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
To a very considerable extent. After the reconstitution the
Communist Party recognized its revisionism of Marxism-Leninism in
the political field, and decided that the correct program was for a
new third anti-imperialist party. After this ideological campaign
had proceeded for at least a year the Progressive Party was founded
preceded for a period by the Progressive Citizens of America. The
Communist Party viewed this as a development along favorable lines
and in this district threw considerable effort into the support
and building of it and was able to furnish the top leadership as
well in the State. Hugh DeLacy, head of the Progressive Citizens of
America, Jerry O’Connell, and Tom Rabbitt, head of the Progressive
Party, all three of whom were in executive positions, were members
of the Communist Party to the best of my understanding. I have less
knowledge of O’Connell’s Communist Party membership than of DeLacy
and Rabbitt, but have sat in Communist Party meetings with him when
all present were Communists, and I understood him to be one also,
or at least so sympathetic as to make no actual difference. Many
Communist Party members were for the founding of the Progressive
Party in this State and worked in it after its founding. They
numbered in the hundreds. The policy of the Progressive Party in
this State was controlled by the Communist Party and if there
were any problems at all along this line they came from national
demands or from demands of persons and groups working also in the
Progressive Party and whom the Communist Party wanted to retain
and influence. Other Communist Party leaders also in leadership of
the Progressive Party were William J. Pennock, Karley Larsen, Fair
Taylor, Tom Rabbitt, Jerry O’Connell.
Then she proceeded to refer to other Communist Party members active in
the Progressive Party.
I want to call to your attention the fact that she stated that the
Communist Party furnished the leadership to the Progressive Party in
the State. The first person she named in that capacity was Hugh DeLacy.
What was Hugh DeLacy’s position in the Progressive Party?
Mr. O’CONNELL. Hugh DeLacy had no position in the Progressive
Party and no office in the Progressive Party, in the State of
Washington.
Mr. TAVENNER. Was it in the Progressive Citizens of America?
Mr. O’CONNELL. I think he was head of the Progressive Citizens
of America. We had actually, when the Progressive Party was organized
we had a real fight because the Progressive Citizens of America were
coming in, they had an organizational drive which was in support of
Wallace as such, but when the Progressive Party of Washington was
actually set up the leadership came not from the people who were in
the Progressive Citizens of America, but from people who were in the
Democratic Party.
Mr. TAVENNER. And people who were in the Young Progressives?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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