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
Another longshoreman who was well known to me as a member of the
Communist Party is a person who broke with the Communist Party and
later changed his occupation from longshoreman to that of lawyer. He
went to school while he was longshoring and qualified to be admitted to
the bar.
I know that he was bitterly anti-Communist long before he became an
attorney. I don’t know whether you wish his name mentioned or not, but
he was known to me and he certainly was known to the longshoremen. His
name was Philip Poth, P-o-t-h.
A national leader of the party whom I failed to mention before was Mr.
John Williamson, one of the Smith Act defendants who suffered penalty
of conviction and incarceration. He served as the trade-union section
or secretary, replacing Mr. Roy Hudson.
A person who was well known to me in my work of attempting to organize
steel workers into the Communist Party was a section organizer, a man
by the name of Charles Legg, L-e-g-g.
Another person known to me as a member of the Communist Party who later
turned up as an informer for the Government and served as a witness for
the FBI was known to me under the name of Doc Dafoe. He was employed
at that time in the steel mill at Northwest Rolling Mills.
Another person well known to me in the Communist Party many years ago
who was rather mild in his Communist Party efforts when I knew him and
who later turned against the Communist Party was Dan Adair, A-d-a-i-r.
He was in Olympia, his home was Olympia.
I also knew his father whose name was Robin Adair.
Mr. TAVENNER. Do you mean by that you are identifying his father as a
member of the Communist Party?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes; both of them were members of the Communist Party
at that time. Mr. Dan Adair, the last I heard of him, was bitterly
anti-Communist and has left the State.
Mr. TAVENNER. I would like to remind you, wherever it is known to you
that a person being identified has left the Communist Party, that it is
only the fair thing to say so.
Mr. DENNETT. True.
I believe, sir, that covers all the names that I have not covered
before.
Mr. MOULDER. We will stand in recess for 5 minutes.
(Whereupon, a short recess was taken.)
Mr. MOULDER. The committee will please come to order.
Proceed with the witness, please, Mr. Tavenner.
Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Dennett, at the time you were a member of the CIO
Council what union was it that you were representing?
Mr. DENNETT. I was from the Inlandboatmen’s Union at that time.
Mr. TAVENNER. I believe you have given us the names of those in that
union who were known to you to be members of the Communist Party?
Mr. DENNETT. The only ones that I know----
Mr. TAVENNER. I don’t want you to repeat them. I want to make certain.
Mr. DENNETT. The only ones I knew in the Inlandboatmen’s Union--two are
deceased.
Mr. TAVENNER. We are not interested in that.
Mr. DENNETT. I think that is of no value.
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