but I know he was calling on them for very specific information, in-
cluding blueprints, but I had no knowledge of any particular blueprints.
^ See pp. 1282 and 1283.
1378 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
I had a very complete list at the time. Of course, my recollection now has
failed me, so that I cannot recall all of them. I know that at least eight, possibly
more, Communist Party members were assigned to the General Electric plant at
Lynn. The ones I recall. * * *
And lie proceeds to name them. And after having named four or five,
I asked him this question.
I stand corrected on that. He names Don Tormey, in this lan-
guage :
* * * Don Tormey was another one assigned to Lynn. I believe that is
all I can recall at the moment.
after having named several others.
When asked if he knew the character of the work these various
people were doing, Mr. Philbrick answered :
No, sir, I don't, except here again to say that most of these people are fairly
skilled in union organizing. And, of course, that was part of their task, too.
These were not single individuals who were to go in there and remain isolated.
Their task was to endeavor to draw in as many other Communists as well as
non-Communists in those unions.
Now, Mr. Tormey, because of your peculiar position as an or-
ganizer of UE in the very plant concerned with this testimony of
Mr. Philbrick
Mr. Tormey. What was the time and date of the testimony ?
Mr. Tavenner. 1946 and 1947. And due to the fact that he named
you as one of those connected with this work at Lynn, I want to ask
you several questions about the details, which I hope you will coop-
erate with me on, and I hope you will cooperate in giving the com-
mittee the benefit of such knowledge and information as you may have
on the subject.
Mr. Velde. Mr. Counsel, what was the question just asked? What
was the date of the testimony ?
Mr. Tormey. The date he was referring to in the testimony.
Mr. Tavenner. He asked me the date as to when this began. Mr.
Philbrick said it was in 1946 and 1947.
So Mr. Philbrick stated in his testimony that he attended as an
executive of the Communist Party, these party building conferences
in 1946 and 1947. Did you attend any party building conference of
the Communist Party where these matters were discussed ?
Mr. Tormey. Mr. Tavenner, in answering that question, it is nec-
essary to say that Philbrick is, No. 1, a liar, and should be prosecuted
for perjury by this committee, certainly by this committee; and that
group of people in the leadership of the State CIO of Massachusetts
who helped him to conspire to present this perjury should also be
prosecuted by the Government for helping him do it. And what I call
a conspiracy leads all the way to the Secretary of Labor, and he should
also be prosecuted for being part of this conspiracy.
Mr. Tavenner. Yes; I understand you have said that before. But
will you answer mv question ?
Mr. ToRJUEY. mat is that?
Mr. TA^^DNNER. As to whether or not you attended a party building
conference of the Communist Party at any time when this matter of
infiltration or colonization of any industry was discussed?
Mr. Tormey. You see, Mr. Tavenner, in Massachusetts this fellow
is a big hero.
Mr. Wood. Just answer that question, please.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE. OF MASSACHUSETTS 1379
JVIr. ToRMf^Y. May I explain the answer to tlie question beforehand?
Mr. Wt)on. He asked if you were at sueli a meeting. That can be
answered and then if you want to exphiin it, go ahead, after you have
answered.
Mr. TinniEY. In view of tliis kind of a question, I am not going to
answer any question anywhere in this proceedings — and this is what
1 call such a question
Ml-. AVoon. I cannot hear you, sir.
Mr. TomiEY. I am not going to answer any question anywhere in
this proceedings that has to do with the Connnunist Party or my
alleged. sus])ected, presumed, assumed membership in that party or
attendance at their meetings, on the basis of my rights under the fifth
amendment.
I don't have to build up a case and testify against myself, and I
am not going to do it.
Ml-. Wool). What is your answer, then?
Mr. ToRMEY. I just did answer.
]Mr. Wood. There has been no answer.
Mr. ToRMEY. I am not going to answer the question, on the basis of
my ])rivilege under the fifth amendment.
Mr. A'Wjod. All right.
Mr. Tavexxer. AVell, were you ever advised, counseled, or encour-
aged to take part in a program at Lynn, Mass., which would facilitate
the infiltration of Communist Party members in the UE union or in
that plant at Lynn?
Mr. Tormey. That is the same question as the other one.
Mr. Tavexx'er. No.
Mr. ToRMEY. It is the same answer.
Mr. Wood. You give the same answer?
Mr. Tormey. Certainly.
Mr. Wood. Well, not "certainly," to me. The question was not
"certaiidy"' to you. Now, do you give the same answer?
Mr. ToHMEY. Of course.
Mr. Tavexxer. And what is the answer ?
Mr. ToRMEY. The answer is the same as before.
Mr. Tavexxer. That you refuse to answer on the ground that to
do so might tend to incriminate you ? Is that what you intend to say ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I won't answer this question.
Mr. Tavexxer. All right. On what ground?
Mr. ToRMEY. On the basis of my privilege not to say anything that
may be used. I am not going to testify against myself.
Mr. Tan-exner. Mr. Philbrick has testified that at the party build-
ing conferences it was determined to ask people, members of the
Communist Party, to leave their jobs where they may have been
employed in nonessential industry, and to take up positions in key
industries. Do you have any knowledge on your own part of that
having been done in any instance?
Now, I am not asking you if you were a member of the Communist
Party. I am just asking you if you have any knowledge.
Mr. Tormey. You mean as a union organizer do I have any knowl-
edge of people who may have left one shop and went to work in an-
other shop?
8»0()7— .'-l 9
1380 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. No. I am asking you, regardless of whether you
were serving in the capacity of an organizer or not, whether — in other
words, I am asking you whether you personally had any information.
I don't care whether it was in an individual capacity or in an official
capacity. I am asking you whether you personally had any informa-
tion of any instance in which a person left his job in a minor industry
or unessential industry and became employed in a key industry in re-
sponse to this colonizing movement of the Communist Party.
Mr. ToRMEY. I certainly don't recall anybody.
Mr. Tavenner. You don't recall anybotly?
Mr. Tormet. No, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you advised at any time that the Communist
Party considered that the productive capacity of the United States
was the key weapon which the Communists had to attack and destroy ?
Mr. Tormey. I never heard of it.
Mr. Tavener. Did you at any time hear of the plan of the Com-
munist Party to colonize either your union or the General Electric
plant at Lynn?
By colonizing, I mean for the Communist Part3^
Mr. Tormey. Hear of it where? From any source whatever?
Mr. Tavenner. From any source.
Mr. Tormey. I am not going to answer that question, on the basis
of the same privilege as before.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted, either individually or in
your official capacity, with a plan by which surveys were to be made
of various key industry plants, including that of General Electric
at Lynn, for the purpose of passing the results of the survey on to
the Communist Party?
Mr. Tormey. Mr. Tavenner, I was never a spy for anybody. I
don't know anything about any surveys. I never participated in any
surveys. And I don't intend to participate in any surveys of any
such nature.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Daniel Boone Schirmer?
Mr. Tormey. I refuse to answer, on the same basis as before.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you not, as a matter of fact, know that Daniel
Boone Schirmer was at the head of a group to obtain a survey from the
key industries in Massachusetts and possibly other places?
Mr. Tormey. I know of no such thing.
Mr. Tavenner. You did not know that ?
Mr. Tormey. No, sir.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you ever see one of the forms which was pre-
pared for use by Daniel Boone Schirmer in collecting this survey
material ?
Mr. Tormey. What was that question, again ?
Mr. Tavenner. Read the question, please, Mr. Reporter.
(The reporter read the question referred to.)
Mr. Tormey. Of course, I never saw any such form.
Mr. Wood, What is that ? I cannot hear.
Mr. Tormey. No ; I never saw any such form.
Mr. Ta\^nner. Do you know whether or not, or have you learned
from any source that such forms were used, or that forms were used for
such purposes ?
Mr. Tormey. You just told me that there was testimony to that
effect.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1381
Mr. Tavenner. Well, I mean prior to your appearance here.
Mr. ToiorEV. What he testified here was in contradiction to what
he testified at Foley Square.
Mr. Wood. That was not the question that was asked you.
The question that was asked you was : Did you have any information
as to the existence of certain forms for making these surveys prior to
the time you came here as a witness today?
Mr. ToRMEY. No such knowledge, except what he just read off. Of
course, I have read that testimony before.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, did you receive instructions of any character
from Daniel Boone Schirmer?
Mr. Tormet. Me receive instructions from Schirmer? No. In
relation to working in the union?
Mr. Tavenxer. Yes.
Mr. ToRMEY. Organizational negotiations?
Mr. Ta\tenner. Or any kind of work.
Mr. ToRMEY. Certainly not.
Mr. Ta\^nner. Any kind of work?
Mr; Wood. The reporter cannot get the shake of your head.
Mr. ToKMEY. The answer is "no."
Mr. Forer. Excuse me, Mr. Tavenner, but the witness has been try-
ing to give a comment on the testimony that was given by Mr. Phil-
brick, a factual comment.
I think before you leave that
Mr. Tavenner. I haven't asked him any question to which that
would be responsive.
Mr. FoRER. I think it is something which the committee should be
interested in, Mr. Tavenner. It is a question of evidence and of Phil-
brick having committed perjury before this committee, and I think
the committee should want to hear that.
Mr. Ta-s^nner. If it is a matter of record, as you indicate, the
committee certainly would have possession of it.
Mr. Forer. I don't know whether the committee has or not.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Joe Figueiredo ?
Mr. Tormey, That is the fellow that Philbrick testified at Foley
Square was the one person in charge of colonizing the electrical
union, GE.
Mr. Wood. The question is : Do you know him ?
Mr. Tormey. I won't answer that question, on the same basis of
privilege as before.
Mr. Ta%t;nner. Do you recall having attended a meeting that was
entitled "The People and the Press" at the Horticultural Hall at
Boston, November 28, 1944?
Mr. Tormey. Will you tell me what happened at the meeting? I
have been to a lot of meetings in my time.
Mr. Tavenner. Yes. In order to refresh your recollection, I hand
you a photograph and will ask you if you can identify a picture of
youi-self in that photograph, which I will ask be marked for identi-
fication only as "Tormey Exhibit No. 1." ^
Mr. Wood. It may be so marked.
(The photograph above referred to was marked "Tormey Exhibit
No. 1" for identification only.)
Mr. Forer. There is no question yet.
* See appendix, p. 1413.
1382 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. Will you examine the photograph and state
whether or not your picture is included ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I won't answer that question on the basis of my privi-
lege.
Mr. Ta\t:nner. Is not the photograph appearing in the bottom row
to the left your photograph ?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenxer. Do you know the gentleman sitting next to you,
next to the one that I just mentioned on the first row, the lower row?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you know Louis Budenz ?
Mr. Tormey. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Is that a photograph of Louis Budenz ?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you examine the photograph again and state
the name of the person apjiearing at the left in the second row, the
standing row, to your left, the first one?
Mr. ToRMEY. The same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Isn't that Joseph Figueiredo?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. And the person standing in the middle in the rear
row; will you identify his picture?
Mr. ToRMj^Y. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Is his name William Harrison?
Mr. Tormey. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Were Louis Budenz, Joseph Figueiredo, or William
Harrison members of the Communist Party in 1944, when that photo-
graph was taken ? In November 1944, to your knowledge?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Ta\^nner. Were you a member of the Communist Party at
any time between 194'6 and the spring of 1949 ?
Mr. Tormey. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you been a member of the Communist Party
at any time ?
Mr. ToRMEY. Same answer.
