Mr. KEARNEY. What I am getting at is whether or not every bit of evidence that you brought with you to this committee that is material to this investigation has been testified to by yourself as a witness? Mr. CVETIC. Mr. Kearney, I brought one file with me to this committee which, since it has not been used in evidence, I asked that it be returned to me, but it has not been returned to me. It has been missing since I came down here. Mr. KEARNEY. There is a file that is missing? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. KEARNEY. Will you tell the committtee what that file was? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. It was a file which was contained in the documents of the American Slav Congress, and it was a file of letters, correspondence, and contributions from Congressmen, Senators, and other political leaders to the American Slav Congress. Mr. WALTER. Was that before the American Slav Congress was taken over by the Communists? Mr. CVETIC. I will say this, the file dated back to 1944 up to the present time. Mr. WALTER. When did the Communists take over the American Slav Congress? Mr. CVETIC. At the 1944 convention. We were instrumental in electing George Pirinsky executive secretary, and were instrumental in getting party members in most of the key positions in the American Slav Congress. Mr. WALTER. Before that date the American Slav Congress was not Communist-dominated? Mr. CVETIC. No. I think the first exposé of the American Slav Congress came through this committee and through the Pittsburgh Press. I believe up until that time we were able to carry on the Communist Party line without the majority of the citizens being the wiser. When this committee held hearings and the Pittsburgh Press started attacking the American Slav Congress as Communist-dominated, people dropped out. Mr. KEARNEY. That file you refer to was brought to committee meetings by yourself? Mr. CVETIC. It was subpenaed and committee investigators brought it down here from Pittsburgh. Mr. KEARNEY. You saw the files at the time they were brought here? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. KEARNEY. Was that file among them? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. It was headed "Congressmen and Senators' File" and also included correspondence from other political leaders. Mr. KEARNEY. Was it a large file? Mr. CVETIC. Quite a large file. Mr. KEARNEY. And that file cannot be found? Mr. CVETIC. I have asked for it several times and asked that it be returned to me. Mr. TAVENNER. That is the file we spoke about today in my conference with you? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. TAVENNER. And I believe shortly before you testified on March 6 you went over all the documents that were brought here with Mr. Appell, and that document was not there at that time? Mr. CVETIC. That is right. Mr. KEARNEY. Are any other documents missing? Mr. KEARNEY. Are any of your other files missing? Mr. CVETIC. Not to the best of my knowledge. Mr. KEARNEY. This so-called congressional file-is that what you called it? Mr. CVETIC. Congressmen and Senators. I put the title on myself. That is the only one missing to my knowledge. Mr. CASE. Is the title on the folder? Mr. CVETIC. Yes; and the title was in my own handwriting. Mr. CASE. Was that included in the couple of suitcases you put on the table at the conclusion of your testimony one day? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. CASE. And after that day when the papers were scattered on the table, did you see it after that time? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. I didn't pay too much attention to it. I didn't expect to use it in testimony here, but it was part of the whole group. When I was asked to remove the documents, I packed everything together. Mr. CASE. That is, you packed everything together to bring it down here? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. CASE. You didn't pack it together after you turned it over to the committee? Mr. CVETIC. No. Mr. CASE. But you definitely did see this file after it was brought down here? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. WALTER. That wasn't the file that contained the names of clergymen, was it? Mr. CVETIC. No. That was a separate file. Mr. TAVENNER. How long after you presented it here did you see it? Mr. CVETIC. I would say not over a week, when the papers were sitting over here on the table. Mr. CASE. When did you ask for it and find yourself unable to get it? Mr. CVETIC. When we started going over the material I missed the file for the first time. I didn't say anything then, but later I asked about it and everybody said they had not seen such a file. Then I said I felt sure I brought it here, and if they were not going to use the file, I would like that particular file returned to me. Mr. VELDE. Will you tell the committee where you secured the file and a little more in detail what was in it? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. This file was a file which was kept by the American Slav Congress of correspondence both from and to-I will use the term political leaders, since there were not only Congressmen and Senators in the file. Actually, there was even a photostated letter from the President of the United States in it. Mr. VELDE. Any judges? Mr. CVETIC. Yes; and local State senators also. Mr. CASE. You say the file contained a photostat of a letter from the President of the United States? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. Mr. CASE. The present President of the United States? Mr. CVETIC. From Franklin D. Roosevelt, in which he paid tribute to the American Slavs for their contribution to the war effort. Mr. CASE. And that was prior to 1945? Mr. CVETIC. I think so. He paid tribute to the American Slavs for their contribution to the war effort. Mr. WOOD. By and large the American Slavic people were loyal and did make a valuable contribution to the war effort. Mr. CVETIC. That is right. They worked hard and bought bonds. Mr. KEARNEY. I don't think there is any question about that. Mr. CASE. I think the testimony is that the American Slav Congress was encouraged as a means of developing the patriotism of the American Slavic people during the war, and subsequent to that it was taken over by the Communists. Mr. VELDE. Do you remember when the American Slav Congress was declared subversive by the Attorney General? Mr. WOOD. We can get that information. Mr. CVETIC. The reason I remember the file quite well is that one of the last things I did before packing the file, I had six or seven photostatic copies of the letter from the President, and since I felt we only needed one, I destroyed the others. Mr. CASE. When you refer to the President you mean