Mr. WHEELER. Was this a Communist Party name?
Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr WHEELER. For what purpose did you use the name Jane Howe? Miss KINNEY. Principally as a means of protecting the person with whom I was living at the time I joined. It was common practice for people to use a different name in the party.

Mr. WHEELER. What were the reasons for your becoming a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Like many people, I was appalled by what happened during the depression, by the conditions under which people were forced to live. Being both idealistic and without any knowledge of political science or economics, I was easily convinced that Marxism was the answer.

When the Socialist Party seemed to be doing nothing that was effective, I began to wonder if perhaps the Communist Party was where I would find more immediate activity.

I did some reading in the public library which led me to believe that they and not the Socialists were following Marxist principles. Therefore, in August 1933, I applied for membership by going to the county office and asking to join.

Mr. WHEELER. Were you recruited by any specific person?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. After becoming a member of the Communist Party, to what branches were you assigned?

Miss KINNEY. First to a neighborhood branch.

Mr. WHEELER. You correct me if I am wrong about this. I understand that from October 1933 to February 1934 there was a special group within the Socialist Party.

Miss KINNEY. I had forgotten about that.

Mr. WHEELER. February 1934 to May 1934, Hollywood street group. May 1934 to September 1934, a Burbank street group. From September 1934 to the fall of 1935, a member at large.

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. The fall of 1935 to December 1938, a teachers' unit. December 1938 to August 1939, 56th assembly district, which is in the 13th Congressional District.

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. From August 1939 to the fall of 1940, section organizer, 15th Congressional District.

The fall of 1940 to May 1942, working on the county membership commission, organizer of the 65th assembly district, and for a short period of time county membership director.

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. From May 1942 to the summer or fall of 1944, a Studebaker plant unit in Chicago.

Miss KINNEY. Just a minute. There is actually a gap of a few months there, while I was in transit, so to speak.

Mr. WHEELER. We will explain that when we cover each group.

Miss KINNEY. I was going from here to there.

Mr. WHEELER. Transferred. That can be clarified.

Miss KINNEY. That covers almost 6 months.

Mr. WHEELER. From the fall of 1944 to the fall of 1945, the Hyde Park branch in Chicago, a street unit. Is that correct?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Have you reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation what knowledge you have of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes; I have.

Mr. WHEELER. When and to what office did you give your information?

Miss KINNEY. I think it was March 1951, in Phoenix.

Mr. WHEELER. Who were the members of the Communist Party assigned to the Socialist branch?

Miss KINNEY. I remember Harold and Mildred Ashe, John Spears, Marjorie Hay.

Mr. WHEELER. Would you describe a little more fully each individual?

Miss KINNEY. Harold Ashe was at that time State secretary of the Socialist Party.

John Spears was unemployed. Marjorie Hay was teaching in the Los Angeles city schools. All were members of the Socialist Party at that time.

Mr. WHEELER. Were you given any instructions by any member of the Communist Party as to your activity within the Socialist Party? Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Would you explain your answer more fully?

Miss KINNEY. Well, I don't remember now too well, except we were supposed to build up this rank and file group, which was sort of an opposition group to the State leadership.

Mr. WHEELER. Did the members of this Communist Party unit within the Socialist Party have anything to do to disrupt the normal proceedings of the Socialist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Well, I think the group tried.

Mr. WHEELER. Did they have any success!

Miss KINNEY. To a certain extent, yes. There were perhaps 3 locals of the Socialist Party that withdrew. Two of them, I think, turned into unemployed organizations, and I think the third one may have become a branch of the American League Against War and Fascism. Mr. WHEELER. How was this accomplished?

Miss KINNEY. At this point I really couldn't tell you.

Mr. WHEELER. Will you identify the members of the Hollywood street branch to which you were assigned?

Miss KINNEY. I think the only one I remember is Dr. Tashjian.1

Mr. WHEELER. How many individuals comprised the Hollywood branch?

Miss KINNEY. I think there were about 10.

Mr. WHEELER. Then you recall no additional individuals at this time? Miss KINNEY. No, I don't.

Mr. WHEELER. You testified that you were a member of a street branch in Burbank from approximately September 1934 to the fall of 1945. Can you identify the members of the Burbank group?

Miss KINNEY. Bill and Nina Ingham, Albert Lockett. That is all I can remember now.

Mr. WHEELER. How many individuals comprised this group?
Miss KINNEY. I think there were just about 7 or 8.

Mr. WHEELER. From September 1934 to the fall of 1935, you stated you were a member at large. What is meant by the term "member at large?"

1 Dr. Vaughan A. K. Tashjian.

Miss KINNEY. You are not attached to any branch of any sort.
Mr. WHEELER. For what reason?

Miss KINNEY. Because I was given a special assignment.

Mr. WHEELER. In your opinion, would you say that you were a member at large and not assigned to any group because of security reasons of the party?

Miss KINNEY. I presume so.

Mr. WHEELER. Were you assigned to any particular person?
Miss KINNEY. Yes, to Harrison George.

Mr. WHEELER. Will you further identify Mr. Harrison George? Miss KINNEY. Harrison George was apparently carrying out some special assignment which had to do with publishing what I think was a trade-union paper that was sent to Japan.

