Mr. WHEELER. For what companies have you worked as a machinist? Mr. KROENER. I don't remember all of them exactly, and I couldn't say the times I have worked for a number of the uptown shops and marine yards in Seattle. Some of them have gone out of business. Gibson's has gone out of business. And I worked at Washington Iron Works and marine yards around Seattle. Mr. WHEELER. Do you know who just preceded you on the witness stand? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. KROENER. I wish to again invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. WHEELER. Were you present in the hearing room when Mr. Eugene Robel testified? Mr. KROENER. I was present. Mr. WHEELER. Are you acquainted with him? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment. Mr. WHEELER. Were you present in the hearing room when Mr. Harold Johnston testified? Mr. KROENER. I was present. Mr. WHEELER. Are you acquainted with Mr. Harold Johnston? Mr. WHEELER. Is it a fact that the three individuals I just mentioned, along with you and other people, were members of a cell within the machinists union? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. MOULDER. Do you have any knowledge as to the action taken by a machinists union referred to by Mr. Wheeler in expelling members from that union where there is evidence of their Communist affiliations? Mr. KROENER. I believe there may be some such program going on, but I am not too well acquainted with it. So I couldn't answer it too clearly. Mr. MOULDER. Is the reason why you refuse to answer because of the fear you might be expelled from the union? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the ground that the answer may tend to incriminate me. Mr. MOULDER. Do you have knowledge and information that the union referred to is exercising its efforts to rid its ranks of persons who are Communists? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment. Mr. MOULDER. I hope the witness has contributed to the union's effort. Mr. WHEELER. When and where you were born, Mr. Kroener? Mr. KROENER. Seattle, Wash., April 8, 1920. Mr. WHEELER. Are you acquainted with Mrs. Barbara Hartle? Mr. KROENER. Again I invoke the fifth amendment. Mr. WHEELER. Did you know that Mrs. Hartle, in her testimony as a witness before this committee in June 1954, identified you as a member of the Communist Party? Mr. KROENER. Again I invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. WHEELER. Have no comment other than that concerning her testimony? Mr. KROENER. No. Mr. VELDE. Mr. Wheeler, do you have the testimony of Mrs. Hartle there? Mr. WHEELER. I do, sir. Mr. VELDE. Will you read it for the record, please? Mr. WHEELER. Mrs. Hartle, during a portion of the testimony discussing the industrial branch of the Communist Party, was questioned by Mr. Tavenner: Will you tell the committee, please, whether or not there was any important function that Elmer Thrasher performed in the industrial section of the party? Mrs. HARTLE. He was chairman of a branch in the industrial section, in the building trades. He was a member of one of the building-trades unions-the carpenters union. Another one whom I recall is Ed Kroener. He lived in the Duwamish Bend area, in the Duwamish Bend housing project, with his wife, Donna Kroener, who was a member of the south King region and the Duwamish Bend Club, but he was a member of the industrial section inasmuch as he was a member of the Machinists Union, Local No. 79. Do you wish to comment on that testimony, Mr. Kroener? Mr. KROENER. No. Mr. VELDE. To what period of time was Mrs. Hartle referring? Mr. WHEELER. To what period of time, Mr. Kroener, was she referring? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. WHEELER. Mr. Kroener, did you at any time participate as an individual within the Progressive Party in 1948 in the State of Washington? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. WHEELER. Are you a member of the Communist Party today? Mr. KROENER. Again I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. WHEELER. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MOULDER. Mr. Velde? Mr. VELDE. I have just one brief question. How could your acquaintanceship with Mrs. Hartle or Mr. Johnston or the other witnesses whom you were asked about tend to incriminate you? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. KROENER. The answer to that question may open up a whole field of other questions, and, therefore, I wish to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds of self-incrimination. Mr. MOULDER. Do you have anything else you wish to say in explanation of your presence or your appearance here? Are you married? Mr. KROENER. Yes. Mr. MOULDER. Do you have a family? Mr. KROENER. Yes. Mr. MOULDER. Did you serve in the Armed Forces of the United States? Mr. KROENER. Yes. Mr. MOULDER. In what capacity and what branch? Mr. KROENER. I was in the Marine Corps, 1944, 1945, and 1946, South Pacific and China. Mr. MOULDER. Is there anything further you wish to say? Mr. KROENER. That is all. Mr. MOULDER. The witness is excused. (Whereupon the witness was excused.) The committee will stand recessed until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. (Whereupon, at 4: 57 p. m., the committee was recessed, to be reconvened at 9 a. m., Friday, March 18, 1955.) INVESTIGATION OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE SEATTLE, WASH., AREA FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1955 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES, PUBLIC HEARING Seattle, Wash. A subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met, pursuant to recess, at 9 a. m., in Room 402, County-City Building, Seattle, Wash., Hon. Morgan M. Moulder (chairman) presiding. Committee members present: Representatives Morgan M. Moulder (chairman) and Harold H. Velde (appearance as noted). Staff members present: Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., counsel; William A. Wheeler, staff investigator. Mr. MOULDER. The subcommittee will be in order. Mr. Counsel, call the witness you wish to examine. Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to recall Mr. Dennett. at this time. TESTIMONY OF EUGENE VICTOR DENNETT, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS COUNSEL, KENNETH A. MacDONALD-Resumed Mr. TAVENNER. It is noted, Mr. Dennett, that your counsel is not with you. Do you prefer to wait until he arrives before proceeding? Mr. DENNETT. It doesn't make any particular difference. I am sure my counsel intends to be here as soon as he can get here, but there is no need to delay. Mr. TAVENNER. I understand he is in the corridor, so we will wait until he arrives. (At this point Kenneth A. MacDonald, counsel to the witness, entered the hearing room.) Mr. TAVENNER. When you left the stand yesterday, Mr. Dennett, we were speaking of your experience in the Communist Party at Bellingham. Will you please describe to the committee what additional activities of the Communist Party you engaged in while at Bellingham.. Mr. DENNETT. I believe, sir, that I recounted that the Communist Party was active in the unemployed movement, and our membership grew from 7 to approximately 160 in the course of a year's time, and that we had proceeded to reorient that membership in the party from exclusive work in the unemployment councils to working in an organization known as the People's Councils, which was organized by nonparty people. |