Mr. TAVENNER. Was Howard Costigan a member of the Communist Party at that time? Mr. DENNETT. Not at that time. But that demonstration of power that we exercised in that convention was very convincing to him that if he wanted to remain as head of that organization he would have to make his peace with us, which he did before that summer was over. Mr. TAVENNER. And did he become a member of the Communist Party? Mr. DENNETT. He did. Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Chairman, I think the record should show that Mr. Howard Costigan has appeared before the committee and has testified regarding some of the matters which have been mentioned here, including the fact that he did become a member of the Communist Party at about the time indicated by this witness, and at a later time, at approximately 1940, he left the Communist Party. Mr. DENNETT. I could substantiate that. There was another matter which arose as a serious issue in that convention, and it concerned a proposal for an initiative measure which became known as the production-for-use initiative. Many people, because of the Communist Party influence in the unemployed days, were quite concerned and alarmed over the problem of unemployment, insecurity, possible impoverishment, et cetera. All the consequences of economic dislocation. They had read many of the so-called utopian pieces of literature such as Bellamy’s Looking Backward and other documents of the kind. They had also read Mr. Upton Sinclair’s program in California. They were somewhat acquainted with the propaganda of the Soviet Union, to the effect that production-for-use was the solution to the problems of capitalist lack of planning. In other words, planned economy. Mr. VELDE. Mr. Dennett, you testified that you received the party line by courier, by runners from Rappaport. Do you have any idea how Rappaport received it from headquarters of the Communist Party? Mr. DENNETT. Yes. Sometimes he received it by telegraph. In this particular instance, about this Governor Olson, he received that by telegram. Mr. VELDE. Was there any secrecy involved, especially at that time? Mr. DENNETT. No; there was no secrecy in that communication. As a matter of fact, they took parallel measures to see that somebody in Governor Olson’s staff also sent word to Howard Costigan directly. He also received the word. So that there was parallel information. At least we did make that concession to Costigan, that he would have official information about it. Mr. TAVENNER. Did the rank-and-file membership of the Washington Commonwealth Federation know of the Communist Party manipulations which you have just described? Mr. DENNETT. I am quite sure that most of them did not, although the behavior of many of the Democratic Party leaders at that convention would lead me to believe that they suspected it, because they fought us so bitterly and so hard. Mr. TAVENNER. Proceed, please. Mr. DENNETT. The story on the production-for-use initiative is simply this: