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
The party leadership felt that the person most capable of accomplishing
that purpose and fulfilling that objective was the then Governor of
Minnesota. I think it is Minnesota. Yes. His name was Floyd Olson. He
was Governor there. And he was a Farmer-Labor Governor there.
The very designation lent itself to the spreading of a nationwide
farmer-labor party. And it was the original hope of the Communist Party
that through various forms of manipulation----
It was the Olson from Minnesota. I am quite sure, thinking back on it
now, it was Floyd.
But be that as it may, it was the Governor Olson of Minnesota who was
Governor in 1936 as a Farmer-Labor Governor.
However, at the very last moment when we had the resolution all ready
to press before the convention, we finally received word that this
Governor Olson was not well enough to undertake the job of organizing
a new national farmer-labor party because of ill health, and begged
off from the responsibility. Nationally, we were unable to find
another figure of as much prominence whom we thought would be capable
of leading such a successful effort. Consequently, we had to whip
our party machinery into shape rather rapidly and change our tactics
right on the floor of the WCF convention, and reverse ourselves in the
process of debating the question.
Actually the resolutions committee had come in with a report in which a
majority had objected to going the independent route. But I was one of
the delegates who was in the minority who was leading a fight for going
the independent route. And in the process of starting the debate we got
the official word that it was a hopeless task, and we had to withdraw
that effort.
We made a last-minute switch in our strategy and tactics, and some
of those who had been fighting us so vigorously on the floor were
completely dumfounded to find that we compromised--what appeared to
be a compromise--when we changed our policy during the course of the
debate on the resolution itself and withdrew our minority position.
Mr. TAVENNER. Did you change your policy as a result of directions from
the Communist Party head in New York?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes. And the district organizer of the party was in the
anteroom of the convention hall, sending word and direction to those of
us who were up near the microphone who had an opportunity to command
the microphone and the debate. And there were runners running back and
forth to us rather rapidly telling us what the latest news of the party
line was.
And the executive secretary of the Commonwealth Federation at that time
was a man by the name of Howard Costigan who became somewhat alarmed to
see such an obvious maneuver where between 15 and 20 different people
were running back and forth passing messages to me and to others up in
the front from Rappaport advising us what the official party policy
was. He later on commented that he could see the party line running all
over the place, but he didn’t know what was in it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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