Miss KINNEY. That is the husband of Davida Franchia. I don't recall seeing him in a meeting, but I somehow knew or thought he was a party member.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Howland Chamberlin to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes. He was at one time in the theater-project branch and later, for a brief time, on the 15th congressional section committee.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Sam Kalish to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, I think we discussed Kalish. He was a PWA teacher, member of the union.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Jack Moore to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. I knew Jack Moore. He was a county functionary. I don't remember what capacity.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Al Heltness to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, he was in the 13th Congressional District. I don't remember which branch.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall his occupation?

Miss KINNEY. I think he worked on a railroad, but I am not sure. Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Leona McGinty to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes. She is the wife of Howland Chamberlin. Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Carl Grant to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes. He was in the theater project branch.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Donald Murray to be a member of the -Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes. He was in the theater project branch.

Mr. WHEELER. Was he an actor?

Miss KINNEY. I think so, yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Betty Arden to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, I knew Betty Arden. She was a housewife. Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Belle Lewitski to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes. She is a dancer.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Benny Goodman to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, but not the dance band leader. He was, I think, in the theater project branch, too.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Leo Selfrid to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. I think he is an engineer or draftsman, or something like that. He was in the professional section.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall where he worked?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know Miriam Holtz to be a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. Yes, she is a stenographer.

Mr. WHEELER. Did you know her as a member of the Communist Party!

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. You previously stated in your testimony that the organizer for the 56th assembly district was known to you only as Anna; that you didn't recall her last name. I might ask you if you recognize this picture?

Miss KINNEY. That might be a picture of her.

Mr. WHEELER. It might be?

Miss KINNEY. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Would you know her last name if I mentioned it to you?

Miss KINNEY. I might.

Mr. WHEELER. Galkin; G-a-l-k-i-n.

Miss KINNEY. I think perhaps that is it.

Mr. WHEELER. What periods of time was she organizer for the 56th assembly district?

Miss KINNEY. I don't know. She was organizer when I was assigned to that branch, and she still was when I left it.

Mr. WHEELER. When was that?

Miss KINNEY. That was, I think, December of 1938 to August of 1939.

Mr. WHEELER. Now, can you recall at this time any other individual that you have met as a member of the Communist Party any place in the United States while you were a member?

Miss KINNEY. Ethel Holmstock. I didn't think of her before.
Mr. WHEELER. Who is she?

Miss KINNEY. She at one time was secretary of the China Aid Council.

Mr. WHEELER. Now, the next question is, why did you leave the Communist Party after approximately 12 years of membership?

Miss KINNEY. That is a difficult question to answer, because disillusionment is a gradual process that begins with personal dissatisfaction-sometimes very vague in character-and progresses to more and more basic questions. It is a process that begins long before one leaves the party and continues for a long time afterward.

When I left Los Angeles to go to Chicago in 1942, I had a sense of personal dissatisfaction, that there seemed to be no particular place for me in the party. In Chicago, in the branch at Studebaker, some of this dissatisfaction disappeared temporarily. I was elected by the staff of the union paper to be editor, although the party branch had wanted a nonparty person in that position (with me to guide them).

During the year I was editor I had some disagreements with the branch leaders because I insisted the paper not be turned into a miniature Daily Worker but use CIO policy as a guide.

When the shop branch was disbanded, I was assigned to a neighborhood branch in Hyde Park. My attendance at meetings became less and less regular, and I participated in no activity. I was, like most people, greatly shocked and disturbed by the Duclos letter.

It soon became evident that Browder was to be the scapegoat, but that the rest of the leaders would continue in their positions, but presumably along a completely different line.

The hypocrisy and dishonesty that had always been under the surface came into full view. Since in Chicago I had never formed per

sonal attachments, I could look at the whole thing more objectively and I drifted out without appearing to take any definite position. This was not difficult to do, since there was considerable reorganization going on.

The process of disillusionment continues, until today I believe that Marxist theory is based on false premises and conditions which no longer are as true as they may have been a hundred years ago when Marx was developing his theories.

I also believe that many things are done by the "inner circle" of the Communist Party of which the average member or minor functionary is completely unaware, and which he would strongly oppose.

Democracy, as we know it in the United States, may bring about changes slowly. It may make mistakes and then correct them. It may not seem to have a clear blueprint for the future, but progress is made and the average individual has more freedom and more opportunity to lead his own life in his own way.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you have any records that you may have retained while you were a member of the Communist Party?