I knew very little about it, because all I was supposed to do was pick up mail for him that was sent to various addresses and take it to him.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall from whom you picked up the mail? Miss KINNEY. No, I don't. I never made the arrangements for the use of the addresses. I simply went and got the envelopes and took them to George.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall any of the addresses where you picked up the envelopes?

Miss KINNEY. No, I don't.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you at any time acquire any knowledge as to what the envelopes contained?

Miss KINNEY. No, I didn't, nor did I ever know where they came from.

Mr. WHEELER. When assigned to Harrison George, did you at any time have any knowledge of a branch of the party known as the Philippine committee?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. According to your testimony, you were assigned to a teachers' unit from the fall of 1935 to December 1938. Who were the members of this group?

Miss KINNEY. I don't remember when they came in, with rare exceptions.

Mr. WHEELER. Who were the members of this group during the time you were a member?

Miss KINNEY. Marjorie Hay, who was teaching in the Los Angeles schools. Harry Shepro. I think you should assume that, unless I mention anything to the contrary, all of them were in the city schools. Mr. WHEELER. All right.

Miss KINNEY. Sam Wixman. I think his wife was a member.
Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall her first name?

Miss KINNEY. No. Norman Byrne.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall a member of this unit by the name of Honoré Moxley Carey?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall whether or not you recruited this individual?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, I did. She subsequently dropped out, I think, probably about 1937, but I am not sure exactly when. I do know she did drop out.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall how long she was a member of this group?

Miss KINNEY. No, I am not sure. There was Beulah Wales, who was a member only for the first few months.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Rose Posell a member of this unit?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Was she still a member when you left the teachers' group?

Miss KINNEY. So far as I can recall. There were two teachers from Glendale, Dick Lewis and LeRoy Herndon.

Mr. WHEELER. Dick Lewis, would that be Richard B. Lewis?
Miss KINNEY. It is Richard; I don't know his middle initial.

Mr. WHEELER. How long was Mr. Lewis in this group, do you

recall?

Miss KINNEY. I don't remember exactly when he joined. He still was a member at the time I left.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Mr. Herndon also a member at the time you left the teachers' unit?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall Abe Minkus?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Was he a member of this group?

Miss KINNEY. Yes; he was.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Zara Becker?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Ruth Stoddard Ryan?

Miss KINNEY. Ruth Ryan was a member. She was not in the city schools. I am not sure whether she was teaching in the nursery school at that time or whether she had in the past. Becky Goodman was also a member. She was a nursery school teacher. I am not sure she was teaching then.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Angelina Riskin a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Brodia Most a member of this teachers' unit? Miss KINNEY. I think so.

Mr. WHEELER. Were you acquainted with Davida Franchia?

Miss KINNEY. Yes; but she wasn't a member of the teachers' unit. Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall what group she was a member of? Miss KINNEY. I don't know.

Mr. WHEELER. However, you did meet her as a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Was Al Lewis a member of the teachers' unit?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall if his wife, Matilda Lewis, was a member?

Miss KINNEY. Yes; she was.

Mr. WHEELER. Are you acquainted with Frank Oppenheimer?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Was he a member of the Communist Party?
Miss KINNEY. Yes; in Pasadena.

Mr. WHEELER. Mr. Oppenheimer was not a member of the group

you were in?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall the occasion you met him as a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. It was at some meeting in connection with the professional section.

Mr. WHEELER. Would that meeting be termed as a fraction meeting? Miss KINNEY. No; it was not a section meeting. It may have been a meeting of branch organizers in that section, something of that sort. Mr. WHEELER. Did you ever have the occasion to meet any other teachers who were members of the Communist Party from the Pasadena section?

Miss KINNEY. I don't think there were any teachers. Oppenheimer, as I recall, was a research assistant, or something like that, at Caltech.

Mr. WHEELER. How many individuals were members of this group, the total amount of people going in and being transferred and quitting? What would your estimate be?

Miss KINNEY. I would imagine there would have been maybe 25. That is allowing for a few I undoubtedly have forgotten about.

Mr. WHEELER. When I interviewed you the first time, you mentioned a teacher whose first name was Claire. Do you recall the last name?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. Were you a member of local 430, American Federation of Teachers?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. When was local 430 organized?

Miss KINNEY. Fall of 1935.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you at any time hold an office in local 430?

Miss KINNEY. Yes; I was recording secretary for a year, almost a year.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall what year?

Miss KINNEY. I think the fall of 1938.

Mr. WHEELER. Did any of the individuals you mentioned, members of the Communist Party, hold any office in local 430?

Miss KINNEY. At one time or another Harry Shepro and Marjorie Hay, and I think Sam Wixman, held office. I am not sure whether any of the others did or not.

Mr. WHEELER. In your opinion, did the Communist Party control local 430?

Miss KINNEY. I would say it exerted considerable influence.

Mr. WHEELER. What was the party's main objective in bringing teachers to the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. It may have been the intention of higher party authorities to exert influence on the teachers and thereby on the material they taught, and the way in which they repeated it to the children. In practice, I don't think it worked out to any great extent. At least, during the time I was in the teachers' branch, there never was any discussion of what doctrines we taught and what we did with it. Mr. WHEELER. Were you employed as a teacher?

Miss KINNEY. No; I wasn't.

Mr. WHEELER. Did member teachers have meetings prior to regular meetings in local 430 to discuss what course of action was to be taken by the Communist fraction in real meetings?