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
Mr. DENNETT. Absolutely. We recognized that. And since being pushed
into leadership in various activities in the city, it fell to me to do
a lot of this representative work of the Communist Party in the ranks
of the Washington Commonwealth Federation, because the prestige I had
in the Inland Boatmen’s Union as a result of the successful strike made
it a comparatively simple matter for the members to elect me a delegate
and be a bona fide representative of a bona fide labor union in the
Washington Commonwealth Federation.
Mr. TAVENNER. Without going into detail, will you tell us what the
connection was, between the Commonwealth Builders and the Washington
Commonwealth Federation, or how one may have succeeded the other?
Mr. DENNETT. The Commonwealth Builders were the groups of small
organizations which preceded the Washington Commonwealth Federation.
The Communist Party became interested in the success of Commonwealth
Builders and brought forth some proposals to cause the organization to
expand and grow.
One of the proposals of the Communist Party was that steps should be
taken by the Commonwealth Builders to make possible the affiliation not
only of neighborhood groups alone----
Mr. TAVENNER. Neighborhood groups of what?
Mr. DENNETT. Of either Democrats or Commonwealth Builders, or
unemployed organizations or Workers Alliance. There are still a few
remnants of those, remnants of the old Unemployed Citizens League
organizations. These had all transformed and became the foundation upon
which the Commonwealth Builders rested.
The Communist Party, however, conceived that if the organization were
to become as powerful as it should and ought to be, that provision
should be made for the affiliation of larger organizations. And the
Communist Party succeeded in prevailing upon most of its members to
enter the American Federation of Labor unions. Consequently it was
a simple matter to introduce resolutions in numerous labor unions
urging that the American Federation of Labor unions affiliate with the
Washington Commonwealth Federation. At the same time they proposed the
calling of a convention to broaden the base of the organization of this
Commonwealth Builders.
That was done. And the Washington Commonwealth Federation was brought
into existence as an organization with affiliation from large numbers
of unions in addition to Democratic clubs and unemployed clubs and
fraternal organizations. Anything and everything which was willing
to affiliate was certainly welcomed and urged to affiliate to the
organization, pay dues, participate in its conventions, participate in
the electoral activities it engaged in.
Mr. TAVENNER. The method that the Communist Party used to assist in the
organization of the Washington Commonwealth Federation was to induce
the leadership of the particular organizations which they were members
of, such as the various labor organizations that you mentioned----
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