Mr. Tavenner. I have before me^ Mr. Tormey, a leaflet or a pam-
phlet entitled "Wlio Are the Un-Americans?" by Donald Tormey.
Are you the writer of that document ?
Mr. Tormey. Yes, I am.
Mr. Tavenner. When was that released, that document? Wlien
was it published ?
Mr. Tormey. About 2 or 3 weeks ago.
Mr. Tavenner. I read to you this statement from your article :
I am not a member of the Communist Party. Nevertheless Herbert Philbrick
gave sworn testimony that I am a member of the Communist Party and that I
was ordered to get a job with GE in 1947 to spy out defense worli and that I
was still working there in 1949. Every word of that is a lie.
Was that a truthful statement, when you said that every word of
that is a lie ?
Mr. Tormey. It is.
Mr. Tavenner. Then do you state that you are not a member of the
Communist Party ?
Mr. Tormey. I do.
Mr. Tavenner. A< this time?
COIVIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1383
Mr. ToKaiEY. Of course.
Mr. Tavenner. You are not now a member of the Communist
Party ?
Mr. ToRMEY. Not even now.
Mr. Tavexner. Were vou a member of the Communist Party in
1949?
^Ir. ToRMEY. I have already said that I am not going to answer
questions, based on my privilege under the fifth amendment, about
any past, lussumed, presumed, or suspected membership in the Com-
munist Party.
Mr. Tavexner. Were you a member of the Communist Party yes-
terday ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I have already answered that question. Same answer
as before.
Mr. Taatjxxer. But you are not a member of the Communist Party
today ?
Mr. Tormey. I am not.
Mr. TA^•EXXER. Well, is membership in the Communist Party a
cloak that you can put on and take off just when you appear before
this committee ?
Mr. ToRMEY. I haven't the faintest idea.
Mr. Tavexxer. You haven't any idea. Well, what will it be to-
morrow ? Will you be a member of the Communist Party tomorrow ?
Mr. Tormey. Certainly not.
Mr. Tavex^xer. Do you mean you have severed your connections
with the Communist Party?
Mr. Tormey. That is a pretty tricky question, Mr. Tavenner.
Mr. Tavexxer. No, that is a very plain question. There is nothing
tricky about that.
Mr. Tormey. Same answer as before.
Mr. Tavex'X'er. Were you a member of the Communist Party 2
weeks ago, when you published this ?
Mr. Tormey. Xo ; I was not.
Mr. Tavexx'er. You were not 2 weeks ago. Were you 3 weeks ago ?
Mr. Tormey. Now, you see, I am just not going to answer the ques-
tion, based on this privilege.
Mr. Taatexxer. Were vou a member of the Communist Party on
July the 23d. when :\Ir. Philbrick testified, July 23, 1951?
Mr. Tormey. Xo, I wasn't.
Mr. TA^^EXXER. You were not.
Mr. Tormey. I was not.
Mr. Tavexxer. Were you a member on the 22d of July 1951?
Mr. Tormey. Mr. Examiner, you can take me all the way back to
when I was selling newspapers.
Mr. Tavex'xer. Xo ; back to 1916 is quite far enough.
Mr. TuR3iEY. And I have already characterized this fellow as a
liar.
Mr. Wood. Well, what we are trying to find out now is, Wlio is
the liar ?
Mr. Tormey. I was not a member of the Communist Party at the
time he testified, although all the papers said I was. If he didn't say
it, he was misquoted in all the newspapers that got themselves mixed
up in our election campaign, with the help of this committee. And
89067—51 10
1384 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
I am not going to answer questions back to that point, based on that
privilege.
Mr. Tavenner. You won't go back to the time when he testified?
INIr. Tor:mey. I just did. Sure, I will go back to that time.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, now, Mr. Philbrick testified about 3'our con-
duct and your activity back in the period of 1946 and 1947.
Mr. Tormey. He didn't do any such thing, JNIr. Tavenner.
Mr, Tavenner. I just read it to you.
Mr. Tormey. All you testified, all you read to me, was that he said
Donald Tormey w^as one of them.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, were you a member of the Communist Party
in 1946 and 1947?
Mr. Tormey. I have already answered that question.
Mr. Tavenner. And what is your answer ?
Mr. Tormey. The same as- before.
Mr. Tavenner. And what is that?
Mr. Tormey. That answer is that I am not going to answer those
questions, on the basis of my privilege not to testify against myself,
under the fifth amendment.
(Representative Harold H. Velde left the hearing room at this
point.)
Mr. TAAa^^NNER. I have no further questions.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Doyle ?
Mr. DoYLE. Were you ever a member of the Communist Party, Mr.
Tormey ?
Mr. Tormey. I have already answered that, Mr. Doyle.
Mr. Doyle. I did not hear you. I would appreciate it if you
would answer it.
Mr. Tormey. I am not going to answer the question, Mr. Doyle^
based on the privileges under the fifth amendment.
Mr. Doyle. But you did answer that you were not on July 23, 1951,
a member of it.
Mr. Tormey. That is right.
Mr. Doyle. Why Avoukl that answer not incriminate you, if you
think answering whether you were ever a member would incriminate
you? What is the difference?
Mr. Tormey. The difference really, Mr. Doyle, is a difference in
the methods now being used to destroy, dis"ru]it, and divide this union.
Mr. Doyle, I assure you that I am not interested in disrupting any
union.
Mr. Tormey. Why, this committee w^as the most potent weapon our
opponents had in our most recent elections, the one they used the
most. They subpenaed other witnesses that were mentioned by Doyle
on July 20.
Mr. DoYi.E. You mean mentioned by Philbrick?
Mr. Tormey. Mentioned by Philbrick. Tliey waited until 36 hours
before a very important election at GE to subpena me. The opposing
union knew all about it and announced it to their members and told
them to keep it quiet until the subpena was served, at 4 o'clock. It
was served ]:)roinptly at 4 o'clock, which they knew it would be.
They dashed into the streets with an already prepared printed leaf-
let telling how the Government had gi-abbed Tormey, hoping to take
the election with that little trick.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1385
Mr. Doyle. 'N^Hiat provision of the Constitution, wliat section, did
you tell us you rely on ?
Uv. ToKMEY. The Bill of Rights, the fifth amendment.
Mr. Doyle. Is there any other portion of the Constitution on which
you relv?
(TheVitness consults with his counsel.)
Mr. Doyle. I see you are asking your lawyer. I am not asking
about vour lawyer's view. _ i • , •
Mr. "Foker. I am sure you are not objecting to his consulting his
lawyer. . , • -j!
Mr. Doyle. Not as to his rights, but now I am simply asking it
there is any other section of the Constitution that he relies upon.
Mr. FoRER. That is just what lawyers generally tell people.
Mv. Doyle. Well, all lawyers do not have to do that.
Mr. FoRER. I am sure you did that when you were a lawyer.
Mr. Doyle. I just assume that your witness knows what sections
of the Constitution he relies on. If he does not, he can ask his lawyer.
Mr. ToRMEY. I relied on the fifth amendment, Mr. Doyle.
Mr. DoYi^. And no other?
:Mr. ToRMEY. Not that I know of. I don't know if the others cover.
Mr. Doyle. You said in your testimony, "I am not going to build
up a case against myself."
Mr. ToRMEY. That is right.
Mr. Doi-LE, "I am not going to testify against myself.''
Do you feel that stating frankly as one American citizen to an-
other whether or not you were a member of the Communist Party
would be testifying against yourself?
Is that what I understand?
Mr. ToKMEY. With what is going on these days, Mr. Doyle?
Of course.
Mr. Doyle. Of course, I know something of what is going on. I
do not know what is going on in your mind.
Mr. ToRMEY. Well, you were not involved in that election.
Mr. Doyle. May I state this, Mr. Tormey. I am one of the Mem-
bers of Congress "that always has and I expect always will believe
in the riglit of collective bargaining and the worth-whileness of organ-
ized labor.
And I wish to assure you as the son of a blacksmith, which I am,
and proud of it, that I am not interested in fighting organize(l labor.
Air. ToRMEY. Well, then, you should not allow the committee to
be used by these people in the CIO the way they are doing it.
]Mr. Doyle. We have not done that, to my knowledge.
Mr. ToRMEY. AMiy, Mr. Doyle, you even subpenaed the election
cards with the names of six of our members in an effort to intimidate
them.
Mr. Doyle. I gave you that statement to let you understand that
in my questioning I am not trying to hurt organized labor. Now, if
that is clear to you, I hojDe it is clear that I am not interested in ques-
tioning you just because you are an organizer for organized labor.
Tlie assignment of this committee, Mr. Tormey, is given to us by
the United States Congress, which is your Congress, by the way,
because you were born in this country.
This is a committee of which I am a member, and I did not ask to
come on this committee. I was asked to take the assignment. I did
1386 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
not seek it. It is one of those very unpleasant tasks, and yet we are
assigned to find out, if we can, where there are subversive influences
in this country any place.
Mr. ToRMET, Does that require issuing subpenas during our elec-
tions in order to influence the results ?
Mr. Doyle. Well, it requires issuing subpenas when we can catch
people.
Mr. ToRMEY. But he testified on July 23. Everybody else was sub-
penaed on the 20th. Why did they wait until just before the election
to do it to me ?
Mr. Doyle. Will you let me finish my statement?
Mr. ToRMEY. I am very sorry.
Mr. Doyle. You have already told me about that subpena three
times.
Mr. Tormey. There were two subpenas.
Mr. Doyle. You have got that in the record now ; so let us forget it.
Let me ask my question.
Mr. Wood. Will the gentleman yield at that point?
Mr. Doyle. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. I want to state for the benefit of the record that when
any subpena was issued by the chairman of this committee to be served
on any witness the chairman of this committee had no knowledge of
any election being held anywhere at any time by anybody.
ikr. Tormey. Why, the election cards themselves
Mr. Wood. Will you wait until I get through ?
Mr. Tormey. I am sorry.
Mr. Wood. Since these subpenas have been served, we have had
before this committee under subpena many other officers of the UE
who have taken advantage of their privilege under the Constitution
of the United States to refuse to answer whether they were members
of the Communist Party.
Now, if by any act of mine — and I speak for myself only, as chair-
man of this committee, but individually — if by any act of mine I have
been able to bring before this committee officials of an organization
who cloak themselves with the fifth amendment to refuse to answer
as to whether they are members of an organization that is conspiring
to overthrow this Government, and if by doing that I have caused
them to lose a labor-union election in this country, I would be very
happy about it myself.
Mr. Doyle. May I proceed, then, to ask you this question, Mr.
Tormey : I noticed you answered our counsel in some such language
as this, referring to Mr. Philbrick's testimony, "Of course, I have
read that testimony before."
About when did you read Mr. Philbrick's testimony ?
Mr. Tormey. A couple of weeks ago.
Mr. Doyle. Not until then? You did not even read it in the Boston
newspapers ?
Mr. Tormey. That is where I got the idea that he said that I was
actually working in the plant as a spy and had been there since 1937.
That is what they reported.
Mr. Doyle. But he testified on July 23d.
Mr. Tormey. I just discovered today that one of the reporters
instead of being an impartial reporter is an undercover agent of this
oonnnittee. I tried him out today just to find out.
COJVIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE. OF MASSACHUSETTS 1387
Mr. Doyle. Tried but who ?
Mr. ToRMET. One of tlie reporters from Boston. I gave him a copy
of this pamphlet. The first thing he did was to rush to the committee
to show it to them.
