Mr. NIXON. Well, would it be on a basis that because of your knowledge of the purposes and your activities in the party, that your direction or the activities that you used in organizing the guild were influenced by the Communist Party to the extent that you were a member of the Communist Party as well as an organizer for this particular organization?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Well, I think you can go further than that. I was in the Communist Party, at least in theory, because I believe in the importance of the labor movement as such. The guild, according to the theory under which we were working, was a very important aspect of that labor movement, and anything I could do to strengthen the labor movement

Mr. NIXON. By the guild are you referring to the Communist Party? Mr. GARRIGUES. I am referring to both, although I mean the labor movement particularly.

Mr. NIXON. Particularly in regard to aiding the Communist Party? Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; that is right.

Mr. NIXON. When you came to Los Angeles, were you assigned to any unit or group of the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I was assigned to a unit. I remember going to the first meeting, because it was not a meeting, it was actually just not a real party meeting. But I think I stayed in that unit, or possibly another unit was formed later, but I didn't meet very much with the unit.

Mr. NIXON. Were the components of this unit from the newspaper field only, or was it a miscellaneous unit?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Well, it was preponderantly so, but I think somewhat mixed.

Mr. NIXON. Do you recall any individuals who were in this unit? Mr. GARRIGUES. Well, not too thoroughly, not too distinctly, for this reason, that I don't say I don't recall any of them, but

Mr. NIXON. During the course of the interrogation here there are certain names that I will ask you if you can recall. During the organization of the guild was any outside help given to you? Mr. GARRIGUES. Any help from outside the guild?

Mr. NIXON. No; from outside of Los Angeles, in the organizing of the unit.

Mr. GARRIGUES. No; I think not.

Mr. NIXON. Do you recall a person named Morgan Hull?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Oh, yes; I recall Morgan Hull. Morgan Hull was a member of the Los Angeles guild.

Mr. NIXON. Was he in it at the time that you first knew him? Were you in the unit when Morgan Hull joined the unit, or was he already in the unit when you joined up?

Mr. GARRIGUES. My impression is that Morgan Hull was a Communist Party member long before I was and before there was a guild. I knew him previously. He and I worked on the same paper.

Mr. NIXON. During the course of that period did you know an individual named Lou Amster?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I knew a Lou Amster. My impression is————— Mr. NIXON. Is it a definite impression?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Not too definite.

Mr. NIXON. It is only an impression?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes. Well, it is a recollection.

Mr. NIXON. Do you recall an individual named Leo Selkowski? Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I knew Leo Selkowski.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know him to be a member of the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I don't know whether I knew him to be in the party. Mr. NIXON. Did you know Urcel Daniel?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I knew her.

Mr. NIXON. For the record, Miss Daniel has appeared before the committee and has admitted past membership in the Communist Party. Did you know her during the time as a member of the party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. My impression is that she was the secretary of our unit, but the date I can't remember just now. It was sometime during the period. Just when, I can't remember.

Mr. NIXON. Was that unit to any degree financing the guild, your Communist Party unit?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Well, I think-it is hard to remember. I am trying to place it as closely as I can, but most of the unit members, that is, the party members were guild members unquestionably, not all of them, I think, but probably most of them. They were possibly during that time-this was the period, if you recollect, right after I got into Los Angeles, and they had at the time the policy of having open meetings, where there were various types of open meetings, but there was no longer, as I understood at the time, there were no longer occasional fraction meetings of the guild, but the progressive interest we had in that term came from our crucial problems, and we had 1 or 2 or 3 or more nonparty members who were progressing the labor movement. Mr. NIXON. That is, you mean some of the individuals who were in attendance were not necessarily Communist Party members to have been in attendance?

Mr. GARRIGUES. That is right, and it is very difficult to distinguish between the two.

Mr. NIXON. In those instances in which there is no question in your mind, for the matter of the record, we want it indicated by you. I mean the basis of the interrogation or the questioning is to have you identify the names of certain individuals whom you are certain of, but if there is any question in your mind, make it known so that the record will be complete on it.

Mr. GARRIGUES. Let me say this before that, that I remember distinctly 5 or 6 members of them that were in this labor guild mobilization. Now, I don't think they were all Communists. I think 2 or 3 of them were, and then there may be certain others that were in there at the time.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know a person named Burke?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know Burke to be a Communist?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I know that he was in.

Mr. NIXON. Dorothy Healey?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I knew her before I was in the party, and we had a good many discussions.

Mr. NIXON. Charles Judson?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I knew Judson. I know he has testified that he was not in the party, but I could say definitely he was.

Mr. NIXON. I think that during the course of Mr. Judson's testimony, I believe he is one of the individuals who testified to his having been a member of the Communist Party.

Do you remember Paul Cline?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes. Paul Cline was a party organizer, if that is-I want to get that name right now. This is Paul Cline who was

the party organizer.

