Mr. ARENS. Would you kindly tell the committee what were the circumstances of that acquaintanceship? Mr. Mazzel. During my work for the FBI, I made some notes and some reports on Mr. Vuletich to the FBI. A little while ago, Mr. Vuletich declined to answer the question if he was a Communist or not. May I read this off to you? He was president of UAW-CIO local Fisher Body, formerly employed at Westinghouse Air Brake, UE member; financial secretary of Serbian Progressive Club; financial secretary of the Communist Party, Serbian Division, Turtle Creek Valley, for over 10 years. We had him down in the Communist Party as a strong-arm man. Also said that he didn't know Calvin Brook. Mr. Vuletich was in the presence of my wife in Mr. Calvin Brook's house after Mr. Calvin Brook came back from visiting the Soviet Union. He made a trip to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Germany, Italy, Trieste. We talked about the pictures that Mr. Calvin Brook had taken. Mr. ARENS. I think the record is not quite clear, if I may interrupt. Who is it that made this trip? Mr. MAZZEI. Mr. Calvin Brook who is now in Chicago. He was one of the editors of E Street. Mr. ARENS. What year was that? Mr. MAZZEI. I believe that was 1948 or 1949. Mr. Vuletich was there and the reason I remember it is because Calvin Brook lived right around the corner from me. I helped Mr. Calvin Brook get a home right around the corner from me so I could keep a good tab on him. And Calvin Brook and Mr. Vuletich, myself and my wife, were present at that screening and in that showing of those pictures. And also pictures that the Soviet Union had given to Mr. Calvin Brook to bring back to the United States to show the members of the Communist Party here what the Communist Party was doing for the countries that were being occupied by the Soviet Union, the same Mr. Vuletich which is sitting right there. Mr. ARENS. Do you here and now positively identify him as a man who to your certain knowledge was a member of the Communist Party while you were in the party at the behest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Mr. MAZZEI. Yes, sir. He is on my list and the same list is in the hands of the FBI. Mr. ARENS. Mr. Witness, you have heard the testimony of Mr. Mazzei. Did you hear what he just said? Mr. VULETICH. Yes. Mr. ARENS. Was he telling the truth or was he lying? Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the privilege of the fifth amendment. I don't know the man, I never seen him before. Mr. ARENS. You never saw Mr. Mazzei before? Mr. VULETICH. To the best of my knowledge, I don't think, unless I saw him on the street somewhere. Mr. ARENS. Let's give you a word of caution. If you lie to this committee under oath, you are subject to prosecution for contempt of this committee. Do you understand that? Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the fifth amendment. Mr. ARENS. Do you understand? Mr. VULETICH. I understand. Mr. ARENS. Was Mr. Mazzei telling the truth or was he lying? Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the privilege of the fifth amendment. Mr. ARENS. You just told us you never have seen Mr. Mazzei before, is that true? Mr. VULETICH. I don't know whether I have seen the man or not. I invoke the privilege of the fifth amendment. I can't recollect that way. Mr. ARENS. If you can't recollect and you are truthful, that is what you should say. Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the fifth amendment. Mr. ARENS. Mr. Mazzei, on how many occasions were you in the company of Mr. Vuletich? Mr. MAZZEI. I would say maybe a dozen times or more. Mr. ARENS. In the Communist apparatus? Mr. MAZZEI. That is right. Mr. ARENS. Mr. Vuletich, do you deny that you have ever been in the company of Mr. Mazzei? Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the privilege of the fifth amendment. Mr. ARENS. Do you deny it or invoke the privilege? You can do both. Mr. VULETICH. I invoke the privilege of the fifth amendment. I don't want to witness against myself. Mr. ARENS. All right, sir. Mr. Cvetic? You have been previously identified, and have given your background? Mr. CVETIC. Yes; I have. Mr. ARENS. Do you know the witness who has just been testifying, Mr. Mike Vuletich? Mr. CVETIC. Yes; I know Mike Vuletich. Mr. ARENS. Kindly tell the committee the circumstances surrounding your acquaintanceship or association with the witness. Mr. CVETIC. Well, after I joined the Communist Party for the FBI I was assigned in 1944 to the nationality commission of the Communist Party. In the nationality commission, on the top level, is a group of Soviet agents that is in charge of work in this particular district. This section of the Communist Party is broken down into various nationalities or country groups. For example, there is a Russian section of the nationality commission, the Slovak section, the Serbian section. Mike Vuletich happens to be Serbian. I am Slovenian and I was a member of the Slovenian section. When Calvin Brook's name was used here, I knew Calvin Brook very well. He was head of the Slovak section of the nationality commission. Calvin Brook was also in charge of the espionage here for the Czechoslovak Embassy in this district. He was the contact man between the Communist Party in this district and the Czechoslovak consulate in Pittsburgh and also the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington, D. C. Mike Vuletich was a member of the Serbian section of the Communist Party in western Pennsylvania. Some of Mike Vuletich's contacts as a member of this were Nick Baltich, Manesusnjar, who directed this Serbian section in this area, Charley Vuich, who lives, as was testified, right out in Wilmerding, Pa. I don't know if he is. still there. He was out there. And their activities there for the Communist Party was to carry on the Communist work in the Serbian 40435-54--14 Progressive Club and then to form a Serbian section within the Westinghouse Electric plant at East Pittsburgh, and also at the Westinghouse Air Brake at Wilmerding, Pa., where Charley was very active for the Communist Party. He was a part of the electrical commission of the Communist Party for the East Pittsburgh district. Mr. ARENS. Who was his immediate party superior? Mr. CVETIC. His immediate party superior was a man by the name of Manesusnjar, head of the Serbían commission of the Communist Party, a Soviet agent, and I believe he may be in Chicago, Ill., now. Mr. ARENS. Mr. Vuletich, do you recognize the witness who has just been testifying, Mr. Cvetic? Mr. VULETICH. I fully decline to answer under the fifth amendment privilege. Mr. ARENS. You couldn't even recognize him, is that right? Mr. VULETICH. I decline to answer under the privilege of the fifth amendment. Mr. ARENS. Was he telling the truth or was he lying? Mr. VULETICH. My answer is the same. Mr. ARENS. Was he telling the truth or was he framing you? Mr. VULETICH. My answer is the same. Mr. CVETIC. When Charles Vuletich says he doesn't know Joe Mazzei, four of us were at a Commuinst Party picnic, I think they called it the Sugar Camp, in Turtle Creek. I think it was either 1948 or 1949. Charley was working for one of the members of the committee, since I was in charge of the arrangements for the Communist picnic, I knew pretty well who was there. Charley was there and so was Joe Mazzei. Mr. ARENS. All right. Mr. Sherman? Mr. Sherman, you have previously been sworn and identified yourself on this record? Mr. SHERMAN. Yes; I have, Mr. Arens. Mr. ARENS. Do you have information to submit to the committee with reference to the witness occupying the principal chair here, Mr. Mike Vuletich? Mr. SHERMAN. Yes, Mr. Arens. Mr. Vuletich was for over 10 years, continuously, financial secretary of the Communist Party of the Turtle Creek Valley. He was very closely associated with and is still associated with Marco Baltich, who was the chairman of the Turtle Creek Valley branch of the Communist Party and Serbian chairman of the IWO for the United States and Canada. Mr. Vuletich was a very active Communist and strong-arm Communist and was arrested for being a strong-arm Communist on the premises of the Serbian Progressive Club which a man named Pete Vanich, and he was not put out, that is Vanich was not put out to keep order, Vanich was put out because he opposed Communist tactics of the men in charge of the Serbian Progressive group. Mr. Vuletich was found to be a Communist and a member of the Communist group which took over that club, with the help of his strong arms by keeping out persons who were of the Serbian and Yugoslav background who were not Communists and inviting in only Communists from all over the They weren't only Serbs and Communists admitted, they included some bad Irishmen like Tom Fitzpatrick as well. This fellow engineered and helped guide the destinies of the Communist area. branch. To this very day they have taken over a church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Serbian Greek Orthodox Church in that valley, has been taken over by the same group of Communists which were put out by decree of court, in common please court in Allegheny County, so Mr. Vuletich is very, very definitely not telling the committee the truth here about his lack of association with Mr. Bodich. He is not telling the truth about a number of things. May I ask that a transcript of this testimony on this particular witness be turned over to the United States attorney? Mr. ARENS. The committee is going to consider turning the transcript over on a number of witnesses and instances. Were you ever arrested in the Pittsburgh area in the late thirties? Mr. VULETICH. I was only arrested one time for violating the vehicle code. That is way back. I don't recall when, but that has been a long time ago. That is the only time I have been arrested. Mr. ARENS. No more questions, Mr. Chairman. Senator BUTLER. You are excused, Mr. Vuletich. Senator BUTLER. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Vuletich is the last witness to appear before this meeting or the sessions here in Pittsburgh, and we are about to close this meeting of the task force here. Before we close the meeting, I want to thank the officials of this court, the bailiff and marshal, and the other men who have been here to help us. I most certainly want to thank the press for their courteousness and we have had a nice time here. I want to tell the people of Pittsburgh who have helped to make our visit here pleasant how much we appreciate it. The meeting will stand adjourned and all witnesses are released from their subpena. (Whereupon, at 3:08 p. m. the hearing was recessed subject to the call of the Chair.) |