Mr. TAVENNER. Was it divided into smaller groups, do you know! Mr. BOORSTIN. Not so far as I can recall. No, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Did the group have a name? Mr. BOORSTIN. I can't recall its name, sir. It may have had, but I can't remember the details of it. All I can remember is that it was identified as the local group of people who were interested in Marxism at the university. Mr. TAVENNER. You state it was a group interested in Marxism. Was it known as a Communist Party group also? Mr. BOORSTIN. It may have been, sir. I can't remember precisely. My own interest in it was intellectual. I considered it as a study group and had the impression that many others did also. Mr. TAVENNER. What was the nature of the subjects that you studied in that group? Mr. BOORSTIN. As best as I can recall, it was subjects connected with the Marxist or materialist interpretation of history. Mr. TAVENNER. Do you recall whether or not the Communist Party literature or material was furnished to the group for its study in the form of pamphlets or books? Mr. BOORSTIN. No, sir. I can't recall. Mr. KEARNEY. Wouldn't that naturally follow then if it was a Marxist group interested in the study of Marxism? Mr. TAVENNER. But if the material was furnished by the Communist Party I think it would have a special bearing on it, because there were many subjects that the Communist Party was interested inmany books and pamphlets that they sponsored which may not have been in a purely Marxist study group. Mr. CLARDY. Why don't we just ask him to tell us how they went about studying Marxism? Maybe he can enlarge on it in that way. Mr. BOORSTIN. I will give you the best of my recollection, Mr. Clardy. I can't remember the details. All I can recall is that there were that students were reading Marxist literature at that time. There was a thing called a Left Book Club which existed in England and which had many, many members. Mr. VELDE. How do you spell that, Doctor? Mr. BOORSTIN. Left-L-e-f-t Book Club. Mr. TAVENNER. Did you study the Communist Manifesto? Mr. BOORSTIN. I don't recall specifically, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Do you recall the book State and Revolution? Mr. BOORSTIN. I recall the name, but I don't recall specifically having studied it at Oxford. No, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Is there any other information that you can give the committee regarding the activity of that group which you joined at Oxford? Mr. BOORSTIN. I have a vague recollection of a large meeting in a hall somewhere in Oxford during which there were about 100 or 150 people present. And I have a recollection that some of the students in the group may have rung door bells for the Labor Party in some of the elections during the period that I was in England. Beyond that it is awfully vague. Mr. TAVENNER. When did you leave Oxford? Mr. BOORSTIN. 1937. Mr. CLARDY. Mr. Counsel, before you leave that, I have a recollection of his having told the committee at some time or other that pretty nearly all of the Rhodes scholars from this Nation belonged to that group. Is that correct? Mr. BOORSTIN. I think I said that in executive session, Mr. Clardy. Mr. CLARDY. I recall that from the transcript. Mr. BOORSTIN. But since having made that statement-that was last summer-I have been thinking it over and trying to figure out exactly how many of the Rhodes scholars of my year I could remember as having been in that group. Or of the Rhodes scholars who were there at the time, and I think as best I can recall it was about six. So I am afraid that was an exaggeration. Mr. CLARDY. Six out of how many? Mr. BOORSTIN. About 70. There were about 75 American Rhodes scholars there during my period; but from any one year there were about 32. Mr. CLARDY. SO comparing this with what you said earlier, it would be about 6 out of 32 instead of nearly all? Mr. BOORSTIN. No. My acquaintance included some Rhodes scholars from all the three classes, but I would not have known all of them. Mr. CLARDY. I see. Mr. BOORSTIN. So I would say it would be hard to say, sir. Mr. CLARDY. Thank you. Mr. MOULDER. Mr. Chairman. Mr. VELDE. Mr. Moulder. (Representatives Francis E. Walter and James B. Frazier, Jr., entered the hearing room at this point.) Mr. MOULDER. I understand six actively participated in the meetings? Mr. BOORSTIN. There would be six whom I would remember. About six whom I would remember as having been interested in the materialist interpretation of history, and having been probably members of this group. Mr. MOULDER. A short time ago Mr. Tavenner asked you a question as to your active opposition to the Communist Party since you had terminated your affiliation with the party. Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes. Mr. MOULDER. Can you give us some statement as to how you expressed your opposition since that time? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. MOULDER. As to how you have expressed your opposition and what acts or expressions have you made in opposition to the party? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. My opposition has taken two forms: First, the form of an affirmative participation in religious activities, because I think religion is a bulwark against communism. This has been expressed in my activities in the Hillel Foundation at the University of Chicago, which is the local Jewish student group. Mr. TAVENNER. Will you spell the name? Mr. BOORSTIN. H-i-l-l-e-l; and which is concerned in trying to develop in students an awareness of the importance of religion in their lives and in relation to the American tradition. I wrote a book on Jefferson some years ago, of which the motto was, "Can the liberties"—it is a quotation from Jefferson-"Can the liberties of a people be thought secure if they have lost their only firm basis-the belief that those liberties are the gift of God?" I believe that, sir. The second form of my opposition has been an attempt to discover and explain to students in my teaching and in my writing, the unique virtues of American democracy. I have done this partly in my Jefferson book which, by the way, was bitterly attacked in the Daily Worker as something defending the ruling classes in America; and in a forthcoming book called The Genius of American Politics, which is on the presses at the moment. I have written articles and book reviews for a commentary magazine which is a strongly anti-Communist journal, trying to explain to people the relation of the Jewish tradition to American institutions. Mr. TAVENNER. When you returned to the United States did you take up your studies at Yale? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. While at Yale did you affiliate with any group of the Communist Party? Mr. BOORSTIN. No, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. How long were you at Yale? Mr. BOORSTIN. From the fall of 1937 until the summer of 1938. Mr. TAVENNER. After leaving Yale where did you resume your studies? Mr. BOORSTIN. I continued the preparation of my thesis for the doctor's degree while I was an instructor and tutor in history and literature at Harvard College at Cambridge, Mass. Mr. TAVENNER. And you entered in the fall of 1938. Is that substantially correct? Mr. BOORSTIN. My employment at Harvard College? Mr. TAVENNER. Yes. Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. And you were at Harvard from 1938 until 1942, I understand? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. And while at Harvard you were a part-time teacher, is that correct, to begin with? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. I can't recall whether it was technically part-time or full-time, but I was employed, and also the understanding was, I was to complete my graduate work by writing my thesis. Mr. TAVENNER. After you entered Harvard in the fall of 1938, you then joined the Communist Party of the United States, as I understand it? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under which you became a member of the Communist Party at that time? Mr. BOORSTIN. There were a number of circumstances that as I can recall now led me into the group. One was that those were the days of the so-called United Front, during which the Communist Party was taking the position of supporting all liberal and progressive groups. Their motto was, "Communism Is Twentieth Century Americanism," at that time. They had somewhat succeeded in blurring the line between themselves and other groups. Also they were at that time taking a position against anti-Semitism and against the Nazis, and as a Jew that had a certain appeal to me, naturally. Also during that year Granville Hicks was a counselor in American studies, and he was a well-known person who had written a book about American literature. His presence lent a certain amount of glamor to the group. In addition to that, there were some old friends of mine who had been interested in Marxism at Oxford, who were at Harvard at that time, and as friends of mine they added to the interest of the group. It is hard to explain the thing any more clearly than that, sir. There were many different things. Mr. TAVENNER. Were these former associates of yours at Oxford members of the Communist Party group at Harvard? