not make a statement, but the national committee of the Communist Party made a statement, and then through the party's methods of communications with the Communist International, they finally got the right answer that the war was a phony war, and the protection of the Soviet Union, and to give the Soviet Union a breathing spell in order to arm itself against Hitler-the national committee issued this proclamation, and then this came down to the State committee of California, came down to the county committee of Los Angeles, and then from the county committee it went down into-that is the way the line was laid down.

Mr. VELDE. Do you have any information or knowledge as to how the party line was handed down from the Communist International to the Communist Party of the United States?

Mr. ROSSER. I do not.

Mr. VELDE. Proceed, Mr. Counsel.

Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Chairman, may I ask this: The witness has repeatedly referred to the period of the united front. Are you able, Mr. Rosser, to fix that period in years or months? In other words, to what do you refer as the period of the united front?

Mr. ROSSER. 1935 to August 1939. In the meeting where we met on the North American strike it was brought out that the Government, the Roosevelt government, was going to bring in the Army to break the strike, but the party's position was that whether they brought the Army or not, this strike served notice that if the party had the correct tactics, the working class would follow them, and this strike was a strike that the party pulled in order to slow down the production of airplanes in southern California.

Further, at that time our work among the Negro people was that the Negroes in southern California especially and northern-saw an opportunity to get jobs. They had been denied jobs in a lot of the industries of California and the Negro people saw an opportunity to move in the industry. The Communist Party, in order to mobilize the Negro people against the war-No. 1, we sabotaged every effort of the Negro people on a "build the jobs" movement through the unions, every effort of the non-Communist trade unions to fight for the rights of Negroes on jobs during that Hitler-Stalin pact. We sabotaged every effort of the Negro leaders on a "build the jobs" movement. Further than that, in our propaganda to the Negroes we said that they had no stake in this war, that there was no difference between England and France, who had colonies and who exploited the Africans and the Indians, and Nazi Germany, Fascist Germany who also exploited the colored races. We called upon the Negroes not to give blood to the Red Cross because they segregated the blood. We called upon the Negro youth not to answer the draft call if there was a draft, because the Army was segregated. Through all this work and all this antiwar activities, at the same time we expanded the teachings of the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union because the hard core of the Communist Party knew that the thing that they had been talking about for years looked like it was at hand. That the capitalist would was going to attack the Soviet Union, and if the capitalist world, America and England, joined with Hitler and marched east, the Communists must be ready in this country during the Stalin-Hitler pact to lead the American working class in an all-out fight to turn their own guns against their own leaders.

Mr. TAVENNER. Did a change develop in the policy?

Mr. ROSSER. As we were pushing this policy right after the meeting on the North American strike a few days later, Hitler moved east and invaded the Soviet Union.

Mr. TAVENNER. Just a moment. Before you go into that, at the time of the North American strike did any higher officials of the Communist Party commit themselves in any way upon the success of that strike as to what it meant to the Communist Party?

Mr. ROSSER. Well, the top officials at the meeting I was at were Matt Pelman, Paul Kline; they were the organizers. They said that it was a part of the Communist strategy at that time to fight against the war. The North American strike was not the only strike that the Communists pulled throughout the State of California. In southern California we had the Vultee strike also in aircraft.

Mr. TAVENNER. Pardon the interruption. Just proceed.
Mr. ROSSER. That is the end.

Mr. JACKSON. Mr. Counsel, one question. Mr. Rosser, before leaving the period of the united front, I would like to clarify my own understanding of one piece of your testimony which I think is extremely important.

Did I understand you to say that when the sincere efforts of nonCommunist Negro leaders were directed toward alleviating unemployment, toward creating a better situation, that those efforts were deliberately sabotaged by the Communist Party?

Mr. ROSSER. That is right. They were deliberately sabotaged during this effort. The only thing that the party had to hold the Negroes in the antiwar camp was the question of jobs, and

Mr. JACKSON. As long as they could keep them jobless and keep them hungry, they were much easier to control?

Mr. ROSSER. To propagandize to, that is right. In the period of the united front, on the question of the expansion and how it worked, there was a meeting of the county convention in Los Angeles in 1937, and the Young Communist League introduced a resolution at that convention, to show you how they expand. In that resolution the Young Communist League pointed out that they would help organize the CIO; they would build all types of support organizations in the CIO; and then at the State convention in 1938 in Frisco, we had a meeting on the united front. This convention was presided over by William Schneiderman. I was on one of the committees there

Mr. TAVENNER. Just a moment, please. Mr. Chairman, I would like to introduce in evidence the resolutions and proposals as adopted by the Canada convention in 1937 alluded to by the witness and have it marked "Rosser Exhibit No. 9," and also the proceedings of the California convention in 1938, to which the witness has just referred, and have it marked "Rosser Exhibit No. 10."

Mr. JACKSON. Without objection the exhibits referred to will be received.

(Photostat of resolutions and proposals adopted by the Canada convention in 1937 was received in evidence as Rosser exhibit No. 9; photostat of proceedings of California convention in 1938 was received in evidence as Rosser exhibit No. 10.)

ROSSER EXHIBIT NO. 9

RESOLUTIONS

AND

PROPOSALS

ADOPTED

AT

LOS ANGELES COUNTY CONVENTION

MARCH 27, 28, 1957.

