Mr. APPELL. Frank J. Martin in the foundry? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Charles E. Morgan in the stamping? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Mr. Santwire, have you, as a member of the Communist Party, attended schools operated by the Communist Party? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes; I have attended, I believe, at least 6 different courses of study sponsored by the Communist Party directly or the Michigan School of Social Science. Mr. APPELL. What are some of these schools that you attended? Mr. SANTWIRE. I attended a general course of study which was conducted by Phil Raymond in 1944. I attended a class conducted by William Allan on the history of the American labor movement. I attended a class on wage theory and collective bargaining conducted by Nat Ganley. I attended a class conducted by Hugo Beiswenger, based on advanced Marxism. I attended a class on imperialism conducted by Ann Beiswenger, B-e-i-s-w-e-n-g-e-r. Mr. APPELL. Is she the wife of Hugo Beiswenger? Mr. SANTWIRE. She is. I also attended a class on dialectical materialism conducted by Hugo Beiswenger. Mr. APPELL. Mr. Santwire, did you know within the Communist Party an individual by the name of Sidney Graber? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes, I did. Mr. APPELL. Did you know Sidney Graber's occupation? Mr. SANTWIRE. I only know that he was a school teacher. Mr. APPELL. Have you attended closed meetings of the Communist Party with Sidney Graber? Mr. SANTWIRE. I have. Mr. APPELL. Have you attended any of the State conferences of the Communist Party with Sidney Graber? Mr. SANTWIRE. I believe that Sidney Graber has been in attendance at closed party meetings consisting of members of the State leadership. Mr. APPELL. Did you know David Mates to be a member of the Communist Party? Mr. SANTWIRE. I believe he was a member of the Communist Party. Mr. APPELL. Have you ever attended any closed meetings with David Mates? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Mr. Santwire, in asking you if you know the following individuals to be members of the Communist Party, I want you only to say that you do if you have attended closed meetings of the Communist Party with these individuals. Mr. APPELL. Evelyn Gladstone? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Max Trachtenberg? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes, T-r-a-c-h-t-e-n-b-e-r-g. Mr. APPELL. Ann S. Crowe? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Phillip H. Halper? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Fred M. Fisch? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. James Cichocki? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Edith Van Horn? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Ralph Fileccia? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Sven Falk? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Harold L. Shapiro? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Benjamin F. Kocel? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Richard Lawrence Davis? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Joe Chrin? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Robert Rowlson? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. James R. Montgomery? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Vera Katz Raymond? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Shirley Goodman? 1 Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Do you know what her occupation was? Mr. SANTWIRE. I don't believe that I ever did know. She had a brother, Cal, who was in the Navy, and she had some sisters who were also active. Mr. APPELL. Thomas Bryant? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Janet Mitchnick? Mr. SANTWIRE. Yes. Mr. CLARDY. Mr. Appell, does that conclude all the questions you have? Mr. APPELL. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Mr. CLARDY. Very well then. We will now recess for lunch. It is 6 minutes after 1. We will recess for 1 hour, to about 5 minutes after 2. You will be excused, witness, for the present. You are continued under the subpena. (Thereupon, at 1:06 p. m., the hearing was recessed, to reconvene at 2:05 p. m. of the same day.) 1 Now Mrs. Shirley Goodman Rapoport. On May 5, 1954, she appeared in executive session and took refuge in the fifth amendment with respect to questions regarding Communist Party membership except to deny Communist Party membership as of that day. See Investigation of Communist Activities in the State of Michigan-Part 1 (Detroit-Education), p. 5081. INVESTIGATION OF COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN-PART 2 (Detroit-Labor) THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1954 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES, 1 EXECUTIVE SESSION Detroit, Mich. The subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met, pursuant to recess, at 10: 30 a. m., in room 1786, Hotel Fort Shelby, Hon. Kit Clardy (acting chairman) presiding. Committee members present: Representative Kit Clardy. Staff members present: Mr. Donald T. Appell and Mr. W. Jackson Jones, investigators. Mr. CLARDY. The hearing will be in order. Mr. APPELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to call as may first witness Mr. Steve Schemanske. Would you stand and be sworn? Mr. CLARDY. You do solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I do. TESTIMONY OF STEPHEN J. SCHEMANSKE Mr. APPELL. Will you please state your full name for the record? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. Stephen J. Schemanske. Mr. APPELL. When were you born? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. March 18, 1912. Mr. APPELL. Will you outline briefly your educational background? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I attended the Assumption Grade School and Holy Redeemer High School in Detroit, Mich. I spent 1 year at St. Mary's Seminary at Orchard Lake. I also completed a business and stenographic course at the Detroit Business Institute. Mr. APPELL. Are you the Stephen Schemanske who was a witness for the United States Government at the recent Smith Act trials which were held in Detroit, Mich? