Investigation of Communist Activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 1United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
History
Investigation of Communist Activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 1
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
Communism -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
In this connection 2 very fine young men, one John Brockway and another
one, Harold Brockway, were working out on their father’s farm. Nothing
to do. And they were quite intrigued by the prospect which we held
forth as the new life which would come under a Soviet rule.
There was a young man at that time by the name of Mel Luddington.
There was a very old man by the name of A. A. Johnson. I would expect
that because of his advanced age at that time he may not still be alive.
Mr. TAVENNER. May I suggest that if you have information as
to any of the persons being deceased that you not give us their names,
unless they performed some outstanding service for the Communist Party
which we should know about.
Mr. DENNETT. I do not know.
Then, of course, I have mentioned George Bradley.
Mr. TAVENNER. I should have asked you to spell some of these
names, the spelling of which may be uncertain. Will you go back, please?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes.
Mr. TAVENNER. What is the spelling of Brockway?
Mr. DENNETT. B-r-o-c-k-w-a-y.
Mr. TAVENNER. Luddington?
Mr. DENNETT. Luddington, L-u-d-d-i-n-g-t-o-n.
Mr. TAVENNER. Johnson?
Mr. DENNETT. J-o-h-n-s-o-n.
Mr. TAVENNER. Bradley? B-r-a-d-l-e-y?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes.
Mr. DENNETT. There was one other person I see that I have
omitted, a fellow by the name of Ed Hanke. I think he had a brother,
too, that was in. But I do not recall the brother’s name.
Mr. TAVENNER. Will you spell the name, please.
Mr. DENNETT. H-a-n-k-e.
Mr. TAVENNER. You mentioned a little earlier that several
people from this area were trained in Moscow and attended the Lenin
Institute. I believe you named 2 of them from this area. Who were the 2?
Mr. DENNETT. One was Alex Noral. The other was Hutchin R.
Hutchins.
Mr. TAVENNER. Were there any others?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes.
James Bourne, B-o-u-r-n-e.
I think there were more than that, but I cannot at this moment place
them.
I remember that in 1932 there was an organization known as the Friends
of the Soviet Union, which was inspired by and under the leadership of
the Communist Party, and its purpose was to take delegations to the
Soviet Union to win their support and approval of the Soviet Union and
what it was doing. And I recall one experience with a longshoreman from
Tacoma. I cannot for the life of me think of his name. But he went to
the Soviet Union on one of these Friends-of-the-Soviet-Union tours,
came back, made the prepared speeches which the Friends of the Soviet
Union asked him to make, and proceeded afterward to go around and make
speeches contradicting his original speeches, stating that he did not
realize how much harm he was doing by presenting the Soviet Union as
the land of paradise, that he was quite disappointed with what he found
when he found all the women doing the heavy work. And that seemed to be
the chief thing that he objected to.
Mr. TAVENNER. What was the date of your transfer back to
Seattle?
Mr. DENNETT. It was some time late in 1933.
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