Mr. Wo<->D. "Wait just a moment. I am not going to let that state-
ment go unchallenged. You mean to say there is an undercover agent
of this committee who is a reporter for a Boston paper? If so, I
want his name. You said an "undercover agent."
Mr. ToRMEY. A reporter who claims to be an impartial reporter
for the Boston Traveler — his name is Dalton — received a copy of this
statement a few hours ago and went to the members of the staff of
this committee to give it to them.
Mr. Wood. Is that the only information you have upon which
you base the charge that he is an undercover agent of this committee?
Mr. ToRMEY. Certainly.
Mr, Wood. That statement is just as rash and irresponsible as a
lot of others you are making here.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Chairman, in the light of this discussion, I
think I should make a statement for the record that we have had a
copy of this statement by the witness in our possession for fully a
week.
Mr. Forer. Mr. Dalton didn't know that.
Mr. ToRMEY. Mr. Dalton didn't know that.
Mr. DoYLE. May I then proceed with this, Mr. Chairman ?
Mr. Wood. Yes. I am sorry I interrupted.
Mr. DoYLE. That is all right. Do it any time. You always make
a contribution.
Mr. Tormey, have you ever read the law of the United States
Congress under which this committee functions; I mean, what our
job is?
Mr. ToRMEY. The actual wording of the law? No. A lot of its
activities seem to be to try to break up the UE. They are not
succeeding very well.
Mr. DoYLE. No, no. I assure you, sir, there is no reference to
unions, labor unions, in the law.
Mr. ToRMEY. I know there isn't. I know that.
Mr. DoYLE. Then I assume you have never read it. Is that correct ?
I ask you that question not to embarrass you, but I can see you feel
that you are Avell informed on what this committee does, and therefore
I am asking you whether or not you have ever read the law under
which we function. Now, I do not believe you have. I believe you
are misinfoi-med.
The law under which we operate, Mr. Tormey, does not mention
labor unions. AVe are not assigned under the law to investigate labor
unions. We are assigned to investigate subversive influences wherever
they come from, whether they come from the United States or from
any place else, anything that would destroy our American form of
government, anything that is determined to be directed toward
uprooting or overthrowing it. Mr. Webster, if you look at his dic-
tionary, which most of us follow, says that the term "subversive"
relates to overthrowing. Now, I have told you what our job is. I
assure you we are not interested in any labor-union activity unless
it happens to be the case that we know there are some members in
1388 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
that labor union that are devoted to the foreign ideology of aggressive
communism, which is interested in overthrowing our form of
government.
Now, I have never met you. never heard you before, but you are
rated as a very able UE organizer, and I am informed by Mr. Phil-
brick and others that you are rated as a very able member of the
Commmiist Party.
And we are asking your cooperation to help us understand whether
or not in the Comnuniist Party to your personal Imowledge there is
any subversive program which would tend to overthrow our form of
government.
I have not done that to preach to you, sir. I have made that state-
ment to you. And I notice whenever you get to anything about the
Communist Party, you claim your privilege. That is all right. We
want you to always claim your privilege, when it is in good faith.
Mr. ToRMEY. Do vou want to listen to the evidence of perjury by
this Philbrick ?
Mr. DoTLE. No, we are interested in questioning you. We have
his testimony under oath. We have that in writing, the same as we
will have yours. But I am asking you if you have any knowledge
within the Communist Party of any effort or program to overthrow
the American form of government. Is that a fair question?
Mr. ToRMEY. Well, now, let's see what happened in the last couplf
of years, and maybe that will answer the question.
Since
Mr. Doyle. Now, just a minute. Because we do not have time to
permit too long statements on both sides.
Mr. ToRMEY. I think I can give you a real insight on what is being
overthrown.
Mr. Doyle. No, no. I know you came prepared to make a speech
I understand that.
Mr. ToRMEY. No, I am not making any speeches.
Mr. Doyle. I am asking you a simple question. Do you know of
any plan of the Communist Party, of your own personal knowledge, to
in any way overthrow this form of government, the American form of
fifovernment ?
Mr. ToRMEY. What does it mean ? Does it mean, for instance, that I
am opposed to the present administration ?
Mr. Doyle. No, no.
Mr. Wood. He is talking about the Communist Party.
Mr. Doyle. We are not talking about Democrats or Republicans or
any ]:)arties in the matter. We are talking about what we believe to be
and have evidence to be the fact, that the Communist Party of Ameri-
ca is dedicated to the proposition of overthrowing our form of govern-
ment as it exists under the American Constitution.
Do you know whether or not the Communist Partv is interested
in that?
Speaking frankly, I ask you that because I believe that until fairly
recently you were a member of the Comnumist Party.
Mr. Tormey. I just don't know any such thing, ]SIr. Doyle.
Mr. Doyle. As a Communist, now, are you speaking?
I asked you this as a member of tlie Communist Party.
Mr. ToRMEY. If I speak before this committee or any other body of
Government, I speak as a citizen of the United States. The fifth
^^
COIVIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1389
ameiulnient, which is descrihed here as a cloak, is no ch)ak. That is a
sword to he used hy the i)eople when somebody tries to take their
rights away.
Mr. Dt)YLE. Let me ask you this. Do you know ISfr. Don Bollen?
Mr. TomiEV. Yes, certainly.
^Ir. Doyle. Where did yon know him, sir?
Mr. TomiEY. He was an oriranizer for our union. He acted as a
business aaent while an or<>anizer for our union.
Mr. Doyle. Did you ever sit in any meeting of the Communist
Party or committee of the Communist Party with him?
Mr. Tormey. I won't aiiswer that, on the same basis as before.
Mr. Doyle. I noticed you eliminated the years 1942 and 1943, years
when, as I understood, you were not an organizer or in the employ of
theUEW.
Mr. ToRMEY. "Well, it is not the whole year. I was gone for about
a year in the Army.
Mr. Doyle. To Miami?
Mr. ToRMEY. No, in the Army. No, I dichi't get to Miami.
Mr. Doyle. Did you ever travel abroad ?
INIr. Tormey. No. Oh, when I was about 7 years old, I think I made
a trip into Canada and back with my uncle one day.
Mr. DoTLE. I think that is all, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Potter?
Any further ciuestions ?
Do you have any reason why the witness should not be excused from
further attendance ?
Mr. Tavenxfji. No, sir.
!Mr. W^ooD. It is so ordered.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Nathaniel Mills?
:Mr. Wood. Are you Mr. Mills ?
Will you raise your right hand and be sworn, please, sir ?
Do you solemnly swear that the evidence you give this subcommit-
tee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God ?
Mr. Mills. I do, sir.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Mills, are you represented by counsel ?
Mr. Mills. I am, sir.
Mr. Wood. Will counsel ]:)lease identify himself for the record ?
Mr. Kantrovitz. Gabriel Kantrovitz, 294 Washington Street, Bos-
ton. Mass.
Mr. Wood. During the progress of your interrogation, you may con-
fer with your counsel as often as you see fit and seek such informa-
tion or advice as you think you may need.
Your counsel is at liberty to confer with you as often as he may
desire and give you such information as he thinks you may be in
need of.
Mr. Kantrovitz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
This is my first appearance before this committee. I wonder if I
may make a routine objection. As I understand, the subpena was is-
sued in the name of the committee. I understand a quorum of that
committee is five. May I note the absence of a quorum and object to
the questioning under the subpena?
Mr. Wood. I will say for the benefit of counsel that the resolution
•of the Congress establishing the committee gives to the chairman the
1390 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
authority to take testimony himself and to estabUsh subcommittees
to take testimony, and acting under that authority the chairman has
established a subcommittee for the purpose of this hearing consisting
of Mr. Doyle, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Wood, who are present.
Mr. Kantrovitz. But the record will show that just Mr. Doyle, Mr.
Potter, and Mr. Wood, the chairman, are present.
Mr. Wood. That is right.
Mr. Kantrovitz. Thank you.
Mr. Wood. Proceed, Mr. Counsel.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you state your name, please ?
TESTIMONY OF NATHANIEL MILLS, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS
COUNSEL, GABRIEL KANTROVITZ
Mr. Mills. Nathaniel Mills.
Mr. Tavenner. Wlien and where were you born, Mr. Mills ?
Mr. Mills. I was born in 1917 in New York City.
Mr. Tavenner. What has been your education ?
Mr. Mills. I graduated from the public schools, high school. Mount
Vernon, N. Y. ; went to Amherst College ; graduated A. B. in 1939.
Mr. Tavenner. What has been your employment since graduation
in 1939?
jNIr. Mills. Well, my first employment in private industry was in
1941, June, when I went to work for the General Electric Co. on re-
ferral from the USES.
I took tests and they informed me that they could use me at GE.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you employed in 1940 'i
Mr. Mills. No ; I wasn't in industry. I wasn't employed by a pri-
vate concern.
Mr. Tavenner. Well, the indication is that you were employed in
some capacity, thougli not in industry.
What were you doing in 1940?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, because my answer might tend to
incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. You have told us how you were employed in 1941.
Now will you bring us up to the present time, please?
Mr. Mills. I w^as employed steadily in GE from June of 1949 up to
the ]n-esent except for 15 months from December 1944 until March —
well, I came back from the service in March of 1946, and I think it was
in late April I went to work there, under my job rights.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Mills, Mr. Pliilbrick, Mr. Herbert A. Philbrick,
testified before this committee on July 23, 1951. In the course of his
testimony, he described the circumstances under which he met you in
1940 and then proceeded to describe his work in the organization of the
Cambridge Youth Council. He stated that you supplied him with the
names of the persons whom he should interview in establishing that
kind of an organization ; that is, for the initial members of the organ-
ization. Do you recall the circumstances of that?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, on the grounds that my answer may
tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you at that time chairman of the Massachu-
setts Youth Council ?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, because my ansAver might tend to
incriminate me.
COIVIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE. OF MASSACHUSETTS 1391
Mr. Tavennkr. Mr. Pliilbrick has testified here that during the
course of his work with the Cambridge Youth Council, he first learned
of the influence of the Communist Party on organizations of that type.
He stated that other members of the executive committee along with
him were Arthur Solomon, Sidney Solomon, and a third person, whose
name I do not at the moment recall, and that he realized that all the
decisions made w^ere the decisions made by those three, and that the
policy of his organization was controlled by those three persons, who
he later learned to be members of the Communist Party.
Were you acquainted with Ai'thur Solomon ?
Mr. Mills. May I consult counsel ?
Mr. Wood. Yes, sir.
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Ta\-enner. The name of the third person was Stanley Beecher,
the one I could not recall at the moment.
Mr. Wood. But the name you are now asking about is what?
Mr. Tavenner. Arthur Solomon.
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, because my answer might tend to
incriminate me.
Mr. TA^'ENXER. Were you acquainted with Sidney Solomon?
Mr. Mills. May I say the same answer ?
Mr. Tavenner. Yes, sir.
Mr. Wood. And for the same reason ?
Mr. Mills. The same reason.
Mr, Ta\tenner. And Stanley Beecher? Were you acquainted with
him?
Mr. Mills. Same answer, for the same reasons.
Mr. Ta\'enner. Mr. Philbrick also testified that the policy of the
Cambridge Youth Council, of which he was the president, being con-
trolled by these three persons, Arthur and Sidney Solomon and Stanley
Beecher, never deviated from the policy of the Massachusetts Youth
Council, of which you were chairman, and the American Youth
Congress.
