Communist infiltration of Hollywood motion-picture industry : hearing before the Committee on Un-American activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-second Congress, first session (1951)

COMMUNISM EST MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 1461 Browder was out here in 1936 on a speaking tour, Kobert Minor was here in 1934. I toured the State with Robert Minor. A man by the name of Ford, who was running for vice president in 1936, was out here and spoke at a large rally. They came through periodically and exerted great influence on the local party. Mr. Potter. When they would come out here would they meet with the leaders or would a mass meeting be held for them to speak? Mr. Ashe. Both. If they were competent public speakers they would usually speak at a large mass meeting or rally, and then in addition would meet with the party functionaries, the county leader- ship, and straighten out the county leadership on any points of policy that the county leadership was unclear on, or which it was going wrong on. Mr. Potter. When a person has been recruited into the party I as- sume there is a period of training or indoctrination that he must go through. I believe you stated that in your case you rebelled against the series of training experiences that you had. Mr. Ashe. I rebelled at going through a beginners' class twice. There was a beginners class. This beginners' class would consist of all of the new members who had been recruited within the last few weeks. Sometimes a member would go into a unit before he had been in the beginner's class, simply because there was not a beginner's class in process at that time. But as soon as one was set up, when there were enough recruits one would be set up, a teacher would be assigned and then they would go to the beginner's class. Mr. Potter. I have here a photostat of a publication called the Communist Party, A Manual Of Organization, which was published in July of 1935. This was written by a J. Peters, a gentleman I am sure you are familiar with. Mr. Ashe. That's right. Mr. Potter. As I understand, the information has been given our committee that this in many cases, this manual on organization has been used as a Communist Party bible in many sections, particularly with new members, to outline the party objectives. I would like to just quote a paragraph from the role and aim of the Communist Party as cited in their own manual, and I would like to have your comment to see if that paragraph I have cited was carried through into the organization as you were f amili'ar with it, and I quote now: x As the leader and organizer of the proletariat the Communist Party of the United States of America leads the working class in a fight for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism, for the establishment of the dictatorship of the prole- tariat, for the establishment of a socialistic soviet republic in the United States, for the complete abolition of classes, for the establishment of socialism, the first stage of a classless, Communist society. Now, the role and aim as outlined in that short paragraph, would you say that was consistent with the Communist Party as you knew it ? Mr. Ashe. Definitely. Mr. Potter. In line with your statement that the Communist Party is not a political party but an international conspiracy, I think it might be well, also, to cite from an oath that was taken by 2,000 members of the party, new members to the party, which was given to them by J See appendix, printed in a separate volume for complete text of this document.