Mr. NIXON. Do you know a Minna Klein?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes; I knew Minna Klein. I think she was a writer, but I don't know her as a party member, honestly. She was one of the people we saw.

Mr. NIXON. For identification, she was the wife of Herbert Klein. Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes, I knew Herbert, but whether they were party members

Mr. NIXON. Did you know a William E. Oliver?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know him to be a member of the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. No, not at the time that I was there. I might say that there was some effort to recruit him at one time.

Mr. NIXON. During the course of the testimony before the Committee on Un-American Activities, Miss Alice Bennett identified both Minna Klein and William E. Oliver as having been in this unit of the Los Angeles Newspaper Guild.

Did you know Philip Johnson?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes. I mean not at the time. I know him now, but I did not at the time.

Mr. NIXON. Do you know George Shaffer?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes, I did. George Shaffer?

Mr. NIXON. That is S-h-a-f-f-e-r.

Mr. GARRIGUES. I saw him hand out a lot of folders. I know there are two people there.

Mr. NIXON. Do you know Ed Robbins?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes, I think I know him. I did meet him.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know him to be a member of the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I think he was.

Mr. NIXON. Did you know Sarah Bognoff?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes, I met Sarah Bognoff working in, I think she

was in the guild offices or some other union office.

Mr. NIXON. You know her as a member of the party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I know her as a member of the party.

Mr. NIXON. Tom O'Connor?

Mr. GARRIGUES. I know him as a newspaperman.

Mr. NIXON. Have you during the course of your membership in the Communist Party been assigned any Communist name or any party name?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Yes, I took a party name of E. Scott.

Mr. NIXON. When did you leave the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. In 1939.

Mr. NIXON. Was there any formality in your leaving or did you merely drift away from the party and was there an actual break in your membership?

Mr. GARRIGUES. Well, there was a break when I came to Los Angeles. I had no more contact with the party for a year or two. Mr. NIXON. Can you remember the approximate date? Mr. GARRIGUES. It must have been the early part of 1939.

Mr. NIXON. Was there any occasion or reason for you to feel all the time that you were in the Communist Party that it was a revolutionary party or was a conspiracy in the sense of advocating the overthrow of this Government, as it was stated?

Mr. GARRIGUES. No, not in the sense in which the terms are now being used. That was not my experience with it at all. That was the particular point I studied most carefully. I didn't want to be in such a conspiracy.

Mr. NIXON. After you left Los Angeles and left the Communist Party, were any efforts made to recruit you into the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. No.

Mr. NIXON. You were not contacted subsequently to be reactivated? Mr. GARRIGUES. Not at any time, no.

Mr. NIXON. And since the time you left you have had no further dealing with the Communist Party?

Mr. GARRIGUES. That is correct, none whatsoever.

Mr. NIXON. And you have not been a member of the Communist Party since that time?

Mr. GARRIGUES. That is correct.

Mr. NIXON. Well, I want to express my appreciation for the information which you have given us.

Mr. VELDE. Mr. Garrigues, on behalf of the entire Committee on Un-American Activities, I wish to express our thanks for your testimony today.

You may be excused.

(Whereupon the witness was excused and the subcommittee adjourned subject to the call of the Chair.)

INVESTIGATION OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE

LOS ANGELES AREA-Part 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 1953

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES, Los Angeles, Calif.

1 EXECUTIVE SESSION

The subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met, pursuant to call, at 9: 15 p. m., in the Cleveland Room, Hotel Statler, Los Angeles, Calif., Hon. Donald L. Jackson (acting chairman), presiding.

Committee members present: Representatives Donald L. Jackson (acting chairman), and Clyde Doyle.

Staff members present: Frank Š. Tavenner, Jr., counsel; Thomas W. Beale, Sr., chief clerk; and William A. Wheeler, investigator. Mr. JACKSON. The committee will please be in order.

Mr. Tavenner, will you call the witness?

Mr. TAVENNER. Jerome Robinson.

Mr. JACKSON. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

TESTIMONY OF JEROME ROBINSON

Mr. TAVENNER. What is your full name, please, sir?

Mr. ROBINSON. Jerome Robinson.

Mr. TAVENNER. Are you accompanied by counsel?

Mr. ROBINSON. I am not.

Mr. TAVENNER. It is the practice of the committee to make known to every witness they are entitled to have counsel with them if they desire. And furthermore, you would have the right to consult counsel at any time during your interrogation. You understand that? Mr. ROBINSON. I do.

Mr. JACKSON. Notwithstanding, you are ready to proceed without counsel?

Mr. ROBINSON. I am.

Mr. TAVENNER. When and where were you born, Mr. Robinson?

Mr. ROBINSON. New York City, February 25, 1910.

Mr. TAVENNER. What is your occupation?

Mr. ROBINSON. I am a photographer.

1 Released by the committee, April 13, 1953.

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