Mr. O’CONNELL. Not only as far as I was concerned, but as far as the people of the State of Washington, particularly in the districts that these representatives were concerned, and the Legislative Assembly of the State of Washington itself, this job was so poorly done by the Canwell committee that the committee was never re-created, and in the last session of the Legislative Assembly of Washington State had Canwell before it for contempt for the destruction of the records of his committee. Mr. TAVENNER. Will you answer my question, please? Mr. O’CONNELL. Well, the thing I am trying to point out to you is that I know how those hearings were conducted. There was no opportunity, no opportunity for cross-examination; no opportunity for witnesses to come in on the other side, or anything. I mean, people were paraded there, like Budenz, and the others, came there and made long, long statements; they just went on and on and made statements about almost everything imaginable and conceivable. Mr. TAVENNER. You still haven’t answered my question. Mr. O’CONNELL. As far as I was concerned that did not prove to me that Rabbitt or Pennock or anybody named in there was Communist. Mr. TAVENNER. My question was whether or not you absolutely ignored the testimony in the selection of those people to assist you in the work of the Progressive Party. Mr. O’CONNELL. Well, I wouldn’t use the language that I totally ignored it, or anything, but I was not motivated in my dealings with them by anything that was developed in those hearings. Now, you promised me an opportunity to---- Mr. TAVENNER. I will. Mr. O’CONNELL. All right. Mr. TAVENNER. You have told us that you were acquainted with Barbara Hartle. Mr. O’CONNELL. Yes, I think that is a correct statement that I was acquainted with her. Mr. TAVENNER. You stated that you had met her probably 5 times. Mr. O’CONNELL. I met her the first time in Montana. Then I met her a few times in the State of Washington. Mr. TAVENNER. I asked Mrs. Hartle in the course of the testimony taken in June 1954 to tell the committee to what extent the Communist Party in that area was interested in the work of the Progressive Party. You will find it on page 6215 of her testimony. Her reply was this: