Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., area. Hearings, Part 3United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
History
Investigation of Communist activities in Seattle, Wash., area. Hearings, Part 3
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities
Communism -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Chairman, I think the record should show
that Mary Stalcup Markward in the course of her testimony identified
Lillian Clott as a member of the Community Club of the Communist Party
in the District of Columbia, and that when called as a witness before
this committee in September 1954, in Dayton, Ohio, Lillian Clott
refused to testify regarding her alleged Communist Party membership on
the ground that to do so might tend to incriminate her.
Mr. WILLIS. Let’s take an informal recess.
(Brief recess.)
Mr. WILLIS. The committee will come to order.
You may proceed, Mr. Tavenner.
Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. O’Connell, are you familiar with the
testimony of Matthew Cvetic before this committee, relating to the
activities of the Communist Party in the western part of Pennsylvania
in connection with the National Committee To Defeat the Mundt Bill?
Mr. O’CONNELL. No; I am not acquainted with that testimony.
Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Matthew Cvetic became a member of the
Communist Party at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
and after working quite a number of years for the Federal Bureau of
Investigation within the Communist Party, withdrew and testified fully
before this committee regarding his experience within the Communist
Party.
Mr. Cvetic testified that the District Committee of the Communist Party
of western Pennsylvania established a branch or a unit of the National
Committee To Defeat the Mundt Bill. This branch or unit occupied no
office of its own but worked out of the offices of the Communist Party
of western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Cvetic further testified that petitions and pamphlets published by
the National Committee To Defeat the Mundt Bill were made available
in Pittsburgh for distribution by Communist Party headquarters. He
personally participated in the distribution of petitions and pamphlets
published by the National Committee To Defeat the Mundt Bill at the
instruction of the Communist Party functionaries in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Cvetic also testified that the officials of the Communist Party in
western Pennsylvania referred to the National Committee To Defeat the
Mundt Bill as “One of our organizations.”
Mr. Cvetic revealed that the strategy and planning of the fight
against the Mundt-Nixon bill in Pittsburgh was headed by the district
organizer of the Communist Party. These plans were carried out by the
Communist Party District Committee through the various trade unions,
front organizations, Progressive Party, and other organizations
which had been created or captured by the Communist Party in western
Pennsylvania.
Did you confer at any time with any one from Pittsburgh with reference
to the strategy and planning of the fight against the Mundt bill in
that area?
Mr. O’CONNELL. No, sir, I did not. You mean by that a personal
conference with somebody from there?
Mr. TAVENNER. Yes.
Mr. O’CONNELL. No, I did not.
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