"(m) If the committee determines that evidence or testimony at an investigative hearing may tend to defame, degrade, or incriminate any person, it shall

"(1) receive such evidence or testimony in executive session;

"(2) afford such person an opportunity voluntarily to appear as a witness; and

"(3) receive and dispose of requests from such person to subpena additional witnesses.

"(n) Except as provided in paragraph (m), the chairman shall receive and the committee shall dispose of requests to subpena additional witnesses.

"(0) No evidence or testimony taken in executive session may be released or used in public sessions without the consent of the committee.

"(p) In the discretion of the committee, witnesses may submit brief and pertinent sworn statements in writing for inclusion in the record. The committee is the sole judge of the pertinency of testimony and evidence adduced at its hearing.

"(q) Upon payment of the cost thereof, a witness may obtain a transcript copy of his testimony given at a public session or, if given at an executive session, when authorized by the committee."

Mr. DOYLE. Are you ready to proceed, Mr. Tavenner?

Mr. TAVENNER. Yes, sir.

I would like to call Mr. Joseph Fisher.

Mr. FISHER. My attorney isn't here yet. He is due at 10 o'clock. Mr. TAVENNER. I happen to know that his counsel was here on Monday and it is quite possible that he would have had no way of knowing that he was to appear at 9:30 today though it seems that his client should have advised him.

Mr. DOYLE. I ask the witness to let Mr. Tavenner know immediately at 10 o'clock whether or not the lawyer is here. Call the next witness. Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Anthony DeAquino.

Mr. DOYLE. Will you please rise and do your solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. DEAQUINO. I do.

TESTIMONY OF ANTHONY DeAQUINO

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

Mr. DEAQUINO. Anthony DeAquino. D-e-A-q-u-i-n-o.

Mr. TAVENNER. It is noted you are not accompanied by counsel, Mr. DeAquino. It is the practice of the committee to permit witnesses to be accompanied by counsel. If it is decided to proceed without counsel and during the course of his testimony, the witness desires to have counsel, he has a right to consult counsel.

Do you wish to proceed without counsel?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I do wish to proceed without counsel.

Mr. TAVENNER. When and where were you born, Mr. DeAquino? Mr. DEAQUINO. I was born in Orange, N. J., September 21, 1906. Mr. TAVENNER. What has been your educational training?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I went up to the sixth grade and from the sixth grade they pushed me into the seventh grade. I was there 72 days and I was forced to leave school.

Mr. TAVENNER. Have you been active in work of labor unions?
Mr. DEAQUINO. Not until I actually came to Federal.

Mr. TAVENNER. What do you mean by "Federal”?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Federal Telephone & Radio Corp., subsidiary of the International Telephone Corp. I came to Federal August 2, I believe that is the right date, 1942.

Mr. TAVENNER. When you came to that company in 1942, was there a labor union organized within that company having negotiation rights or privileges with the company?

Mr. DEAQUINO. When I first came there with the company I worked a few days and I was asked by some fellow by the name of Donner, I don't know how to spell it, Donner or Dunner, or something like that, but he is no longer with the company, he left a long time ago. He approached me and asked me whether or not I would be willing to sign up with the union. At that time the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America was trying to organize it and they had it partially organized but now that I recall, to the best of my recollection they signed a contract.

Mr. TAVENNER. When was the contract signed?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I believe in 1942, sometime.

Mr. TAVENNER. In 1942?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes.

Mr. TAVENNER. At the time or after UE was organized in that company, did you hold a position or office of any character in the

union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I remember that there was some fracas in my department; I was hired to do pipefitting work. I had worked at it quite some years back with a gentleman-I don't like to state his name, I don't want it in the paper because he is clean and in business—but he taught me part of the trade and he asked me to come to work in Federal. Prior to that I had been working in the Eastwood Neely Corp. where I wasn't making too much money. I got hired at the Federal and they put me to work with him.

I went to the maintenance department consisting of all skilled crafts, electricians, painters, carpenters, masons, et cetera-and with that after working there about 3 months after I joined the union they asked me whether or not I would like to represent them as a steward or accept a steward's job. I became steward. That is the first line steward, not a chief, just a steward.