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr.TAVENNER. What were their names? Mr. BOORSTIN. Richard B. Schlatter; and Richard M. Goodwin. Mr. TAVENNER. What were their positions at Harvard at that time? Mr. BOORSTIN. As well as I can remember it, it was about the same as mine. They had some sort of position as instructor and were completing their studies, as I recall. Mr. TAVENNER. How closely were you associated with those two persons at Oxford? Mr. BOORSTIN. They were my roommates during my last year at Oxford. Mr. TAVENNER. Were both of them members of the same group at Oxford of which you were a member? The group which you described a few minutes ago? Mr. BOORSTIN. They were both in this study group. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Do you recall the circumstances under which you were actually brought into the party at Harvard? Did anyone approach you on the subject, or did you approach any particular individual? Mr. BOORSTIN. I am sorry, but I can't remember the details. Mr. TAVENNER. You spoke of Granville Hicks being at Harvard that year. Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Do you know what his position was at Harvard? Mr. BOORSTIN. I don't remember the exact title. It may have been counselor or fellow in American history. Mr. TAVENNER. Was that the year in which Harvard began the counselor system in advising students in history? Mr. BOORSTIN. I think it was the first year. I wouldn't be sure if it was either the first or the second year. Mr. TAVENNER. Was it connected with that particular project that Mr. Granville Hicks had been engaged? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Was he a person known at that time openly as a member of the Communist Party? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. WALTER. By "openly" what do you mean? Mr. BOORSTIN. He wrote for the newspapers and wrote frequently for Communist newspapers and journals, and admitted publicly that he was a member of the Communist Party. Mr. WALTER. So that at the time he was selected as a counselor at Harvard it was a well-known fact that he was an active member of the Communist Party? Mr. BOORSTIN. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Did you discuss your induction into the Communist Party with Granville Hicks before actually becoming a member? Mr. BOORSTIN. I don't remember, sir. I may have. I don't remember. Mr. TAVENNER. Where did you reside as an instructor or student at Harvard? Mr. BOORSTIN. Kirkland House. K-i-r-k-l-a-n-d House. Kirkland House. Mr. TAVENNER. Where did Mr. Granville Hicks reside? Do you know? Mr. BOORSTIN. I believe he was attached to Adams House, but I think he was not residing there because he was married. Mr. TAVENNER. I understood you to state that the presence of a person of the reputation of Mr. Granville Hicks at that time had a bearing upon your decision to become a member of the Communist Party at that particular time? Mr. BOORSTIN. It was one of several factors. Yes, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. Do you know whether his presence and his employment had any bearing upon the decision of others to join the Communist Party at Harvard? Mr. BOORSTIN. I don't know it for a fact. No, sir. Mr. TAVENNER. How long did Mr. Hicks remain employed at Harvard? It Mr. BOORSTIN. As well as I can recall it was for just 1 academic year. may have been more. I don't recall. Mr. TAVENNER. What was the general nature of your experience as a member of the party at Harvard? What were the activities in which the members of the group engaged? Mr. BOORSTIN. From my point of view, sir, it was primarily a study group in which people talked about Marxism and materialist interpretation of history. The activities of the group included an attempt to affect the policies and the leadership of the Harvard Teachers' Union. Those were the two principal activities I can recall. Mr. TAVENNER. The Harvard Teachers' Union-and what was the other activity? You said there were two. Mr. BOORSTIN. The study group aspect of it. I was never particularly active in the group and never had a leadership position in the group. Mr. CLARDY. Was that teachers' union purely a local organization, or part of something else? Mr. BOORSTIN. It was a branch of the American Federation of Labor-of the American Federation of Teachers which, in turn, was a branch of the American Federation of Labor. Mr. CLARDY. Some question was raised whether it was part of the A. F. of L. You are not sure of that? Mr. BOORSTIN. It was my impression it was part of the A. F. of L. I may have been mistaken in that, but it is my impression. Mr. WALTER. It was a component part of the Teachers' Union and the Teachers' Union was an affiliate of the A. F. of L.? Mr. BOORSTIN. To the best of my knowledge, yes. Mr. KEARNEY. It was a national organization? |