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
Mr. TAVENNER. The record of the hearing at that time reflects
that neither you nor your counsel was approached by any member of the
committee or the staff, or any representative of either the committee
or the staff in an effort to get you to change your testimony.
Mr. DENNETT. That is absolutely correct.
Mr. TAVENNER. That is true, is it not?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes, sir.
Mr. TAVENNER. As a result of that the committee proceeded to
ask you a few questions. However, the record also shows that counsel
was of the opinion that your knowledge of Communist Party activities
in the Northwest was so extensive that at that late point in the
hearing it would be impractical to try to take your testimony unless
the committee would cancel the rest of its hearings, and there were
a number of witnesses waiting to be heard at that time. Consequently
the committee decided that it would have to interrogate you at another
time. So you are here this morning for that purpose.
Mr. DENNETT. That is correct, sir. As a result of that
decision I conferred with the then subcommittee chairman--who was at
that time Mr. Jackson--following that session, and Mr. Jackson was
unable to advise me when I might be called again. He referred me to Mr.
Wheeler. I asked Mr. Wheeler at that time when I might be called again.
I anticipated some problem of preparation. I wanted to look at some of
my old material and refresh my knowledge. But Mr. Wheeler was unable to
give me any information at that time.
Later, on January 28, I wrote to the new chairman of the committee
asking him what I might expect from the committee by way of further
interrogation. He did not reply directly. Instead, later I received
a letter from Mr. Wheeler advising that they expected to hold the
hearings in June.
The day after that I received another letter advising that they were
going to hold the hearings at this date. So I still was unable to do
the preparation that I wanted to do.
Mr. TAVENNER. You have a great wealth of Communist Party
literature and documents in your possession, do you not?
Mr. DENNETT. Well, I saved them over a period of 20 years. I
have quite a few.
Mr. TAVENNER. In the limited time that we have here this week,
have you made some of that material available to the staff?
Mr. DENNETT. That is correct.
When Mr. Wheeler came to town he left word in his letter to me that he
wanted to reach me at a certain time. I called the hotel and saw him,
asked him what he wanted to know. He wasn’t too certain what he wanted
specifically, but he wanted to know what I knew.
So I said, “Well, the simplest way to find that out is to come up to my
house, and you can look at everything I have got.” So Mr. Wheeler came
out to my house and he looked at everything I had.
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