Will you tell the committee what you know, if anything, regarding
the efforts to control and guide the policies of the Cambridge Youth
Council by your organization, or at least the organization of which
you are alleged to be the chairman, the Massachusetts Youth Council ?
Mr. Mills. The same answer, for the same reasons.
]Mr. Tavenxer. Mr. Philbrick also testified about a convention held,
a State convention of the Communist Political Association in the State
of Massachusetts in 1945. Did you attend that convention ?
May I change my question ?
My question was based on a wrong assumption of facts. I with-
draw the question.
Did you attend any State convention, or did you attend a convention
in New York in 1943 of the Young Communist League?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, because my answer might tend to
incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you ever live at Maiden, Mass. ?
Mr. ]\liLLS. I have lived at ]Malden, yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Over how long a period of time?
Mr. Mills. I moved there shortly before I went into the service,
and my wife lived there while I was in the service, and I considered
it my residence, until we moved to Lynn in 1946, 1 guess it was.
1392 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Tavenner. "Wliat were the circumstances under which yoir
moved from Maiden, Mass., to Lynn, Mass.?
Mr. Mills. I was working in the Lynn GE for that period, and I
wanted to be close to my worlc.
Mr.^ Tavenner. Mr. Mills, you were present, were you not, during;
the questionino^ of the previous witness, Mr. Tormey ?
Mr. Mills. No.
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. Yes ; I was here.
Mr. Tavenner. I do not want to read again the testimony of Mr.
Philbrick if you were present and heard it. Mr. Philbrick has testified
in general about the plan in the Communist Party to have persons
transferred to the General Eelectric plant in Lynn for the purpose
of colonizing that plant for the Communist Party, due to the fact that
it was an important defense industry.
In the course of his testimony, Mr. Philbrick stated that you wera
assigned to the General Electric plant. Now, prior to your moving
over to Lynn, Mass., you say you were living at Maiden. Were you a
member of the Maiden Club of the Communist Party at the time you:
left there ?
Mr. Mills. Same answer ; same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. You will have to speak a little louder.
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you counseled or advised by any member of
the Communist Party regarding activities on your part at the General
Electric plant at Lynn, as to what you should do in behalf of the
Communist Party ?
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, on the grounds that it might tend
to incriminate me.
(Kepresentative Charles E. Potter left the hearing room at this
point.)
Mr. Tavenner. You will recall Mr. Philbrick's testimony, in which
he said that you and others were assigned to the General Electric plant
at Lynn for colonization purposes. Is that true, or is it false ?
Mr. Mills. It isn't true, no.
Mr. Tavenner. You took no part in any such plan ?
]\Ir. Mills. No, none whatsoever, I was working in the Lynn GE
from 1941. In 1941 I went to work in the GE pfont in Lynn.
Mr. Tam:nnek. But you continued to work straight on through
until when ?
Mr. Mills. I work there today.
Mr. Tavenner. To the present time?
Mr. Mills. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Except when you were in the Army ?
Mr. Mills. Except when in service.
Mr. Tavenner. Now, during that period of time, particularly from
1946 on, were you given any advice or counsel or direction regarding
any duty that you were to perform for the Communist Party in Lynn,
Mass.? "
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with Daniel Boone Schirmer?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer for the same reason.
COIVIMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1393
Mr. Tavexnkr. Were you acquainted with Alice Gordon?
Mr. MiLLt;. 1 refuse to answer for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. Were you ac(iuainted with Fanny Hartnian?
Mr. M11J.S. I refuse to answer for tlie same reason.
jSIr. Tavenxeh. Are you now a member of the Connuunist Party ?
Mr. IMiLJ.s. I refuse to answer for the same reason.
JSIr. Tavenner. Do you want to confer with your counsel ?
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. That is my answer. I refuse to answer, for the same
reason.
Mr. Tavenner. Have you at any time been a member of the Com-
munist Party?
jVIr. INIiLLs. I refuse to answer, for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. I have no further questions.
Mr. Wood. Any questions, "Sir. Doyle?
Mr. Doyle. I take it, Mr. Mills, from your interest in young people
that probably you became interested while you had the splendid op-
portunity of attending Amherst College.
Am I wrong ?
IVfr. Mills. Yes: I learned a lot there about the problems of the
country economically.
Mr. Doyle. Along with the other young American citizens who
were thei-e with you. I think w^e men who were college men have
pei^liaps more responsibility than people who have not had the chance
of having a college education. You would agree with me on that,
at least ?
Mr. Mills. Yes; I think every young person should have the
opportunity.
Mr. Doyle, During the time you were at Amherst, were you a mem-
ber of any young people's study group or organized group ?
Mr. Mills. I refuse to testify, on the grounds that it might tend to
incriminate me.
j\lr. Doyle. You mean while you you w^ere at Amherst ?
I am not asking you about the Communist Party, sir. I have not
mentioned the Communist Party.
I want to call your attention to that.
Mr. Mills. How can I put this ? My counsel indicates that studies
in college were of an academic nature, but I understood the question
to refer to voluntary groups, a study group.
Mr. Doyle. That is correct, Mr. Mills. Your worthy counsel prob-
ably did not understand my question, or I did not make it clear.
Let me direct my question to you again. In other words, I am a
college man, too, and I know that during college years if men are
active and virile at all, interested in their Government and their Na-
tion, especially men that graduate with an A. B. like you did, during
your college years you take some time to belong to groups of students
studying economic problems or social problems.
Now, I am asking you if, w^hile you were in Amherst, you were a
member of such a group. That is all. If so, what group ?
(The witness consults with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. I refuse to answer, for the same reason.
Mr. Doyle. I wish to say this. You are at perfect liberty, naturally,
to confer with your counsel as to your rights under the Constitution,
1394 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
but you and he were not at college together, and you ought to know
whether you were a member of any such group as I asked about.
Mr. Mills. I also understand from studying political science and
from tlie time I was able to read that there is a freedom of association,
a freedom of speech, and so on, but I am forced to refuse to answer.
Mr. Doyle. Do I understand that you claim the privilege of the
Constitution, of refusing to tell a committee of Congress, merely of
citizens who are interested in studying economic and social problems,
as we are, because it is part of our job, with reference to the preserva-
tion of our Union, our constitutional form of Government — do I un-
derstand that you fear that you might be incriminated if you tell what
group, if any, you were a member of, such as I have asked about? I
have not asked anything about the Communist Party,
(The witness consults with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. My counsel advises me that by invoking the privilege
I do not need to explain my reasons for it, but that above all it is not
a question of the college or of anything of such a nature, that I am
inferring ; it is that there is no limit, evidently, in these days, to the
extent to which stool pigeons will go, and stories will be invented.
Mr. Doyle. I understand that you would like to make a speech,
but I do recognize that you are apparently a very clear thinker and a
very able man, and I am just interested to see if we can get help from
you in understanding your interest in young people, and how early
you became interested in young people and the directions it took:
Were you a leader of young people in Amherst College while you
were there ?
You know what I mean by a leader, do you not? Of any group?
Is that a fair question?
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. Yes ; 1 was quite active. I was head of the Amherst
Press and an officer in my fraternity and was in a variety of activities.
I didn't keep quiet.
Mr. Doyle. I just assumed, sir, that you were a leader in Amherst.
Now, may I ask you again. Were you a leader in Amherst in studying
economic and social problems in any group? Is that not a fair
question ?
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Mills. I again say that I refuse to answer for the same reason.
I do not need to give my reason.
Mr. Doyle. In other words, you volunteer the information that you
were a member of the Amherst Press. That is the college paper. And
you were a leader in your fraternity. But if you were a leader in the
study of social or economic problems, you claim the privilege?
Mr. Kantrovitz. I think he is on the horn of a dilemma. He wants
no reflection on the college. You are directing your questioning, are
you not. Congressman Doyle, to extracurricular activities or some-
thing of that kind ?
Mr. Doyle. That is correct. Let me be perfectly frank with you,
Mr. Mills, I am not trying to trap you. But you are a college grad-
uate, and 1 know enough about your work up in the area to know
you have been a leader of young people. I know enough about your
work, whether you think I do or not.
And you may assume, perhaps, that I may know one or more of the
groups that you were a leader in. But I am not trying to trap you
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IX STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1395
into that. sir. I am interested to know how young you became a leader
in the study of social and economic problems at Aniiierst College. That
is all. I am not asking you whether you were a leader in the (lommu-
nist study group at Amherst or any other Communist group at
Amhei"st.
Mr. Mills. Well, I considered myself a citizen while I was there,
and I was a voter before I gradutited, and in justice to any other
citizen or voter, 1 consider my political activities as a citizen to be
privileged.
Mr. Doyle. I am not asking you whether you were a Communist
while you were there or what party you were a member of. But if
vou chiim your privilege, and you are afraid it will incriminate you
if you answer it, I understand, inferentially at least, that there was
something while you were at Amherst College that you were a mem-
ber of, the statement of which might incriminate you.
Mr. Kaxtrovitz. That isn't the necessary inference.
Mr. Doyle. He is claiming his privilege, counsel. It is his privi-
lege. I do not question his right. I am a lawyer too, counsel, and
I want him to stand up on his counsel's advice. But let me be per-
fectl}' frank with counsel, because it is your first service with us.
In my service with this conunittee, I have come to realize, not direct-
ing this to you, sir, but I have come to realize, from facts I know, that
when a person claims privilege under the first or fifth amendments,
even though the Communist Party has not been mentioned in the ques-
tion, the witness has some connection or has had some connection with
Communist activities and he is afraid to come out and be square
enough to tell the truth. That is wliat I have learned as a member
of the committee, and I am giving tlie young man the benefit of the
conclusion I have eome to, even though he has not asked for it.
I wi?h to call ]Mr. Mills' attention again to the fact that I did not
mention the Comnumist Party in the question I asked. I. too, was
active at USC, where I graduated, and was proud of it. If I was
put on the stand and was asked what my extracurricular activities
were, I certainly would have no reason to claim the first or fifth
amendments, and I am surprised that you did, sir, as to your college
3'ears.
I am not suggesting — no, I will not say that, either.
Mr. ]MiLLS. Well, you subpenaed me, the committee did, because
a man called me a spy infiltrating the GE in 1947, and now you ask
me what my political and economic interests were when I was in
college.
Mr. DoYLE. I did not mention political interests, sir. I asked you
about social and economic problems.
Mr. Mills. Well, groups that I associated with. I say I won't
answer, and I don't feel I should give the reason.
I think you should know it from a studv of the Constitution, as
I do.
]\rr. DoYLE. I think perhaps I, too, know a little of the Constitution,
AVell. noAv, let me say this to you, !Mr. Mills, as you go home, please.
Have you read tlie bill under which this conunittee functions?
Mr. ^IiLi.s. I am sorry. I haven't. I would be glad to.
Have you a copy I can read ?
1396 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Doyle. Ye^. We will give you a copy, from our reception
room. I invite you to read that. Substantially, that law charges us
with looking into the field of subversive conduct in this country,
whether it generates from this country or from any other country.
Now, you certainly have no objection to cooperating with a com-
mittee that has that assignment from the United States Congress,
do you?
Just one further statement, Mr. Chairman.
I only make it for your benefit, because you are much younger than
I am, and you have had a college training that should put you in a
position to be a great factor in this country against subversive con-
duct. That bill charges us, as I have said, with looking into that
subiect.
(Representative Charles E. Potter returned to the hearing room at
this point.)