Mr. TAVENNER. How long did you remain a steward?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I remained a steward for a few years until finally they saw I had some qualifications, as far as starch was concerned, in order to help defend the fellows I represented and I recall that for a while there I was doing a pretty fairly good job for them, and they decided they would run me for chief steward. I actually ran for chief steward and was elected to chief steward.

Mr. TAVENNER. Do you recall the date of that?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I think I became chief steward around 1943, that is latter part of 1943 or maybe early part of 1944. I may be wrong one way or another as far as the time element is concerned, but I can't make it any clearer.

Mr. TAVENNER. What was the number of your local ?

Mr. DEAQUINO. The local number was supposed to be 447, United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE).

Mr. TAVENNER. Have you held other positions in the union? Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, I was sergeant-at-arms. I became sergeantat-arms controlling meetings-escort people to seats and try to keep order.

Mr. TAVENNER. Did you become a member of the Communist Party at any time while you held one of these positions with the UE?

Mr. DEAQUINO. If you ask me that question, whether or not I became a member of the Communist Party while I was a member of the UE, I will say no. My first inkling was that I became a member of a social club or a club called the Federal Club. Does that answer the question?

Mr. TAVENNER. Will you tell the committee the circumstances under which you became a member of the Federal Club?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Well, I was pretty active in the local. In stemming from a poor family, I was trying to get ahead. I thought I could do as good or maybe better than what my father did but it seems it was a failure. I was going to work with the union and found myself wrapped up in a situation that if I wanted to keep control of the positions that I held and if I wanted to get ahead further in the local due to my background as far as being fearless in approaching foremen and defending workers, whereby something may go wrong-where a foreman didn't like the way a guy combed his hair, that wasn't true about combing hair-but maybe because a person didn't actually produce enough or because they got in trouble with the foreman one way or another, because either off or on the job they didn't carry on in accordance with the classifications, we immediately filed grievances.

Mr. TAVENNER. May I suggest you not speak quite so rapidly and it will be easier on the reporter.

Mr. DEAQUINO. O. K.; thank you.

Because of the fact that I was aggressive in the union they decided to actually solicit me for the Federal Club. I was approached. Do you want me to tell you who approached me?

Mr. TAVENNER. Yes.

Mr. DEAQUINO. I was approached by Sam Verano, who happened to be president of the union at that time. I think it is V-e-r-a-n-o. Mr. TAVENNER. Was he president of the local union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, he was president of UE local 447.

Mr. TAVENNER. Did you say he approached you?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, sir.

Mr. TAVENNER. To become a member of the Federal Club?
Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, sir.

Mr. TAVENNER. What year was that?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Well, it must have been in late 1944-No, no, wait a minute. I am going off. That was around 1946, late part of 1946. Late part of 1946.

Mr. TAVENNER. Tell the committee why you joined the Federal Club and what the Federal Club was as far as you knew at that time. Mr. DEAQUINO. I was ambitious. As I told you before, I wanted to try to get ahead so Joe Sprechman, as I thought we were pretty good friends and Joseph asked me to do favors, run here and there, and go on picket duty and I followed him around like a dog and I thought maybe he would actually do something for me in the future, which he spoke with determination to do something for me.

I am an opportunist and glad to admit it because a lot of people in this country or other countries are opportunists and want to get ahead. Sprechman, business manager of the union, and I had a little conversation as to whether or not I was able to run for president of the union in the next coming elections. He said to me, "I don't think you could

make it or get elected because of the fact that you would be badly beaten on account of the Federal Club is pretty strong."

So immediately I put my head down and walked away from him. He said, "Don't go away sore or mad because it is a club and you just don't belong to it."

I says okay. "Maybe some day I may belong to it."

So weeks passed

Mr. SCHERER. Up to that time had you known about the Federal Club and its activities?

Mr. DEAQUINO. No, sir. I didn't even know they existed.

Mr. SCHERER. When this man told you about the Federal Club was that the first time you learned about it?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, sir.

Mr. SCHERER. And this occurred during the conversation about your running for president of the union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Attempting to run.

