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. DENNETT. Not too much in Bellingham. There was a little
work of the Young Communist League there. They did interest a few
students at the normal school. There was a normal school in Bellingham,
and they did organize, I think, a half dozen young people who became
interested in the theoretical work of Marx and Lenin. Most of those
later became members of the Communist Party.
Mr. TAVENNER. Was there an organization known as Pioneers, or
Young Pioneers, in the Communist Party?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes; Young Pioneers of America.
Mr. TAVENNER. Are you now speaking of that group?
Mr. DENNETT. No. That group I have just referred to was the
Young Communist League, which dealt with a group in the younger age,
but mature people. The Young Pioneers was an effort on the part of the
Communist Party to organize a group which would be comparable to the
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
In the Soviet Union the Young Pioneers occupied that position. It is a
position of support to the Government. It is a position of support to
the Communist Party similarly as the Scouts are here to the Government
and service organizations and patriotic organizations occupy a similar
position, parallel organization.
Mr. VELDE. There is one distinct difference, is there not?
Mr. DENNETT. I can think of several.
Mr. VELDE. The Young Pioneer movement is financed by the
Soviet State, and here in America the Boy Scout movement is financed by
good will of the American people.
Mr. DENNETT. I don’t know too much about how they finance it
there. I have an idea that they probably do finance a lot of it through
individual contributions, however, there. I think that there are dues,
membership, and that sort of thing which carries the big part of the
financing. Of course, it receives approval by the Government, and
receives favors.
Mr. TAVENNER. Were you called upon in connection with your
Communist Party duties to either organize or supervise the operation of
any of the Young Pioneer groups?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes.
There was one occasion when I was falling in some disfavor in the
eyes of the district leadership, and they wanted to get me out of
their hair. At the time a young woman by the name of Yetta Stromberg
came to Seattle from California for the purpose of organizing a Young
Pioneer summer camp. And she requested the district leadership to
assign someone from the district leadership to work with her in the
organization and supervision of this camp.
Mr. MOULDER. Can you give us the year on that?
Mr. DENNETT. I am quite sure this was in 1932. I think this
was before I went to Bellingham.
Mr. TAVENNER. Was this while you were in Seattle?
Mr. DENNETT. While I was in Seattle.
I was the one chosen to go to this camp to represent the district.
The purpose at the camp was to offer summer recreation facilities to
provide relaxation for youths, young people, under supervision of party
leadership, and to introduce them to some of the theoretical program of
the Communist Party.
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