FORWARD

TO THE FULFILLMENT OF

THE CONVENTION DECISIONS

(Part 1)

12

ROFOSED RESOLUTION OF VORE AMONG THE YOUTH TO L.A. CO. CO VETION CO.UNIST PARTY.

The organization of Los Angeles into a 100% union town and the development of a peoples movement a ainst reaction will not he successful unless the younrer generation is mobilized in support of these basic tasks confronting the people and our party.

Especially now the tremendous percentage of youth in the basic industries of Southern California, (auto, marine, aircraft, steel agriculture, needle, etc.) and with thoever increasing desire and mobilization of every section of the youth for action around their problems does this question assume major significance for our l'arty in Los Angeles.

I. WINNING THE YOUTH FOR THE DRIVE TO ORGANÍZE LOS ANGELES.

Young people can and so play an important pa t in the drive to organize Los Angeles. This was lost evidenced by the influx of thousands of young workers in the maritime, aircrut, and other strike struggles just recently.

1.

In winning of the youth for the drive to organize Los Angeles, the Party must:

Holp the YCL activitios the many YCLers elegible for CIO and other Unions, and help establish YCL or;anization in the industries and shops. In the immed-. ate future the Party must help establish YCL branches in Aircraft and Needle. Assist and five guidance to those YCLers working in places where no party exists, (American Can) in their efforts to esta lish a union.

2.

Raise in the entire trade union movement the necessity for combatting the concerted drive of the employers who through sports, social and educational programs attemit to keep the youth away from the trade unions; a. by helping to initiate in the labor movement a program of social, recreational and sports activity. (In San Pedro a recreational center around the maritire unions; In Los Angeles sports and recreational activities around the needle trades, studio and woodworking unions.

3.

Mobilize our fractions to get the support of the trade unions around the campaign and issues of the youth such as the Campaign for the California Youth Act.

Farticipation and support in the anti-war actions on May 30th support for the 4th American Youth congress in Milwaukee through endorsement financial help, and for the sending of delerates from these unions with a large youth membership.

4. To assign all young comrades in trade unions as their major responsi bility the job of developing youth activity and win in the youth for the trade unions. OUR PARTY PRACTIONS MUST UTILIZE EVERY AVAILABLE YOUNG COMRADE FOR THE WORK OF WINNING THE YOUTH FOR THE PROGRESSIVE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT.

E. In all sections to help the YCL become of real service to the drive to organize Los Angeles by helping to mobilize all youth and youth organization in support of all struggles, especially in the collection of relief, assistance on picket lines; help inaugurate a drive to win the eligible young people in the large mass organizations of youth for membership in their trade unions; and to get the assistance of these organizations in the organization drive to unionize Los Angeles.

(Part 2)

13

Southern California youth have taken ig steps in the direction of united action against war, facism and insecurity during the past year. (Examples: The California Youth Act campaign involving organizations representing 50,000 LA youth; the movement for independent political action involving top leaders of church and Young Democratic organizations: The United Student Peace Committee preparing for Student strikes against war; the campaign to aid Spanish Democracy, dtc.

The Los Angeles YCL has played an important part in uilding these movements. Therever young progressives gather they are learning to work with and welcome the line of the Communists. During the coming few months the YCL must strengthen its connections with the most important progressives youth organizations like the Y's, churches, Young Democrats, etc.

It must work to mobilize the youth represented in these united fronts, especially around:

1. ·

2.

3.

The Fight to pass the California Youth Act.

United ar Actions among the students on April 22nd; among all May 30th.
Fourth National American Youth Conrress July 4th.

4.- Municipal Legislative Youth Conference after the Municipal elections:

THE PARTY UST:

1.- Assist by assigning forces to adult organižations working among the youth, such as the Parent Teachers A soci. tions; and in assigning young party forces to the Young Democrats.

2. By helping in all sections to mobilize all organisations and trade unions in support of these campaigns.

Through the connections it has established and as a result of the beginning made in reconstructing the YCL into a mass organization, more democratic, trying to cater to all the social, educational, cu'tural and sports desires of the youth, the UCL has recruited hundreds of new youth and has doubled its membership during the last 8 months,

1. If the YCL is to hold its members and grow in size and influence further it must develop a more experienced collective leadership capable of solving the many complex problems. The Party must ay serious attention to the education, guidance and developments of the league leadership in all sections.

2. The Farty must give real help in the reconstruction of the League and in the developing of diverse activities in the League by utilizing specialists who can give the League the rich life a mass young organization must have. (teachers, artists, musidians, dramatists, physical culture directors, etc.)

3. The Party must immediately strengthen its connections with and its guidance to the YCL comrades, especially in sections like Goodyear, Harbor, San Fernando, SP (where some of the best possi ilities exist for building the YCL). Monthly joint meetings of the YCL and party uros must be utilized in aiding the league and to familiarize the part leadership with the problems con fronting us in our work among the youth. In all sections a leading comrade attached to the Buro must be made responsible for the building of the YCL with the Party, for bringing youth problems into the Party; and for bringing Party campains before the youth. Our slogan must be; "NO PARTY CAMPAIGN IS COMPLETE UNLI SS IT REACHES THE YOUTH":

(Part 3)