Mr. Doyle. I just want you to realize that when we subpena people,
even though we know they are Communists when we subpena them,
as generally we do — I will say to the gentleman that we generally
know that in advance — we do hope that sometimes men of your age,
sir, will between the time you are subpenaed and come in go to coun-
sel, at least, and we always like to have citizens go to counsel, but we
do hope that, generally speaking, when they tell their counsel that
they have been Communists, that they realize, possibly, that it was a
mistake. And if they tell their counsel that, many times their counsel
will say to our counsel, "My client wants to help clean up this bad
situation." Many times, witnesses' counsel make dates with our coun-
sel or with committee members. But sometimes we fail in that objec-
tive. I want to invite you, sir, as a young man, to think it over. And
if there is any measure of cooperation you can give the United States
Congress, why don't you give it?
Mr. Mills. I will continue to strive to be the best citizen that I
know how and serve my country in the best way I know how.
Mr. Doyle. I am inviting you to think in terms of cooperating in
the job this committee has, this particular job.
We may never see you again, but I hope you do it.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Potter, any questions?
Has counsel any further questions ?
Mr. Tavenner. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. Do j^ou know of any reason why the witness should not
be excused?
Mr. Tavenister. No, sir.
Mr. Wood. It is so ordered.
Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Eobert Goodwin.
Mr. Wood. Mr. Goodwin, will you stand and be sworn, please?
Do you solemnly swear the evidence you give this committee shall
be the' truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you
God?
Mr. Goodwin. I do.
Mr. Wood. For the purposes of hearing this witness, I will, as
chairman, appoint the same subcommittee, Messrs. Doyle, Potter,
and Wood.
Mr. Kantrovitz. Same counsel, Mr. Chairman.
COAIMUNIST ACTIVITIES INT STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1397
Mr. AVcioD. Will you please identify yoiu'self for the record, Mr.
dounsel, apiin ( ^
Mr. Kan TKovrrz. Gabriel Kaiitrovitz, Boston, Mass.
Once a4>-ain, I want to state my objections to the lack of a quorum.
]Mr. Wood. The record will note that you object to the hearing on
the o-round that a (luorum of the full committee is not present.
Mr. Tavexxeu. Will you please state your full name, Mr. Goodwin?
TESTIMONY OF ROBEKT GOODWIN, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS
COUNSEL, GABKIEL KANTKOVITZ
Mr. GooD^^^:N. Robert Goodwin.
Mr. Tavenxer. When and where were you born?
Mr. GooDWix'. April 1014, South Boston, Mass.
Mr. Tavexxer. Where do you now reside?
Mr. GooDwix-^. Lynn.
Mr. TA^'EXXER. Will you state briefly to the committee what your
educational training has been?
Mr. GooDwix. Through high school; high-school graduate, South
Boston High.
Mr. Tavexxer. Will you tell the committee, please, what your
employment record has been? That is, how you have been employed?
Mr. GooDWIx^ Since school?
Mr. Ta\t:xx"er. Yes.
Mr. (toodwix^. Oh, many jobs, until I went to work in GE.
Mr. Tavex-^xer. When did you go to work in GE ?
Mr. GooDwix. 1941.
Mr. Tavexxer. Well, prior to 1941, how were vou employed? Say,
in 1940?
Mr. GooDwix. In 1940, I worked at the McAllen Co. in South Bos-
ton. I worked in hotels for quite a period. Or not "quite a period,"
Taut off and on for a couple of years. I was in the CCC's for a period.
Mr. Tavexxer. What was the nature of your work in GE, General
Electric, in Lynn ?
Mr. GooDwix. The nature?
Mr. Tavtinx^^er. The nature of your work.
Mr. GooDwix. Oh. several jobs.
Mr. Tavexxer. What were they?
Mr. GooDwix'. One time I was a lathe hand. I was an assembler,
a winder, a dipper. Oh, there have been at least half a dozen jobs in
the whole period.
Mr. Tavexxer. Are you acquainted with Herbert A. Philbrick?
Mr. GooDwix. I refuse to answer that question, on the grounds
that my answer might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavexx'er. Well. Mr. Philbrick, who for 8 or 9 years served
in an undercover capacity for a Government agency, testified before
this committee on July 23, 1951. He stated that you were one of the
persons instructed by the Communist Party to take employment at the
Oeneral Electric plant for the purpose of colonizing that plant for the
Communist Party. Was that true, or false ?
Mr. GooDWTX. Well, under the circumstances of today and the cir-
cumstances of the present hysteria in the country, I feel that I have
to refuse to answer that question on the basis that the answer might
tend to incriminate me.
1398 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Wood. It is not so much a question, sir, of how you feel, but what
you do.
Do you answer, or not?
Mr. Goodwin. No. I refuse to answer, on the basis that the answer
might tend to incriminate me.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you perform any duty or function for the
Communist Party at Lynn, Mass., as an employee at General Electric?
I should not say "as an employee," while you were employed at
General Electric.
Mr. Goodwin. The same answer, for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. The committee is in possession of information that
the Communist Political Association met in convention in Boston,
July 21 to 22, 1945, and that the invitation to this convention was
issued by Dave Bennett. Were you acquainted with Dave Bennett?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Along with the receipt of the notice for the holding
of that convention, there was a statement, we are informed, which was
sent out to various clubs, including the Maiden Club of the Communist
Party, signed by Anne Burlack, James J. Green, Otis A. Hood, Boone
Schirmer, William Harrison, Justine O'Connor, and Robert Goodwin.
Do you recall having signed or helped prepare a statement with
reference to that convention ?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reason.
Mr. Tavenner. I mentioned the name of Boone Schirmer. Are you
acquainted with Boone Schirmer?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. I mentioned the name of William Harrison. I ask
you to look at this photograph which I now hand you and which I
desire to introduce in evidence and request that it be marked "Good-
win Exhibit Xo. 1," and state whether or not you can identify William
Harrison's picture in that photograph.
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons.
jNIr. Tavenner. I will ask you if you can identify the picture of
Louis Budenz in tliat photograph.
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with a Donald Tormey?
Mr. Goodwin. Yes.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you see his iDhotograph in that picture ?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons as given
before.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you acquainted with Joseph Figueiredo?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons as given
before.
Mr. Wood. You asked that that be received in evidence ?
It will be received.
(The photograph above referred to, marked "Goodwin Exhibit No.
1," is filed herewith.) ^
Mr. Tavenner. I would like to call Mr. Joseph Figueiredo and see
if he is present in the room.
Mr. Wood. Joseph Figueiredo ?
(No response.)
Mr. Tavenner. Are you now a member of the Communist Party ?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons as given
before.
^ See appendix, p. 1413.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE, OF MASSACHUSETTS 1S99
Ml-. Tavenner. Have 3'ou at any time been a member of the Com-
munist Party?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the same reasons as given
before.
Mr. Tavexner. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. AVooD. Mr. Doyle ^
:Mr. Potter?
Mr. Potter. When you first heard about the testimony of Mr. Phil-
brick, did you issue a statement denying these charges that he made
against 3^ou?
Mr. Kantrovitz. Will you repeat that question, please, Mr. Counsel I
Mr. Potter. Will you read the question, Mr. Reporter?
(The reporter read the question referred to.)
Mv. Goodwin. Not that I recall.
Mr. Potter. Did you make any public statement, statement to the
press, denying the charges ?
Mr. GooD"v\-ix. Xo. I made one statement to the press on the ques-
tion of postponement b}- the committee, where I felt that the spy
charges and the rest of it, if it was true, was so serious that the post-
ponements— I think there were three postponements by the committee.
That is the point I made.
]\Ir. Potter. You say if they were true. Are you denying the
charges now, the charges made by Philbrick in his testimony?
Mr. Goodwin. The question I raised in the press statement yon
asked about was the question of postponement.
Mr. Potter. And I believe you stated in that statement to the
press that if they were true they would not have postponed the hear-
ings.
Is that not true ?
Xow, are you denying the charges made by Mr. Philbrick?
Mr. Goodwin. Under the circumstances of today, I am
Mr. Potter. Well, the circumstances here today are that you are
here before the committee and you are under oath to tell the truth.
Mr. Goodwin. In my opinion, under the circumstances today, I
desire to refuse to answer that question for the same reasons.
Mr. PoTFER. No further questions.
Mr. Wood. It is not so much wdiat you desire. It is what you do.
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse.
Mr. Wood. For the reason given ?
Mr. Goodwin. Yes, sir.
Mr. Wood. Any further questions?
Mr. Doyle, May I ask this question, Mr, Chairman :
Will you furnish this committee with a copy of that statement that
you released to the newspapers, that you referred to ?
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. Goodwin. Would you frame the question again?
Mr, DoTLE, Your testimony was that you furnished a statement
to the newspapers. Will you furnish a copy of that newspaper re-
lease which was authorized and given by you, say, within 10 days'?
Will you mail it in to us?
Mr. Goodwin, Yes.
Mr. Wood. Has counsel further questions?
Mr. Taat:nner. Yes.
89067—51 11
1400 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
In reply to Congressman Potter's question regarding the making
of this newspaper statement, I understood you to say, "We made a
statement." Whom were you referring to by "we"?
Mr. Goodwin. Myself and Mr. Mills.
Mr. Tavenner. And Mr. Mills.
Who prepared the statement ?
Mr. Goodwin. I refuse to answer, for the reasons given before.
Mr. Ta\^nner. All right.
I think, Mr. Chairman, in light of this development, he should be
continued under the subpena until the 24:th of October.
Mr. Wood. Until the 24th ?
Mr. TaviI^nner. To the 24th.
Mr. Wood. The 24th of this month at 10 : 30.
You may be excused, and if between now and then it should develop
that the committee will not require your presence back here, you or
your counsel will be informed of that.
The committee will go into executive session now, gentlemen.
(Thereupon, at 3:23 p. m., the committee proceeded in executive
session.)
APPENDIX
The folUnviiio- exliil)its wore introduced during the course of hear-
ings in this vohune and are tiled with the connnittee :
Stniik Exhibit Ao. 1. — Article appearing in the Boston Post, Saturday, April
9, 1949, pages 1 and 2, with headline, "No Action by M. I. T. on 'Red'— Professor
Not To He Curbed or Censured, Says Killian — Struik Denies Being Communist."
(See pp. 13.S0. and 1401-140.").)
Struik E.rhihit No. 2.— Article appearing in New Masses, July 8, 1947, pages
12-15, entitled "Man Over Myth. Marxism and the Scientific Tradition. How
the Founders of Modern Socialism Transformed the Rationalist Outlook Into a
Science." bv Dirk J. Struik. ( See pp. 1333, and 140C-1411. )
Struik Exhibit No. 3.— Letter dated February 5, 1946, signed Dirk J. Struik,
executive director of the Massachusetts Council of American-Soviet Friendship,
Inc., on letterhead of that organization. ( See pp. 1335 and 1412. )
Struik E.ihibit No. //.—Article appearing in the Daily Worker, Monday, Novem-
ber 22, 1948, page 4. with headline, "Civic Leaders in New England Rap Frame-up
of 12' ". ( See p. 1338 : retained in committee files.)
Struik Exhibit No. ■'>. — Catalog of the Samuel Adams School for Social Studies,
37 Province Street, Boston 8, Mass., spring term, 1947, showing Dirk J. Struik,
chairman, American Committee for Indonesian Independence, as being among
the lecturers on the sul)ject The World Today ; as instructor of a course
The Science of Society ; and as a member of the board of trustees. ( See p. 1351 ;
retained in committee files.)
