Mr. TAVENNER. Gardner Jackson is alleged to have written a letter on August 3, 1946, to James G. Patton, president of the National Farmers Union. Mr. Lem Harris admitted that he had seen a copy of that letter when he testified before this committee. In this letter to Mr. Patton, Gardner Jackson makes this statement: I don’t have to tell you that many of us understand your appointment of the pathetic Communist or pro-Communist boy Phil Reno to your headquarters staff in Denver as political and labor relations official was at the behest of George Marshall and Lem Harris, the Communist Party’s avowed agricultural policy fellow, in order to insure a continuing flow of money from the Marshall Foundation to the National Farmers Union. Doesn’t that prove to you the influence that was exerted by the Communist Party upon awards made to the National Farmers Union? Mr. O’CONNELL. That, of course, is a statement made by Gardner Jackson, I think after he had been removed from his position with the Farmers Union, and in which he supplied information to Senator Bridges, I think, and I can’t remember others, but what influence--for instance I don’t even know who Phil Reno is, don’t know anything about him, and what Jackson is attempting there I don’t know. Mr. TAVENNER. You had a responsibility as one of the trustees to know how the awards were being paid. Mr. O’CONNELL. That is right and, as a matter of fact, the foundation called Patton before it because we got in disagreement with him about the way the funds were being expended and from then on grants were made to the various State organizations of the Farmers Union rather than to the national office directly. Mr. TAVENNER. But they were continued? Mr. O’CONNELL. Well, they were actually made to different State farm union organizations but not to the National Farmers Union, not to Patton. And certainly one of the basic reasons was because of this gigantic proposal that he had about establishing these branch centers. We just didn’t think it was a wise expenditure of the foundation’s funds, and so on, and that was some of the disagreement that we had. Mr. TAVENNER. Did you ever see a copy of the letter which I referred to? Mr. O’CONNELL. No; I never did. Mr. TAVENNER. Had you heard of it? Mr. O’CONNELL. I think the way I heard of it, I don’t know whether this is the same letter, but Senator Bridges made a speech on the floor of the Senate I think in 1950 in which I am pretty sure he quoted or actually inserted the Gardner Jackson letter, if I remember, and I think I read it within Senator Bridges remarks at that time that were on the floor. Now, I remember that there was quite a to-do about it. I was out in the State of Montana at that time. I have been close. I have known the Farm Union leadership and members out there and I know they were exercised and committed and worried about this whole development.