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. STENHOUSE. Well, they were at the meetings.
Mr. MOULDER. Yes; but that isn’t my point. They were at the meetings,
but do you know of your own personal knowledge whether or not they were
Communist Party members?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Why I don’t know how you identify that exactly. I don’t
recall seeing anybody’s card. Again, there was some sort of dues
payment.
Mr. MOULDER. Do you recall hearing any one of them say that they were
members of the Communist Party?
Mr. STENHOUSE. I can’t remember now whether they did or not. I
was there and I thought I was some sort of a member, and I just
assumed--Maybe I shouldn’t assume it. But I just assumed they were.
Mr. TAVENNER. Did you pay dues in this organization or in this group?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Well, again, it was somewhat the same arrangement as
before. There were books to be bought and some sort of dues arrangement.
Mr. TAVENNER. To whom did you pay the dues?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Well, I don’t remember who the individual was. The money
was just--somebody said “Well, here are the books.” And the money was
put on the table.
Mr. TAVENNER. How long did you remain a member of that group or attend
meetings of that group?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Well, that is the question that you asked before, and,
as I told you, I find it very difficult to pinpoint the time. I think
I can limit it to somewhere near the end of 1945 because of the fact
that I didn’t get there until June and I had the operation, and then my
family came out, and we were preoccupied with getting into a house and
things of that sort. And I think it was--I was out of it by the early
part of 1947.
Mr. TAVENNER. So that you continued until the early part of 1947?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Well, I say it was somewhere in that area. And I can’t
remember.
Mr. TAVENNER. Will you tell the committee, please, the circumstances
under which you stopped attending these meetings?
Mr. STENHOUSE. Well, the Communist publications that we were studying
seemed to be overready to excuse the Soviet Union and criticize our
country, and this didn’t jibe with the ideas that I had had about the
situation during the war. And I just stopped going and nobody ever
tried to get me back in or approached me in any way.
Mr. TAVENNER. You have said that you cannot recall the names of any of
these people or give any more descriptive information than you have
because of the lapse of time, and the fact that you are separated now
by long distance from the place you were then.
Did anything occur in 1946 or 1947 which would have served to refresh
your recollection as to who these individuals were?
Something that would have called this matter very definitely to your
attention and would have impressed itself on your memory. Do you recall
anything of an unusual character having occurred?
Mr. STENHOUSE. I suppose you are referring to the fact that I was
investigated or questioned by the FBI.
Mr. TAVENNER. That is right.
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