Mr. Roosevelt? Mr. CVETIC. Yes. I packed it with the other things. Mr. TAVENNER. Attorney General Tom Clark, in letters to the Loyalty Review Board released June 1, 1948, and September 21, 1948, cited the American Slav Congress as subversive and Communist. Mr. KEARNEY. That was in 1948? Mr. TAVENNER. Yes. Mr. VELDE. Were any of the letters in that file dated after that time? Mr. CVETIC. Yes; some of them were. Without the file I could not testify as to which ones were, and I am not placing a question of loyalty on anyone, but I know some were later. Mr. KEARNEY. I would suggest a recess be taken in order that we may pursue this a little further. Maybe over the week end the file might come to light. Mr. WOOD. I think that is a good suggestion, and the committee will stand in recess until 10:30 Monday morning. Before you go, I understand a copy of the President's letter is available. Mr. TAVENNER. We may have it available from another source. We are looking for it at the present time. Mr. CVETIC. Mr. Chairman, do you want me to be available Monday morning? I would like to return to Pittsburgh this evening and make myself available at the request of the committee. Mr. Wood. Would it suit you better to come Tuesday? Mr. CVETIC. I would like to rest a couple days. Mr. KEARNEY. Mr. Chairman, with reference to Tuesday(Conference between Mr. Wood and Mr. Kearney off the record.) Mr. WOOD. The committee will stand in recess until Wednesday at 10:30. (Thereupon, a recess was taken until Wednesday, March 29, 1950, at 10:30 a. m.)1 1 After close of day's hearing, a decision was made by the committee to reconvene on the following day, July 25, 1950. EXPOSÉ OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA-PART II, BASED UPON TESTIMONY OF MATTHEW CVETIC (UNDERCOVER AGENT) SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1950 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES, Washington, D'. C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 1:50 p. m. in room 226, Old House Office Building, Hon. John S. Wood (chairman) presiding. Committee members present: Representatives John S. Wood, Burr P. Harrison, Morgan M. Moulder, Francis Case, Harold H. Velde, and Bernard W. Kearney. Staff members present: Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel; Louis J. Russell, senior investigator; Donald T. Appell, Charles McKillips and William Jackson Jones, investigators; John W. Carrington, clerk; and A. S. Poore, editor. Mr. Wood. The committee will be in order, and let the record disclose that there is a quorum present, consisting of Messrs. Harrison, Moulder, Case, Velde, Kearney, and Wood. Do you Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Sherman, will you come forward. Mr. WOOD. Mr. Sherman, will you please be sworn. solemnly swear the evidence you give this committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. SHERMAN. I do. Mr. WOOD. Have a seat. TESTIMONY OF HARRY A. SHERMAN Mr. TAVENNER. Will you state your full name, please? Mr. TAVENNER. What is your occupation? Mr. SHERMAN. Attorney at law, Pittsburgh, Pa. Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Sherman, were you here at the committee hearing room of this committee on February 18, 1950, when Mr. Matthew Cvetic appeared and was questioned by investigators of this committee? Mr. SHERMAN. The first day that Cvetic appeared, if that was February 18, on a Saturday morning, I was here with him at the opening of that investigation. There were three members of your staff of investigators present and the stenographer, Cvetic, Cvetic's son, and myself. Mr. MOULDER. But the committee was not in session, nor was any member of the committee present? Mr. SHERMAN. No; there was no member of the committee present, that is right. Mr. TÅVENNER. A question has arisen regarding a file of papers relating to Members of the House and of the United States Senate which at one time was a part of the files of the American Slav Congress. Mr. Wood. And other persons. Mr. TAVENNER. And letters or papers relating to other prominent persons or public officials were also in that file. Do you have any knowledge of that file, and, if so, will you please state what you know about it from the very beginning? Mr. SHERMAN. Yes. As a matter of fact, in examining the voluminous papers that came into my possession in Pittsburgh with reference to the American Slav Congress, Civil Rights Congress, the Progressive Party, and other organizations, we found correspondence files and we also found meaningless papers. In order to reduce it to papers of testamentary value as exhibits in relation to Matt Cvetic's testimony before this committee, I discarded many of the files. That particular correspondence file had little, if any, probative value on the subject of communism. However, in order to take any political significance away from Matt Cvetic's authoritative testimony on the subject of communism in Pittsburgh, I personally deleted some of the correspondence file and put it in a manila letter-sized file, and at the top was written "Congressmen and Senators," although just as you have indicated in your question, it was not confined to Congressmen and Senators. There were some State officials and Congressmen and other persons in public life whose answers to correspondence that had been sent to them had been correlated in this single file so as to keep it away from the documents of the American Slav Congress so that in testifying there would be no possibility of confusion or political slurs on anybody. Mr. WOOD. Will you please, for the purpose of the record, indicate why these matters came to your attention? Mr. SHERMAN. Oh, yes. Mr. WOOD. What is your relative position? Mr. SHERMAN. I am Matt Cvetic's attorney, but I am also attorney for Americans Battling Communism, the organization to which Matt originally came for advice as to how to make public his knowledge, and in my capacity as attorney for Americans Battling Communism, as well as his personal attorney, as I became after my introduction to Mr. Cvetic, I reviewed the data he was going to use as the basis of his testimony, and in that way I came in possession of these papers and files. I might say it took many hours of reading and going through a lot of other papers to reduce it to what finally came into the committee's possession, or into Cvetic's possession for the purpose of testifying. Mr. TAVENNER. What did you do with that file of papers? Mr. SHERMAN. That particular file, at the time that Matt was ready to leave Pittsburgh Mr. WOOD. When you say "Matt" you mean Matthew Cvetic? Mr. SHERMAN. Yes. He was instructed by me, and followed my advice very carefully in order not to let the Communist organization or any friends have knowledge he was coming before this committee |