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140 COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY I saw her again after the war, and I believe it was Tompkins who told me she was very active politically. Then began the political phase of the association, yon might say. Mr. Tavenner. How long were you acquainted with her after you became a member of the Communist Party? Mr. Hayden. She was a member of the cell or group that I was assigned to up until the time that I broke with them, which was in December of that same year, 1946. Mr. Tavenner. To what group of the Communist Party were you assigned upon your first joining the party? Mr. Hayden. I was told that for security reasons I should not be with any prominent people in any phase of endeavor at all in the mo- tion-picture industry, but should be with people known as back-lot workers, carpenters, electricians, and so forth, and so on. Mr. Tavenner. Will you explain that a little further, about secur- ity ? Security for whom ? Mr. Hayden. Security for me, I presume. It was never discussed very much. I believe this cell was composed primarily of people from Universal, RKO, Columbia, and Paramount, but these people were never known to me by their last names. It was only first names. Everybody called everybody else comrade. Mr. Tavenner. How many composed that cell ? Mr. Hayden. I don't know what the official membership was, but an average meeting would have from 10 to 22 or 23 people. I think they were happy if they had more than 8. Mr. Tavenner. Who were the officers ? Mr. Hayden. When I first joined there was a man who functioned as secretary, whose last name I do not know, whose first name was Hjalmar. Mr. Tavenner. How do you spell it ? Mr. Hayden. H-j-a-1-m-a-r. Mr. Tavenner. How was he employed ? Mr. Hayden. I don't know. I don't know how he was employed. Mr. Tavenner. Do you know by whom he was employed ? Mr. Hayden. I couldn't say for sure, no. I was going to say I thought he was at Paramount, but I am not sure. Mr. Tavenner. Do you know where he lived ? Mr. Hayden. I have no idea, although I may have gone to his house. I went to different houses by address. I don't know if I ever went to his house, though it is likely I did. He functioned as secretary. He kept records, collected dues, and so forth and so on. Mr. Tavenner. To whom did you pay your dues ? Mr. Hayden. To him. Mr. Tavenner. What were your dues ? Mr. Hayden. The same as everybody else. They were computed on a percentage of salary, but I was not included in the percentage deal. I paid what everybody else paid. It seems to me it was $1.75, $2, or $2.50 a month. Mr. Tavenner. Can you recall the names of anybody else who were members of that group ? Mr. Hayden. I remember the names Bernie and Frank. I never knew their last names. I knew Bea Winters, of course. Mr. Tavenner. Was she a member of that same group ? Mr. Hayden. She was.