Mr. MOULDER. What I am coming to is, do you approve then, of the Communist Party movement or the international conspiracy of the Communist Party? Mr. CARLSON. I don’t approve of what it is reported to be. Now, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t know that the Communist Party stands for such things. Mr. MOULDER. Any questions, Mr. Velde? Mr. VELDE. I would like to ask the witness to be a little bit more specific about the way in which he got out of the Communist Party. We have heard a lot of witnesses here in the same situation who have told us that it has taken quite a long while for that conversion from communism back to Americanism. While you were in the Communist Party did you attend meetings of the Communist Party? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. CARLSON. Congressman, as to any activity in the Communist Party prior to, say, 1950, I will have to invoke the fifth amendment on the grounds that it might incriminate me. Mr. VELDE. Then you refuse to give us the benefit of the knowledge of the Communist Party which you acquired while you were a member of the party? Mr. CARLSON. On the ground that it may incriminate me, I refuse to answer. Mr. VELDE. Do you think, Mr. Carlson, that is in good faith with Americanism? Mr. CARLSON. Mr. Congressman, if I recollect my history correctly, there have been many, many people in the past that have been convicted and thrown into jail for purely political reasons. And it’s been proven afterward that they were only political reasons, that they had no real basis for throwing them in jail. That is my understanding of history. And I am not sure but what this is the same thing. Mr. VELDE. No, Mr. Carlson, this is not the same thing at all, and I am sure that you are aware of that. As a matter of fact, during the entire history of this committee there has not been one single witness who appeared before this committee who answered questions truthfully who has ever been prosecuted in any way, shape, or form. That is all you have to do, in my opinion--to answer questions truthfully--instead of refusing to answer. Mr. CARLSON. Mr. Chairman, I would like to insert into the record a sort of a statement here that fully covers my beliefs, and I am sure that these have always been my beliefs. Mr. MOULDER. You may file it. It will be made a part of the record. Mr. CARLSON. Could I read that so the public here themselves would know? Mr. MOULDER. If it is not too long. How long is it? Mr. CARLSON. About 1 minute. Mr. MOULDER. Very well. Proceed. Mr. CARLSON. Mr. Chairman, this is the preamble to the constitution of the Machinists Union, IAM: