Mr. O’CONNELL. I think that is comparatively correct. My remembrance of it is that the provisional committee operated from about March, I would say around March 23 of 1948, and we actually had the founding convention of the rest of the party in the State of Washington the latter part of May. Mr. TAVENNER. DeLacy was a paid functionary for the Progressive Party during the period he indicated, was he not? Mr. O’CONNELL. He was a paid organizer during that period. Mr. TAVENNER. Did you employ him? Mr. O’CONNELL. I could not say strictly that I employed him. I think that there was an executive committee group that was set up at the time. Mr. TAVENNER. Were you his superior? Mr. O’CONNELL. I was his superior; yes. Mr. TAVENNER. Now you indicated that you desired an opportunity to explain the testimony that Mr. Louis Budenz---- Mr. WILLIS. Before you come to that, you started to say 3 or 4 times that you had fired Mr. Rabbitt. Mr. O’CONNELL. I fired Mr. Rabbitt; I removed him from the staff. Is that what you mean? Mr. WILLIS. Yes. Why did you fire him? Mr. O’CONNELL. I explained he was organizing in southern King County and he was supercritical of the work of a man by the name of Belden who was organizing clubs in what we call the 30th Legislative District of King County. The party was being attacked as being Communist or Communist-controlled or Red, and Belden was trying to explain as an ordinary individual that it was not Communist-controlled and was not Red. In the course of his explanation, at least, left anti-Communist inference; Rabbitt was critical of it. Mr. TAVENNER. It appears from the certificate made under law to the State of Washington that he was secretary of the Progressive Party in 1952--that Rabbitt was secretary. Mr. O’CONNELL. In 1952? Mr. TAVENNER. Yes. Mr. O’CONNELL. I, of course, of my own knowledge would not know if that is correct. Mr. TAVENNER. Did he remain on the executive committee of the Progressive Party after the time you say you discharged him from his paid position? Mr. O’CONNELL. No, not as long as I was there. When I left in October of 1949, as I understand, in the early part of December a resolution was passed by the State board of the Progressive Party declaring my office vacant because I had not returned from the State of Montana. Either at that meeting or shortly after, Rabbitt was named by the executive committee. I think, first, the original title given to him was coordinator. Later I think he was made executive secretary. I know these things from what people have told me, but not of my own knowledge. Mr. TAVENNER. I am not sure that you have answered specifically my question relating to the testimony of Barbara Hartle insofar as it referred to you. Barbara Hartle testified that you attended Communist Party meetings in which she was present where all the persons present were members of the Communist Party. Did you attend any such meeting or meetings?