District (or state) organizations, patterned on the national structure, hold periodic conventions, “elect” state committees, and have officers. Hence there is a Chairman, New York State Communist Party, or Secretary, Ohio State Communist Party. Sometimes state conventions are held in “split sessions”: the first, before the National Convention when selected topics, such as those proposed in the “draft program,” are “discussed”; the second, after the national meeting when the state convention reassembles to ratify the decisions of the national body. State leaders take no chances, they stay on the Party line. Many states and districts have open headquarters. In recent years most were closed, but the Party realizes that an open headquarters is essential in carrying out its day-to-day agitational work. These Party offices are usually located downtown in a dingy room or suite in an old building. Battered desks, with typewriter, Mimeograph machine (the good right arm of the Party), and perhaps a literature rack are standard equipment. Here are the offices of the state chairman, state secretary, and other officers. An old-time communist, usually a woman, will “triple” as receptionist, stenographer, and Mimeograph operator. Knowing all the members, she’s a good “lookout” and can answer most questions: Has Oscar come back from vacation? Where does Joyce work? Is Ruth a club chairman? Normally, headquarters is a busy place, with people going in and out all day long. Here special state, county, and city meetings are held as well as personal conferences. The busiest items in the place are chairs; they seldom have a rest until after midnight. The local organizational structure, under state (or district) headquarters, varies from area to area. The city (or county) sections in turn are subdivided. Intracity sections may encompass several wards, each, like the county, having its own set of officers. Each section, of course, is rigidly controlled from the top. The basic unit, at the bottom of the whole structure, is the _club_, formerly known as the cell, like the one described at the beginning of this chapter. Clubs are of various types: _community clubs_, comprising members who live in a certain geographical area; _shop clubs_, composed of members who work at a certain company; _industrial clubs_, which include members employed in the same basic industry, such as steel, automobile, aluminum, though working for different industrial firms; and _specialized clubs_, appealing to professions or other natural groupings. In the latter category, for example, there may be a professional section (often called white-collar), comprising clubs of teachers, doctors, or lawyers. A few members, especially the deeply concealed communists, do not belong to any club but are considered as _members-at-large_, subject to control only from headquarters.