Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 2United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
History
Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., Area, Hearings, Part 2
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
Communism -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
When I was first confronted with the story I recounted this whole thing
in every detail to the leader of the section. The person was Mr. Jim
Bourne. Mr. Jim Bourne told me to sit tight, do nothing, say nothing
until I heard from the district.
I waited from March until June 1947, and still had no word from them.
About sometime in June I was invited to a meeting which was called by
the Communist Party for the purpose of preparing its defenses from
the anticipated attack which would come from the Canwell committee
investigation which was about to open.
I reluctantly went to the meeting because I felt I was under a cloud.
However, I did go. I am glad I did because they did discuss the whole
question of these investigating committees, and it gave me some insight
as to my rights under the fifth amendment of the Constitution of the
United States. It was thoroughly discussed in this meeting, and we
understood that that was the sole and only real protection that a
person had if he wanted to avoid testifying.
However, during the course of that meeting I spoke to a leader of the
party, asking what was happening to my case. He advised me to speak to
Mr. Huff. I spoke to Mr. Huff about it and Mr. Huff, as a result of it,
arranged a meeting of the control commission.
The control commission called me to a meeting within a week’s time.
We reviewed the whole situation, the whole case, and I told them
every single thing I knew about it. They asked me to submit a written
statement. I did exactly that. I detailed everything that I knew about
the situation in the statement.
I declined to sign the statement, however, because at that time I
feared that their practices and methods were a little bit too loose,
and I feared it might fall into the wrong hands and be used against me.
However, they accepted the statement, but they did not like what was in
it.
They called me to another meeting, and at the second meeting they
upbraided me and accused me of everything under the sun, and we finally
broke up in rather a violent battle over whether or not they were
trying to help the working class or not.
That occurred some time in August.
By October Mr. John Lawrie, the chairman of the control commission,
visited our home, demanded our books, our party books.
We reluctantly gave them to him, protesting that we understood that a
person had a right to be charged and tried, hear witnesses, and that
sort of thing.
He said, “Well, you will get a statement.”
About a week later we did receive a statement. The statement was an
expulsion notice from the Communist Party.
No charges had ever been actually preferred, no opportunity for trial
had been granted us, and we were blasphemed and accused of everything
under the sun which is looked upon as a crime by the members of the
Communist Party.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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