Torninj Exhibit No. 1. — Photograph of four individuals. (See pp. 1381 and
1413. )
Qoodnin Exhibit No. 1. — Same as Tormey Exhibit No. 1. (See pp. 1398 and
1413).
Struik Exhibit No. 1
[The Boston Post, Saturday, April 9, 1949, pp. 1 and 2]
NO ACTION BY M. I. T. ON "RED"
Professor Not To Be Curbed or Censured, Says Killian —
Struik Denies Being Communist
President James R. Killian, Jr., of M. I. T.. made it clear last night he will not
cen.sure nor curb Mathematics Vvof. Dirk J. Struik, .54, self-proclaimed "Marxist"
lecturer, who was accused at the New York Communist trial of being a teacher
of Red philosophies at gatherings in Greater Boston homes.
A .short time later Professor Struik completed a mathematics lecture to M. I. T.
students and denounced the trial as "one against ideas and not facts" and declared
the American peojile for their own good should protest against its contiiuiing.
Herbert A. Philbrick, 33, the Melrose advertising man who served as an FBI
counterspy inside the Communist Party ranks for 9 years and who accused the
professor from the witness stand, was branded as a "stool pigeon of no intellectual
standing," by Professor Struik.
The sensational accus;ition by FBI counterspy Philbrick against the M. I. T.
profe.'^sor came as a startling surprise to M. I. T. and gave President Killian his
first public decision since his inauguration last Saturday.
TO BE INDEPENDENT
When asked what he planned to do about the testimony of Mr. Philbrick, Presi-
dent Killian de<lared his thoughts were included in four paragraphs of his in-
augural address, which read :
"Another obligation to be independent lies on all of our institutions of higher
learning. In a period of armed truce, the fundamental principle of academic
freedom is subject to stresses which we have not met before. One of the
1401
1402 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
gravest dangers of the armed truce is the danger that it will force America to
relinquish or distort or weaken some of its basic civil rights. I hope that this
does not happen either in our country or in our colleges.
"The luiiversity more than- any other institution, resolves the dichotomy (a
cutting in two) between the individual and the institutionalized aspects of mod-
ern life. It is an e.iviroment where the dignity of man is more important than
the pomp of organization. It is the sanctuary of the free mind and the mind
which is not free profanes it.
SPIRIT OF SCIENCE
"We must hope that the cold war may not diminish the opportunity to be free,
either on the part of the educational institution or on the part of the scholar him-
self.
"To curtail freedom in our institutes of technology would be to run counter
to the spirit of science, which thrives best in an atmosphere of freedom
practiced with responsibility — the responsibility of a company of scholars gov-
erning themselves;"
Previously President Killian had talked with Professor Struik, and Professor
Struik revealed he had told his new university head he was a Marxist believer but
did not advocate the overthrow of the Government of the United States.
In an hour-long interview with a Post reporter, Professor Struik said he
does "not know this man Philbrick, but it's clear he was at some private home
where I spoke."
SATS PHILBRICK LIES
The professor, who came to M. I. T. from Holland in li)2(j and who has been a
citizen since 1934, heatedly denied, however, that Philbrick quoted him correctly.
"I have spoken at several private homes. What he says about what I said is a
lie. I have never advocated the violent overthrow of the Government of the
United States. I'm not crazy."
Professor Struik, however, said he "believes in many of the Communist prin-
ciples" but considers himself a Marxist and said "a Marxist does not believe in
the violent overthrow of the government."
Although he is not a dues-paying member of the Communist Party and says
he does not hold a Communist membership card. Professor Struik declared that
"as a Marxist 1 have seen many Communists and have read Communist literature
and as a Marxist I have much in common with the Communists."
He said he has never participated in any Communist activities and "stayed
aloof" from joining the party. During the war, he revealed, he decided to join
the (^ommunist Party because of their great work in the war effort, but later
changed his mind.
MUCH IN COMMON
"I found it better not to join them as a party member. I join them in particu-
lar action if that action is right. A true Marxist is one who realizes Marxism is
a general and serious authority on world philosophy," he said.
Professor Struik said he has never advised anyone to join the Communist
Party and when anyone asked him such a question he would give that person the
advice to find out for himself.
Professor Struik said he readily agrees that Marxism and communism have
many things in common. At one time he likened the two isms to the relationship
of ('hristianity to some Christian church.
The professor refused to name the private homes in Greater Boston where he
gave talks on Marxist theory. "The people will be persecuted," he said. He
revealed, however, he spoke "in many homes and in other places."
He said public speeches on Marxist theory were given by him at the John
Lee Club at Harvard, the Mattapan Forum, and at meetings of the Progressive
Party. "I am a member of the Progressive Party," he stated.
ENEMY OF FASCISM
He said in the speeches, "I have not ridiculed the law of God or man. I have
done my duty as an American to speak out on .subjects to which I have given
some thought. I am an outspoken enemy of fascism," he said.
Condemning the New York trial, Professor Struik said, "I think this whole at-
tack on the Cominiuiist Party, carried on as it is with a stool pigeon of no
intellectual standing, is very dangerous to the United States.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 403
'•It increases the war danger. I believe it is the duty of all American citizens
to protest what is going on in the United States, especially this trial. It is a
trial against ideas and not facts. It is like the monkey trial in Dayton,
Ohio. The men on trial in New York are not accused of anything except ideas.
Some I share and some I don't share.
FEABS "trade MOVEMENT NEXT"
"If I did not share any of their \iews I would still believe in a Nation-wide
protest to stop their trial. I believe in the power of ideas so long as they
are within the limits of the law. The Communist Party is a legal party and,
as far as the evidence goes, the men on trial in New York stayed within the
limits of the law," Professor Struik declared.
The M. I. T. mathematician said he fears "if the trial of the Communists is
won by the Government it will not be beneficial to the trade-union movement,
for they will be next."
Professor Struik said he will not ask that he be allowed to take the witness
stand at the New York trial to refute the accusations made by Mr. Philbrick. If
lie is called, however, "that would be another thing," he said.
Professor Struik said his activities as a Marxist are purely in the "interests
of peace." He .said he firmly believes the United States and Soviet Russia
should have better relations and subscribes to the suggestion President Truman
and Stalin should meet to discuss their nations' differences.
MOTHER-IN-LAW "PROUD"
While Mr. Philbrick continued to "pour it on" the Communists and their
activities in this section of the country, in his testimony at the New York trial,
his friends and relatives continued to express amazement at his being an
FBI counterspy.
Mrs. Bessie Luscombe, of 17 Wesley St., Somerville, his mother-in-law, de-
clared she was not only surprised but amazed when she learned of his patriotic
work.
Sunday night, 2 days before he took the stand, Mrs. Luscombe said she was
in the Philbricks' Melrose home at a family party. Philbrick said nothing about
his going to testify.
Mrs. Luscoml)e said she has not heard from either her daughter or son-in-
law since the testimony started in New York. She revealed if she had known
what her son-in-law had l>een doing, she would have advised him to "get out of
it." She said, however, she is proud of him now.
PLEASANT SURPRISE
Mr. Philbrick's relatives at Rye Beach, N. H., were plea.^^aiitly surprised yes-
terday when they heard from both Mr. and Mrs. Philbrick.
Mrs. Otis Hadley. his sister, received a telephone call from Mrs. Eva Phil-
brick during the day. The call was arranged by the FBI when Philbrick's
uncle. Manning Remick, appealed to them for news about the safety of Phil-
brick's wife and three children.
Mrs. Hadley said, "I was pleasantly surpi'ised when Eva telephoned me.
She said she has talked two or three times with my brother on the telephone
and told me not to worry. She said she and the children are being guarded
by the FBI and will be guarded for a long time. I told her we were worried
about her and she told us not to worry at all for she was all right and had
plenty of protection."
Many Greater Boston people listening to a radio broadcast last night, heard
a discussion of the Communist trial in New York during which Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt, wife of the former President, expressed the belief the FBI shinild
be given more iwwer to ferret out Communists.
SAVANT ACCUSED
FBI Counter-Spy Brings in Name of Tech Professor in Testimony at New
YoHK Red Trial — Says He Led Discussion at Party Meeting
New York, April 8 (AP). — A "voluntary worker" for the FBI in the Com-
munist Party today named a ]\Iassachusotts Institute of Technology professor as
a discussion leader in a party professional group.
1404 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
The witness, Herbert A. Philbrick, 33-year-old advertising: man, said Struik
attended meetings of tiie professional jiroup in the Boston area and summed up
its studies of Lenin's State and Revolution.
He was testifying at the Federal court conspiracy trial of 11 leaders of the
American Communist Party. They are accused of conspiring to advocate violent
overthrow of the United States Govenmient.
Phillirick said the professional group was taught it was essential to over-
turn the United States Government by force and set up a dictatorship of the
workers.
RECEIVED NO PAY
The advertising man, who lives at Melrose, Mass., also told the jury ah<iut
clandestine contacts with Government agents to tip them off to party moves
and the web of precautions spun to hide his role from party officials and mem-
bers.
He said the FBI paid all his expenses, including his party diies and rental
charges on a dictating machine used for his reports. But he asserted he received
no pay and did his undercover job voluntarily.
Details about Philbrick's FBI connections came out on cross-examination. He
named Struik as a party figure before finishing his direct testimony for the
Government.
Philbrick, surprise Government witness who is closely guarded by FBI men
as he enters and leaves the Federal courthouse, testified that special agents
Lawrence Healy and Dick Dow were his contacts in the Bureau during the 9
years he belonged to the Communist Party or its affiliates.
Throughout this period, he said, he made typewritten, dictated, or oral reports
to the United States Security Agency.
SMALL GROITPS
He told of sidling up to Healy at a main intersection in Cambridge to give
him one of tbe reports.
Philbrick said the party professional group of which he was a member met
at the Cambridge home of a party member known to him only as Peg. He had
testified earlier that those in the grovip used only their first names and split
into small units for security reasons.
At these meetings, certain passages from Lenin's book, which told of the
necessity for smasliing the present Government, were stressed, the witness said.
One such passage, he testified, stated the "working class cannot simply lay
hold of the state machinery and wield it for its own use, but must shatter,
break up, blow up, the whole state machinery."
VIOLENT REVOLUTION
The witness said teachers at the sessions included a groiip leader named
"Martha," "a girl named Helen," "Jackie," "Dick," "Henry," and "Butch."
Philbrick said the doctrines of violent revolution were taught at meetings of
party clubs in Maiden, Wakefield, and Melrose, three communities in the Boston
area, as well as the professional group.
WRITES TO MOTHER
Philbeick Glad To End Life of Ditlicity That Enabled Him To Keep FBI
Informed on Red Activities in New England
Rye, N. H., April 8. — Free of the 9-year veil of secrecy which has shrouded
his triple life, Herbert A. Philbrick, 34-year-old Boston theater advertising
executive, has written his mother that he is once more able to breathe free air
and to emerge from the duplicity which enabled him to keep the FBI informed
of Communist activity in the Boston area.
So careful has the shy and studious spy hunter been that the brief note to
his mother telling her of his freedom was relayed from Newton via a greater
Boston minister, who placed it in the mail for the Rye Beach address.
When liis mother, Mrs. Guy A. Philbrick, wife of a Boston & Maine Railroad
conductor, learned her son was testifying for the FBI against 11 alleged Com-
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1405
iiHinists in New York, she said she wms the most surprised person in the world.
She had no inklinu that lier son had any connection with the FBI and was
shocked to tears when she learned her son had heen an active Connnunist stu-
dent in Camhridjie for tlie purpose of supplying Federal otlicials with party in-
formation.
