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
In the early days of the organization of the warehousemen’s local of
the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union the two
principal officers of the organization were very well known to me as
members of the Communist Party. However, they frequently did not comply
with the party policy, and we had frequent difficulty trying to get
them to comply with it. And I believe that they have both since left
the Communist Party. I make that by way of statement to be certain that
there is no misapprehension as to my knowledge about them. One was Mr.
John Stevens, better known as Johnny. Another one was Adrian Lawrence,
A-d-r-i-a-n L-a-w-r-e-n-c-e.
In the Marine Firemen’s Union,[7] which was not in the CIO, but it was
a waterfront union with which I was closely associated, was Mr. Walter
Stack, S-t-a-c-k, who has previously been mentioned, and a person
by the name of George Flood. Now I hope no one will mistake him for
another individual who is very prominent as a lawyer. I am not speaking
of the lawyer. It is not the lawyer at all, because he is a well known
leader of the Republican Party, and I am sure that no one will confuse
him.
(The witness confers with his counsel.)
Mr. DENNETT. My counsel advises me that that George Flood is deceased.
I was unaware of it.
The George Flood of whom I am speaking was a sort of hunchback fellow
who was a marine fireman.
At an earlier period I knew a group of people in the Boeing union, the
machinists union, who were known to me as members of the Communist
Party. That came about when one of the organizers of the United
Automobile Workers of America came into Seattle wanting to swing the
affiliation from the machinists union to the United Automobile Workers.
That national leader was a man by the name of Wyndham Mortimer,
W-y-n-d-h-a-m M-o-r-t-i-m-e-r. He was an organizer. At that time he
was stationed in California. He was quite anxious to bring about the
change in affiliation of the Boeing workers because he knew that
the employment at that plant would increase, and had hoped that, by
winning that group of workers, they would add considerable prestige
and strength to the United Automobile Workers aircraft division. He
had been active in a big plant. I think it was the Lockheed plant in
California at that time.
When he came here he conferred with two persons known to me very
well, a man by the name of Hugo Lundquist, L-u-n-d-q-u-i-s-t, and
Barney Bader, B-a-d-e-r. They were at that time the top leaders of
the aeronautical workers union, and they became known to me through
Mr. Mortimer as members of the Communist Party. And they completely
disregarded my counsel which was that they were embarked on a foolhardy
effort and that we disagreed with any attempt at jurisdictional rating.
Our policy here was strictly opposed to it.
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