Mr. SCHERER. Did you question him at that time why the Federal Club, which was a club apart from the union, would have so much influence in the election of a president of the union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. No, I didn't question him but he did leave off saying "Don't go away sore or mad, don't feel bad," he says, "Maybe there is a possibility that somebody will come over and approach you as to whether or not you could become a member of the club and maybe in the future you could run for the president or any other high office."

Mr. SCHERER. Didn't that seem rather peculiar to you, you being such an ardent conscientious union man, that you would have to join some outside club to get ahead in the union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. No, it didn't because it seemed to me that it was one of those things from time to time where just a certain group always was in the leadership and it seemed that this group that was always in the leadership was supported by the same element, I found out afterwards, you understand, and they were more or less active in getting out the vote and helping each other to get certain people elected in certain positions.

Mr. SCHERER. Do you mean the group that belonged to the Federal Club was the same group that ran the union?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, sir.

Mr. TAVENNER. Did you become a member of the Federal Club as a result of what you have described?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, sir.

Mr. SCHERER. How did you happen to become a member?

Mr. DEAQUINO. I was working in the toolroom, at that time I didn't have so much leisure time, like most of the stewards and chief stewards that had practically all day to jockey around and take care of union business or tried to quiet down some of the people or try to advance the interests of some people who completely complained all the time the bosses were picking on them and things of that nature.

But I was in the toolroom and Sprechman was in the toolroom. Along came Sam Verano. We were good friends, emphatically buddies. I trusted Sam implicitly and knowing what a poor kid he was and where he came from, I trusted him and figured he was my kind. So in fact Sam came over and put his arm around me and Sprechman had walked away, that is Joseph Sprechman walked away. I

didn't catch on to that but Sam says "Look," he says, "we organized a club in Federal here. How would you like to be a member?"

I had heard Sprechman say somebody was going to approach me and I was waiting for the approach. When the approach came I was glad too and I actually joined up in the Federal Club. Does that answer your question?

Mr. TAVENNER. At the time you became a member of the Federal Club did you know whether or not it was a group of the Communist Party?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Evidently I never heard the word Communist until a certain person name Joseph Sangene, and another fellow Bill Garrigan and also Al Licato.

Mr. TAVENNER. Repeat their full names.

Mr. DEAQUINO. Joseph Sangene, Alan Licato, William Garrigan. Mr. TAVENNER. You say those three men came to see you?

Mr. DEAQUINO. Yes, but mainly Sangene. Sangene approached me and told me that there was a certain element within the organization that had actually grabbed control of the union lock, stock, and barrel and he said that he was unable to actually do a job in the manner that he knew best because he was at that time elected as a business agent. There is a difference between a business agent and a business manager. So I asked him, "What do you mean, Joe," being he was a Catholic and Italian like myself, or he stemmed from Italian extraction, I sympathized with him because of some of the things he told me and I took particular notice at times Joe was in his office certain people that went to Sprechman's office actually would close the door and whisper. I thought if we had a democratic organization such as Joe was trying to teach me the procedure of being a good Democrat or being a democratic organization that we are not supposed to operate behind locked doors.

So evidently it seemed to me that this continued and continued until it really got under Joe's skin. Due to the fact that Joe was handling grievances and upgradings for the company and writing up classifications he actually could not do a job that he wanted to do because every time he asked for information he would get either misleading information or they would pass it off they had to go some place in a hurry and would take care of it when they come back.

So Joe was left out in the cold. Evidently Joe said to me something had to be done and we had to find out what these secret meetings and what was taking place behind these closed doors and he started telling me something about communism and Communists and what it meant, their aims and what they were asking for. Evidently I am all ears on things like that and learn fast.

I heard everything he said to me. He told me somebody had to get within the Communist Party to actually find out what they were angling for, why we couldn't get Bill Garrigan elected as president of the union, why we couldn't get different people elected into positions that we wanted to and we finally found out why.

Mr. SCHERER. You say you finally found out why. Tel us what you found out.

Mr. DEAQUINO. At that point Joe asked me to do him a great favor. He says to me he says, "You are the only one around here who actually has any guts that I can rely on and you will have to get in with them."