SPECIAL COURSE
Mrs. Philhrick stated her son had taken a special course at Harvard in psy-
chology in 1941 and it was about that time that he became associated with a
supposedly non-Communist irroup. He was also active at the same time in YMCA
and church organization work.
Philhrick had charge of all the advertising for the M. and P. Theater chain,
with lieadquarters in Scollay Square, and during the war promoted the very
successful war-bond drives which the theaters sponsored and for which he was
commended. All during this time he was attending the Communist school and
learning of the plot to infiltrate into American industry, at the same time supply-
ing the FBI with latest developments.
An aunt of the undercover agent, Mrs. A. Manning Remick, wife of the Rye
police chief, said she believed her nephew had taken such an active part in the
undercover activities for the Federal authorities because of his inability to enter
the armed services because of an eye injury received several years ago while at
work on an engine?ring job in Hampton, creo.sote from a piling had damaged
the sight of one eye.
Philhrick assured his mother that he was well guarded and that he felt as
if a terrific weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His wife, mother of his
four blonde daughters, was not at his Rye Beach summer home as had lieen
reported. She called her mother-in-law from an unannounced location in New
England, assuring her that she and the children were in good hands and under
constant survey by Federal agents.
1406 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Struik Exhibit No. 2
neiirmasses
'h.
^ss
^
sTorrut ATCMmui
w^/,.
.-<.>^'^'V.K^Xy
■"-^ N>^
.3a„"s
Justice Takes a Holiday
by VIRGINIA GARDNER
Marx Against Myth
by DIRK J. STRUIK :,,lv o ,_,
' 15f^ • in Canada 20(f JUiy 0, 1947
Struik Exhibit No. 2
(New Masses, July 8, 1947, pp. 12-15.)
MAN OVER MYTH
Marxism and the Scientific Tradition — How the Founders of Modern
Socialism Transformed the Rationalist Outlook Into a Science
(By Dirk J. Struik)
The Communist Manifesto was written at the end of 1847 — almost a century
ago ; it appeared in February of the next year, on the eve of the revolution of
184S. It was a manifesto, a political document, published as the platform of
a small and rather obscure group, the Communist League. The temper of the
pamphlet was polemical, defiant, passionate. Yet it was at the same time a sci-
entitic document, a presentation of a philosophy of history and of society in
general. It established social science not only as a means of understanding
the social structure, but also as a means of changing and controlling it. It
marked the birth of Alarxism, which now guides the lives, or helps to guide the
lives, of millions of men and women throughout the world.
The fundamental proposition, the core of the manifesto, belongs to Marx.
This we know from Eiigels himself, coauthor of the manifesto and lifelong friend
of Marx. That proposition is that in every historical epoch the prevailing mode
of economic production and exchange, as well as the resulting social structure,
form the basis from which the political and intellectual history of that epoch
can be derived. Consequently the whole history of mankind after the disappear-
ance of primitive tribal society has been a history of class struggles, of contests
between exploiting and exploited, between ruling and oppressed classes. The
histoi'y of these class struggles forms an evohitionary series in which nowadays
the main oppressed class, the working class, can only emancipate itself from the
ruling class, the bourgeoisie, by emancipating the whole of society from all
exploitation, oppression, class distinctions, and class struggles. The philosophy
of the manifesto made it possible not only to explain the past of society, but
also to understand the direction in which present society is going. By analyzing
the past it helps to guide the future. Socialism was seen as a conscious act of
delivery from the contradictions of capitalism, the possibility of full control of
society was deduced from the direction in which the primitive controls of present
and past society are necessarily developing.
Engels has remarked that this fundamental Marxian proposition is destined
to do for history what Darwin's theory has done for biology. Tliere, out of
haphazard actions of living beings — of which Darwin only recognized natural
and sexual selection — general patterns of life evolve which, if properly under-
stood, will eventually allow conscious interference by man in shaping living
creatures. Engels also pointed out how the fundamental ideas which Marx
applied to the study of society have already been successfully applied to natural
science, to the theories of gravitation and light, to electricity, inorganic and
organic chemistry. The great contribution of the Communist Manifesto was its
method of viewing all human activity, with respect to nature as well as society, in
the light of science. From now on not only nature but also the social structure
could be understood and its behavior forecast and even controlled. The Com-
munist Manifesto sketched for the first time, with inimitable clarity, not only
the rationalistic but also the scientific approach to the problems of society.
Two liun(h-e(l and ten years before the publication of the Connnunist Manifesto
another document had appeared which had sketched, for the first time, the ra-
tionalistic approach to nature. In 1037 there was published the Discourse on
Method, written by the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes.
It is instructive to compare the two revolutionary documents, one of which stands
at the beginning of modern natural science and the other at the beginning of
modern social science ; one of which showed how to control nature, and the other
how to control society.
The Communist Manifesto makes the impression of a highly emotional appeal,
addressing itself to the "proletarians of all countries." The Discourse is academic
1407
1408 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
in style, seems to attack nobody in particular, and explains the process by which
one man, the author, has tried to estaVilish "the method of rightly conducting
the reason, and seeking the truth in the sciences." But a closer inspection
i-eveals the fact that the Communist Manifesto seeks also to establish a method
of rightly conducting the reason and seeking truth. And Descartes' discourse on
reason was in reality a powerfur battle cry. addressing itself to a revolutionary
class, the emerging bourgeoisie, in an appeal to ctmquer the world by the use
of science and invention. Cartesianism of the seventeenth century, like Marxism
of today, was a highly controversial philosophy. Adherence to Cartesian prin-
ciples brought many a good man in the time of Louis XIV into serious political,
religious, and personal difficulties.
Descartes rejected established authority and tried to set down rational rules
for research. The real criterion for truth, he proclaimed, lies in evidence and
reason. And thus he established his rule "never to accept anything for true
whit'h I did not clearly know to be such ; that is to say, carefully to avoid pre-
cipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgment than
was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of
doubt." By using such purely rationalistic — we can say matei'ialistic — methods,
he saw enormous perspectives ahead :
"I perceived it to be possible to arrive at knowledge highly useful in life ; and
in place of the speculative philosophy usually taught in the schools, to discover a
practical one, by means of which, knowing the force and action of lire, water,
air, the stars, the heavens, and all the other bodies that surround us, as distinctly
as we know the various crafts of our artisans, we might also apply them in the
same way to all the uses to which they are adapted, and thus render ourselves
the lords and possessors of nature." Descartes himself tried to contribute to
the execution of his program by research and discoveries in optics, astronomy,
medicine, and mathematics.
It was a bold scheme, this program of Descartes, not only because research
in natural science was only in its beginnings, but also because most people still
had to i»e convinced of the rationality of a method which proclaimed that the
only way of obtaining truth in the sciences is through experiment and reason.
Medieval belief in authority was all-powerful. Classical, biblical, and ecclesiasti-
cal statements were considered absolutely binding ; to break preconceived notions
through the combination of reason and experiment was considered heretical.
Catch-all words were used to denounce Cartesianism ; it was condemned as
"atheistic," just as now Marxism is condemned as "totalitarian." Both Calvin-
ists and Jesuits opposed Cartesianism. Descartes' books were placed on the
Index in 1664. Three years later the interment of Descartes' ashes in a Paris
church was forbidden. This persecution could not frighten philosophers and
scientists ; even Catholic priests turned to Cartesianism. In Descartes' steps
followed the great thinkers of the later seventeenth century, a Spinoza, a Huy-
gens. a Newton, and a Leibniz. In the eaily eighteenth century Cartesianism even
became quite fashionable in France. The triumph of natural science became
the triumph of Cartesianism.
• Descartes has now won his battle ; reason and experiment are universally
accepted as the liasis for truth in natural science. JNIuch or' his specific teachings,
on substance, on vortices, on the relation of body and soul, are forgotten. His
method remains. There exists at present no reasonable scepticism concerning
the truth value of natural science; few peoi)le doubt that logical and experi-
mental evidence are able to solve those problems on which there is uncertainty.
Not only academic teaching but grammar-school education is impregnated with
Cartesian thinking. Every teacher of science, whether in Ohio or in Shansi,
is in his own way a disciple of Descartes.
We might also speak of a Marxian rationalism, since Marxism believes in
man's ability to obtain objective information concerning the universe, and rejects
supernaturalism. However, it differs from Cartesian rationalism in at least two
important respects. In the tirst place, it extends its domain to the field of social
relations. At the very beginning of his exposition Descartes made sure that
he kept religion outside of his argumentation. He established a dualism of
body and soul, of materialism and idealism. Marx subjects not only religion to
his materialistic criticism, but the whole of man's social relations. With Marx
all human activity, in nature as well as society, can be subjected to the Cartesian
test of truth. Descartes made man and his powers of reasoning and of acting
supreme in matters pertaining to substance, to natural science. Marx showed
that man can become master of his destiny.
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1409
■ A second iioiiit of difforeiico exists!, rartesianisni is entirely unhistorienl. The
very idea tiiat history, or human rehitions in SPueral, can be subjected to
scientitic analysis, and tliat sn( h analysis may sliow that society is in a state of
devehipnient — this very idea is alien to Descartes. IMarxisni, on tlie contrary, is
based on the nnderstandins: that society is in constant chan.s;e. and points to
the fundamental cause of tiiis chan.iie in class society — namely, the existence of
the class strugirle. Cartesianisni, as compared to Marxism, is static, it knows
no evolution : its dynamics is restricted to dynamics in the .sense of mechanics,
and even this in a primitive way. The emphasis on social change in Marxism is
combined with an equally strong emphasis on the interrelation of the sciences
and the historical character even of natural science — all elements which ai"e
missing in Descartes.
These differences are so vital that it is better not to speak of Marxian ration-
alism at all. hut to nse another term and to speak of Marxian dialectics. There
is also a dialectical element In Cartesianism — for instance in its i-elation of
algebra to geometry, of numbers to points on a line — but it is rather primitive.
We might call it an early seventeenth century form of dialectics. Common to
both modes of thought is the materialist rejection of supernaturalisra ; with
Descartes in the domain of natural science, with Mai*x in the domain of all
human thought and activity.
The differences between Descartes and Marx are between a revolutionary
thinker living at the beginning of the capitalist period and a revolutionaiy
thinker living at a time when the industrial revolution was well on its way.
Descartes, consequentl.v, was an individualist, while Marx was socially con-
scious. Descartes' Discourse ojaened with a remark on the common sense of
man and lets him doubt about the problems of his existence. Then, with the
di.scovery '"I think, hence I am," man starts out on his philosophy of certainty.
The opening lines of the Communist ^Manifesto are equally characteristic; they
introduce man as a social being: "The history of all hitherto existing society Is
the history of class struggle." These examples are typical. The Meditations
of Descartes open with the author's own desire "to establish a firm and abiding
STiperstructure in the sciences."
Marx's Capital starts by introducing a commodity-producing form of society.
Both Descartes' Discourse and the Communist Manifesto derive their primary
importance from their method. Now. more than 300 years after the publication
of Descartes' work, almost all of Descartes' specific contribiitions to science
are antiquated. Several specific proposals contained in the Communist Mani-
festo for immediate political action have also lost their importance for today,
though its basic analysis and major predictions have stood the test of time.
In both De.scartes and Marx the method of thinking has retained its full value,
and Marx's, being the modern method, has a far wider appeal. Philosophy, in
IMarx's words, becomes material power when it directs the action of the masses.