Miss KINNEY. No.

Mr. WHEELER. Your statement will be most interesting to the committee, Miss Kinney. Thank you very much.

(Whereupon the statement of Miss Kinney was concluded.)

INVESTIGATION OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE

LOS ANGELES AREA-Part 5

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1953

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES,

An executive statement, given at 4: 15 o'clock p. m., February 17, 1953, at 6400 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif. Present: William A. Wheeler, investigator.

INTERROGATION OF MILDRED BENOFF 2

Mr. WHEELER. Will the witness state her full name, please?
Mrs. BENOFF. Mildred Benoff. Do you want my maiden name?
Mr. WHEELER. Yes, please.

Mrs. BENOFF. Stern.

Mr. WHEELER. Where do you presently reside?

Mrs. BENOFF. 160 South Vista Street, Los Angeles 36.

Mr. WHEELER. When were you born?

Mrs. BENOFF. May 30, 1920.

Mr. WHEELER. Are you presently under subpena to appear before the Committee on Un-American Activities on March 23, 1953?

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes, I am.

Mr. WHEELER. You are, however, appearing voluntarily today to answer any questions propounded by me?

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. You know I am an investigator of the House Committee on Un-American Activities?

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. You further realize by giving me this statement it does not in any way cancel your subpena, and it is up to the committee's discretion whether to call you or not.

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes.

Mr. WHEELER. Mrs. Benoff, have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes, I have.

Mr. WHEELER. When did you first become a member?

Mrs. BENOFF. Sometime in '44. I am sorry, I am very vague on dates. It was in '44, but I can't remember what month.

Mr. WHEELER. Would you say it might have been 1943?
Mrs. BENOFF. No.

Released by the committee.

2 Mildred Benoff was sworn as a witness by the court reporter.

Mr. WHEELER. The records of the committee show you joined the Communist Party in September 1943. I was wondering if it might be correct.

Mrs. BENOFF. No. I may have started going to meetings then, but I did not go in then.

Mr. WHEELER. Do you recall the designation of the branch to which you were assigned?

Mrs. BENOFF. No, I haven't the vaguest idea.

Mr. WHEELER. Was it a branch comprised only of women?

Mrs. BENOFF. Just a few women. There was this one man, Mischa, with his wife. I didn't have anything to do with Hollywood. This man seemed to have the hands of a working man.

Mr. WHEELER. Will you relate the events that led to your joining the Communist Party?

Mrs. BENOFF. When I came out here I started working for Russian War Relief.

Mr. WHEELER. Will you state the time you came out?

Mrs. BENOFF. We came out in July '43. I joined the Russian War Relief, which was an open and very pleasant organization to belong to at the time. There I met Elena Beck, and she and I became close friends at the time.

She was having a good deal of difficulty with her husband. I was having my trouble adjusting from a very different kind of life in New York City to the life here. I was interested in proving myself as an individual in my own right. Elena seemed to be the one to help me this way very much. She told me that part of my growth, part of my growing up would be to develop politically. She did her best. She took me to several meetings over a period of time.

My resistance to joining the party was that it was secretive, and knowing Max's great resistance to it

Mr. WHEELER. By Max you are referring to your husband?

Mrs. BENOFF. Yes-and I didn't want to join that. When I did join it was with the understanding it would be an open organization and would no longer be the Communist Party, but was on the way of being the Communist Political Association.

Mr. WHEELER. You mentioned your husband's name, Max Benoff. You brought his name into the testimony, and I might ask in what ways he showed resistance to the Communist Party.

Mrs. BENOFF. General discussion.

Mr. WHEELER. You had previously discussed the Communist Party?

Mrs. BENOFF. Well, when you live with a person over a number of years, even if you didn't nevertheless, you do have views and your views will be discussed.

Mr. WHEELER. Did I break the continuity of your thought?

Mrs. BENOFF. I will try to recall at what point I left off. I was assured by Elena and the others that this would be an open organization, that eventually everyone would be openly known, that there would be nothing secretive about it. I guess I was just right for joining, and this I did.

As I told my attorney Mr. Gang, when I did, it was with my full name, with the hopes that eventually it was going to be a really and truly open thing.