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I am. Mr. APPELL. During the course of your testimony before the court you were identified as having been a member of the Communist Party A Released by the committee. and having worked as an undercover operative for some 17 years, is that true? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. It is. Mr. APPELL. Were you known within the Communist Party as Stephen J. Schemanske? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. No; I was not. Mr. APPELL. By what name were you known within the Communist Party? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I was known by the name of Steve Simmons, S-i-m-m-o-n-s, and also Steve Semenuk, S-e-m-e-n-u-k. Mr. APPELL. So that as we go on with this record, any testimony that you will be giving with respect to the Communist Party will be on the basis of material that came into your possession while you were a member of the Communist Party under the name Steve Simmons or Steve Semenuk? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. Correct. Mr. APPELL. Have you ever been a member of the Young Communist League? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Have you ever been a member of the Communist Party, USA! Mr. SCHEMANSKE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. What are the circumstances attendant to your joining these organizations? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. My primary purpose was to obtain information on subversive activities. Mr. APPELL. When did you, to the best of your recollection, join the Young Communist League? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I joined in the latter part of 1938 approximately. Mr. APPELL. What was the Young Communist League at the time you joined? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. The Young Communist League was regarded as the youth organization of the Communist Party. Its program was based on the principles of Marxism and Leninism and conformed to the program of the Communist Party. The Young Communist League was regarded as the training center for young Communist youth and their preparations for membership in the Communist Party. Some of the leading members of the National Committee of the Communist Party today have held membership in the Young Communist League. Mr. APPELL. How long were you a member of the Young Communist League? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I was a member of the Young Communist League for approximately 5 years, from the latter part of 1938 to the latter part of 1943. Mr. APPELL. Did you hold any positions in the Young Communist League? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. Yes. Mr. APPELL. Will you please tell us what they were? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. I was treasurer of the Wonders Branch of the Young Communist League, in which I held membership. I was also a representative on the district committee and district council of the Young Communist League and was assigned the responsibility of secretary-treasurer of the Young Communist League on the State level. I participated at the national convention of the Young Communist League ín October 1943 when the Young Communist League was dissolved and became the American Youth for Democracy. Mr. APPELL. Can you briefly describe the organizational setup of the Young Communist League during your period of membership? Mr. SCHEMANSKE. The organizational setup of the Young Communist League during that period coincided closely with that of the Communist Party. The Young Communist League of Michigan then claimed a total membership of approximately 1,000 and was affiliated with and controlled by the national office of the Young Communist League in New York City. The Michigan district of the Young Communist League had an office adjoining the Michigan Communist Party offices, located at 2419 Grand River, Detroit. In 1943 the Young Communist League had as its organizers Adeline Kohl or Lustgarten as State secretary and Norman Ross as State administrative secretary. To the best of my recollection, both Kohl and Ross were sent to the Michigan area from New York City, on instruction from the national office of the Young Communist League. The Michigan Young Communist League at that time was completely governed by these full-time organizers, who carried out the instructions handed down by the national Young Communist League organization and also cooperated fully with the Communist Party. To impress the membership of its supposedly democratic organization, the Michigan Young Communist League was set up on the following basis: District buro: The district buro was considered the highest governing body within the State organization. Its membership consisted of leading Young Communist League functionaries appointed by the full-time paid Young Communist League State organizers, who merely used them as puppets to enforce their objectives. Only the most trusted and conscientious members were appointed to this body, since they were considered the key leadership who carried out the plan of action laid down by the national committee and also dealt with local problems confronting the league, regarding organization, et cetera. To the best of my recollection, some of the members of the district buro of the Young Communist League during 1942 to 1943 were Norman Ross, Adeline Kohl, Mary Cummins Maraniss, Thomas Dennis, Anabel Purdy, Mabel Lee Smith, and Martha Ross. The district organizational committee was composed of individuals who were appointed by the district leadership to carry out the policies of work within the district as laid down by the district buro. During the period I held membership on the committee it was representative of the following: membership director, Martha Ross; educational director, Thomas Dennis; literature and review director, Anabel Purdy. During 1943, the following Young Communist League branches were represented in the Michigan area: Ann Arbor, Dorie Miller; Frederick Douglass; Colin Kelly; Foster-Liberty; Patterson; Tom Paine Victory; West Side; Flint; and Grand Rapids. Mr. APPELL. Mr. Schemanske, you have just identified as an officer of the Young Communist League Mary Cummins. Do you know Mary Cummins by any other name? |