The most striking thing about the Communist Manifesto is its uncanny time-
liness ; but for some details the pamphlet could have been written today. How
many political or sociological documents written a hundred years ago have
this same immediate appeal? There are not many scientific papers of the years
before 1850 which possess this timeless aspect ; the only documents I can think
of are some books by the mathematicians Gauss or Laplace. Helmholtz' historic
presentation of the principle of conservation of energy was also published in
1847 — a worthy companion to the Communist ^lanifesto in the sweeping grandeur
of its ideas. Yet the full text of Helmholtz' pamphlet has definitely lost its
actuality. Natural science has moved fast in the past century, while social science
has moved much slower, despite the enormous increase in specialized informa-
tion. Marx and Engels are as timely today as they were in 1847.
What are the main contributions to social science laid down in the Communist
Manifesto? The core of the argumentation is the principle of historical ma-
terialism, which we have already given in Engels' formulation. Moreover we
find, in few liut meaningful words :
1. The statement that every form of society is in a state of evolution, each
form passing into another one.
2. An analysis of the orisjin of the two principal classes of capitalist society,
the emplo.vers and the workers ("bourgeosie" and "proletarians").
3. A description of the revolutionary role which the employing class has
played, and of the way in which the laws of capitalist society itself force workers
into organizations of their own choosing.
4. An account of the causes which make the bourgeoisie more and more unable
to remain the ruling class.
1410 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
5. The conclusion that socialism will emerge as the result of the historical
evolution of capitalist society itself.
6. A materialistic analysis of the content of different ethical norms and
sociological structures existing in present-day society, such as the forms of
property, the instability of family life, the content of culture and so-called
eternal truths like freedom and justice.
7. A critical description of all previous attempts to change society into
socialism.
The manifesto gives an astonishing forecast of some of the most important
social phenonjena of the past century : The growth of trade unions, the concentra-
tion of capital, the political organization of the working class, the conflict between
the private ownership of the principal means of production and the public inter-
est, the formation of a socialist society. This is the more remarkable since in
1847 many of these phenomena were hardly, or not at all, in existence. It is easy
now to see some weaknesses ; the most interesting, perhaps, is its failure to
mention the national movements for self-determination. Marx and Engels, in
their later work, corrected some of these weaknesses themselves.
The great struggle of Cartesianism was waged against authority and obscur-
antism in the field of the natural sciences. This struggle had to be conducted
against elements so benighted that we find it hard to believe that they were a
reality. The fear of earthquakes and comets as tokens of a wrathful Deity is
only one example. Another example was the Itelief in witchcraft. It is instruc-
tive to recall that some of the most ardent fighters against this miserable belief
came from the school of Descartes, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly
through intermediate interpreters. We think, for instance, of the Reverend
Balthasar Bekker, who lived from 1634 to 1698 as a minister in the Netherlands,
a good patriot and a highly cultured man, who tried to convince his fellow
citizens to adopt a tolerant attitude to Cartesianism. He met with sharp
opposition, which turned into violent hostility when he attacked the ancient fear
of comets and the equally ancient belief in witches. His four-volume Bewitched
World (1693) was a systematic, relentless, and ingenious attack on devils and
demons ; with keen wit he unraveled story after story about ghosts and witches,
and "exiled the devil into hell." It was one of the strongest pleas against obscur-
antism ever written. Bekker's book was received with outcries of horror, espe-
cially from the pn pit; he became involved in a long trial, and lost his position as
a minister in Am -.erdam. However, already during Bekker's lifetime his ideas
gained acceptance, and his book was able to save the lives of several wretched
persons who otherwise would have perished on the scaffold.
The struggle against obscurantism in the field of natural sciences is not yet
won, not even in America ; but the Cartesian approach is at any rate accepted
by most people with a rudiment of education. This is not the case with the
acceptance of rationalist ideas in the field of social relations. A new edition of
the Bewitched World could be written today, and four volumes would hardly
be sufficient to deal with the material. From all sides, in newspapers and maga-
zines, on the radio, in schools and from the pulpits, not to si>eak of the Halls of
Congress, obscurantism is propagated with the greatest ardor. This, by itself,
is not new. Fascism made obscurantist propaganda a fundamental part of its
struggle for power. It was the propaganda of the myth, the legend, the lie, and
the big lie. There exists a book called No Compromise, written by Melvin Rader
(1941), which gives an analysis of this bewildering mass of conscious misinfor-
mation. But the destruction of the Axis has not been the end of obscurantist
propaganda : its geographical center has only moved to the United States.
The present wave of misinformation has created new demons, devils, and
witches, who are now collectively labeled "Reds" or "Communists," or "totali-
tarians." No rational analysis is given of the meaning of these words, which are
only used to frighten. The simplest rules of semantics are discarded : authori-
tarian regimes are called demoiratic: liberal clergymen are called Communist;
conceptions such as "freedom of the press," "religious freedom," "dictatorship"
are used without any reference to their actual content. The result is that the
average American of these days, if he believes what he reads and hears, must
be living in a world of his own so fantastic, so utterly different from reality
tliat Bekker would have no trouble in recognizing a new bewitched world.
An understanding of Marxism and its main ideas becomes under such circum-
stances extremely difficult. In sharp contrast to the widespread interest which
other peoples take in Marxism stands the aloofness of many Americans. It is
still a test of the liberalism of a college whether the Communist Manifesto can
be freely discussed in the classroom. Even liberal instructors identify historical
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1411
materialism with economic determinism, ignoring the fact that Marxism stresses
that man makes his own history. This ignorance of Marxism is fatal, since the
theory tirst expoundtMl in the Communist Manifesto is now guiding the destiny
of millions of people with whom we have entered into the solemn covenant of
the United Nations. How can we understand the Russians if we ignore their
philosophy? They understand ours well, too well.
It is sometimes amazing to see how scholars and scientists who would not
write a sentence in their professional publications without exact documentation
are willing to accept the wildest hearsay evidence about so-called Communists
and totalitarians. They may well ponder the case of a contemporary of
Balthasar Bekker, also a minister, the Reverend Cotton Mather of Boston.
Mather was an admirer of Newton, advocated the Copernican rystem when it was
still heretical to do so, was the first to propose variolous inoculation in America,
and was a botanist of no mean accomplislmient. Yet he believed in demons and
witches, and is now mainly remembered because of the disgraceful role he played
in the Salem witch trials. His error stemmed from his inability to apply the
rationalistic doctrine, which guided him in so many other cases, to the question
of witchcraft, despite the fact that in his day the correct position was possible.
There are too many Cotton Mathers in our schools and pulpits today. I.et them
remember, if not the words of Marx, then at least those of Descartes and com-
prise nothing more in their judgment than has been presented so 'clearly and
distinctly as to exclude all ground of doubt.
(Note. — The following is printed in a box on same page with be-
ginning of the foregoing article by Dirk J. Struik :)
Marxism was born in struggle. 1947-48 marks the one hundredth anniversary
of the Communist Manifesto, the document which introduced scientific socialism
to mankind.
A specter which has haunted the oppressors of man, Marxism for that reason
has been ceaselessly attacked since its inception by the ruling class and its agents.
It has been denied and denounced, "refuted" and "revised," from pulpit, press,
and lectern. In our time it has been exorcised by Franco's firing squads, burned
in the square of Nuremlierg — and in the ovens of Maidanek. In our own country
it has been harried from liigh and low, by philosophers and finks, by sages and
stooges, by Clara Boothe Luce and Al Capone — and hounded by J. Edgar Hoover
and John Rankin.
Embodying man's age-old dream for freedom, it has for that reason become
rooted in the mieds and lovetl in the hearts of millions. Its victories are im-
posing— and increasing; its adherents legion throughout the world; its greatest
monument, the socialist society of the U. S. S. R., a greater power than ever.
From the chaos and wreckage of the capitalist world Marxism emerges ever
stronger, invincible.
To celebrate this anniversary New Masses will publish a series of articles by
outstanding autliorities on the meaning of Marxism in American life, its effects
on science, culture, and politics. There will also be articles by leading Marxists
of other countries. This essay by Dr. Struik, distinguished American scholar
and professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is
the first of this series.
The Editors.
1412 COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Struik Exhibit No. 3
MASSACHUSEHS COUNCIL OF AMERICAN -SOVIET FRIENDSHIP, INC.
3 5 ^ newbury street 9 boston 16, masaacJius^tf
kenmcre 7 188
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Hon. Choirrron
Bi::hop G B.-omt^y fff'ir'^"^ -
Acting Choirmon
Edw^n E. Goodeil, Jr.
E>ccut>ve Director
- Prof. Dirk J. Sfruik *^
Vice-Chairmen
Alexander Brin
Mrs. Harold H. Given
T.-eC-sufcr
Dr. Samuel G. Povio
Executive Secietory
Ethel Mechanic
Kotrino B. Anderson
Prof. Hugh W. Bobb
Eugene Blum
Anno Cort
f-I, W. L. Dano >^
Dr. Albert C D.effenboch
Rev, Stephen H Fntchmon"*
William Harrison
Bo^il Kacedan
Noncy Cox Premo
Eric Slarbuck
Joseph Suk
Sol Vorl '
SPONSORS:
Leslie Arnold
Mrs Edw.n F AtHns
Prof. J A. C- Foggmger Aucr
M.;s Alice Stone Blockwell
Mrs. W/L Bc/den
Pfof Edgar S Bnghtmon
Lawrence G Brooks
Dr. Hugh Cobot
Prof. WoUer B. Connon
Williom H. Cory, Jr.
Pres. Korl T. Compton
Mrs. Chorles A, Coolidge
Rev. Frederick M. Eliot
Joseph Ford
Deon Lucy Fronklm
Serge Goposchkin
Dr. Bernord I Goldberg
Mrs. J. B. Gordon
Sidney Grant
Rev, Dana McLeon Greeley
Prof. Harrison Harley
Bishop L. O. Hortn-ion
Prot, Williom E. Hocking
Prof. Howord Mumford Jones
Mrs. Fonnie Sowditch Kotz
"Dr. Serge Koussevitzky
Richard Linsley
-Prof. KJrtley F. Mother
— Prot, F. O Molthiessen
AIe;(onder Meyendortf
Prof. George R. Minot
Aton R, Morse
Mrs John R. Niihols
Rose Norwood
Julio Swift Orvis
Prot. Rolph Borton Perry
Mis Williom Z. Ripley
' Joseph Solerno
Dr. George Sorlon
Rl. Rev Henry K Sherrill
Robbi Joseph S Shubow
Mis. Arthur A. Shurclif*
Joseph I. Seifert
Nicolas Slonimsky
Elihu 0. Stone
Woiien S Sturgis
Nicholos Vokor
Howard Wilson
Mrs Andrew N. Winslow
Dr. Mory E. Wooley
February 5, 1946
Mr. Ernie Adams on
Committee on Dn-American Activities
House of Representatives
Washington, D» C»
Dear Sir:
The address of Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam
la 150 Fifth Avenue, New York 11, New York.
Bishop Oxnam la the head of the Federa-
tion of Churches of Christ of America*
Youra very truly.
Dirk /. Struik,
DJSAo Executive Director
■^k%-^»2
\
COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 1413
ToRMEY Exhibit No. 1
Goodwin Exhibit No. 1
xS»»> ««»«»»»
a-3^mS
Lower row, left to right, Donald Tormey aud Louis Ludeiiz ; at tup, Joseph Fife'ueredo
and \A'illiam Harrison.
X
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