Mr. TAVENNER. Is there any further comment you desire to make
concerning that document?
Mr. DENNETT. Evidently I only have part of that document in my
own copy.
Mr. TAVENNER. I believe there is a resolution appearing at the
end of the document which you apparently do not have.
Mr. DENNETT. There is one note of explanation at the bottom,
which reads as follows, and I think it speaks for itself:
The party organization is flexible. Forces can be shifted from
place to place, etc. But the party line is quite well defined and
there are sharp differences between that which is approved by the
party line and that which is disapproved by the party line. The
party line does not change except under rare and unusual occasions.
The sharp change in the international situation has brought
forth a change in the attitude of the Communist Parties to the
social-democratic groups. This includes the Socialist Party of
America.
The whole membership of the section should have read the statement
of the ECCI in the Daily Worker some 2 or 3 weeks ago----
Mr. TAVENNER. What is ECCI?
Mr. DENNETT. Executive Committee of the Communist
International--
where the change of policy was explained.
The Communist Party will maintain vigilance against those who
attempt to break the united front and thereby betray the position
of the working class by complete and ruthless exposure. But there
is a truce existing at the present time between the Communist
Parties and the Social-Democrats. The Bellamy Club should be
included with the Social-Democrats.
That was a local organization in the Bellingham area which I had not
mentioned before. It was a group who had studied Edward Bellamy’s
Looking Backward and his other Socialist books and pamphlets.
I believe that statement sufficiently illustrates what we were
undertaking to do, and it is consistent with what was going on all over
the country. The only thing is we met with more success than others did.
Mr. TAVENNER. You described the activities of the unemployed
councils in Bellingham, and you have told us that they were
Communist-organized groups. Will you tell the committee, please, who
the Communist Party members were who took the lead in that work, in
addition to yourself, of course?
Mr. DENNETT. Well, I think I mentioned earlier--if I didn’t,
I should at this time--that there was a young woman by the name of
Helen Quist who represented the Young Communist League, who went
to Bellingham at approximately the same time I did, and who gave
invaluable help in the organization of both the Young Communist League
and the Communist Party. She was a member of both, and she was my
closest and ablest assistant for quite a period of time in Bellingham.
Mr. TAVENNER. Will you spell the name, please?
Mr. DENNETT. Q-u-i-s-t, Helen Quist.
When I arrived, the local leadership of the Communist Party consisted
of a person by the name of Martin Olson. And I hope that if there are
any Martin Olsons who hear of that that they will not worry too much
because there are so many Martin Olsons in this area.
But this particular Martin Olson was an unemployed logger at that time.
Mr. TAVENNER. In light of your statement then, can you give
further identifying information in regard to Mr. Olson so that there
will be no confusion as to the “Olson” referred to?
Mr. DENNETT. All I can say is that he was a man of small
stature, was an unemployed logger at that time. That is about all I can
use for description.
There was a person by the name of George Smith in Bellingham. He at
that time operated a little hotel which he owned.
Mr. TAVENNER. What was his activity?
Mr. DENNETT. He was just a member of the sectarian group that
just sat around and were satisfied that as long as they had a pure
line everything was rosy. The fact that they didn’t do anything about
it didn’t seem to disturb them too much. They were satisfied that they
were following the straight and narrow path.
Mr. TAVENNER. What do you mean by straight and narrow path?
Mr. DENNETT. They sat around and agreed among themselves that
the Communist Party line was absolutely right.
Mr. TAVENNER. I wanted to be sure that the path you mentioned
was the Communist Party path.
Mr. DENNETT. True. There was another person by the name of
Arthur Sinclair. I have heard since that he subsequently was deported
to Canada.
There was an older fellow by the name of Engstrom, but I do not recall
his first name.
Mr. TAVENNER. Let me suggest this to you: If any of the
persons whose names you are giving withdrew from the Communist Party,
or if you have any facts indicating a change of affiliation, I think
you should give those facts to us.
Mr. DENNETT. Well, I have no knowledge of any of these people
whom I have mentioned having done so.
There were a couple of women who were certainly the most reliable
people for us in the sense that--remember we were in difficult times,
and eating was a difficult problem. And both of these women did work
outside, and they had a loyalty to their neighbors and friends.
Bellingham, you have to understand, is a comparatively small town.
People in it live much closer together than they do in a larger city.
Neighbors are a little better acquainted with each other. Consequently,
any suffering in the neighborhood arouses a deeper response among
people who are better acquainted than it does among total strangers.
And these women extended themselves greatly to aid those of us who
didn’t have any adequate income or any adequate subsistence. I
understand that both of these women have since left the Communist
Party. Do you want me to name them now?
Mr. TAVENNER. Was that in 1932?
Mr. DENNETT. Yes; it was.
Mr. TAVENNER. Mr. Chairman, I suggest we take that testimony
an executive session, if he is convinced that they have left the party.
Mr. MOULDER. I suggest that you withhold the names and not
announce them; this information will be given to the committee in
executive session.
Mr. DENNETT. That answers all about the persons who were there
at the time of my arrival.