Mr. WHEELER. Were you on an underground assignment at that time for the Communist Party? Mr. LAWRIE. I said I would like to speak to my counsel at the present time. Mr. MOULDER. You may confer with your counsel. (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. LAWRIE. I am through conferring with counsel. It seems to me that there are two questions. One is where I am working now. And the other is did I have anything to do with the Communist underground. Mr. WHEELER. You weren’t responsive to the first question. We are now proceeding along with the interrogation to another question. Mr. LAWRIE. Which question are you asking now? Mr. WHEELER. I am asking if you were on an underground assignment for the Communist Party last June. (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. LAWRIE. Well, if it will help the committee any, as I said in the beginning, that any and all questions that I am going to have to--due to the many oppressive and repressive laws, both on the Federal and State level, I am going to have to invoke the first amendment and the fifth amendment, which have to do with communism or anything of that category. Mr. WHEELER. Where were you last June? What part of the country? Where were you residing? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. WHEELER. Let the record show that he is conferring with counsel. Mr. LAWRIE. I was in the State of Washington. Mr. WHEELER. What part of Washington? Mr. LAWRIE. I would say it was Everett. Mr. WHEELER. Now, Mrs. Hartle identified you as organizational secretary of the central region of the Communist Party during some time in the last few years. Mr. LAWRIE. Are you referring to a possible future Harvey Matusow, one that swears one thing one day and then, the next day, swears something else? Mr. MOULDER. But you are refusing to deny or affirm the charges. You have the opportunity to show that Barbara Hartle, referred to by you as a so-called Matusow, was telling a falsehood. But you are refusing to do that. You refuse to say whether she is telling a falsehood or telling the truth. Mr. LAWRIE. If it will help this committee any, as I stated before, that, due to the many oppressive and repressive laws, both on the Federal and State level, I am going to decline to answer that question under the first and fifth amendments. Mr. MOULDER. Proceed with the next question. Mr. WHEELER. Are you a member of the Communist Party today? (The witness confers with his counsel.) Mr. LAWRIE. The same answer. Mr. WHEELER. No further questions, Mr. Chairman. Mr. VELDE. I do want to make this observation. Here again we have a witness who follows the usual line of the Communist Party. It is my belief that the witness, from his behavior on the witness stand, is presently engaged in Communist Party activities. I feel it is improbable that you will change your mind from the attitude you have taken.