_To the District Buro, District 12, CPUSA_:
I have made a political error, in consequence of which I have been removed from the functions of district agitprop director.
It is my responsibility to the party to prove myself by correct rank-and-file activity.
Mr. TAVENNER. I desire to introduce the paper in evidence, and ask that it be marked “Dennett Exhibit No. 9.”
Mr. MOULDER. The above statement will be identified as “Dennett Exhibit No. 9” in the record.
Mr. TAVENNER. Will you tell the committee, please, what the organization setup was of the Communist Party in Seattle during the 2 periods when you served here as agitprop?
Mr. DENNETT. Well, the first period the party consisted almost exclusively of what we called a skidroad branch. Almost all the membership of the party was transient workers who lived on or about the skidroad. And when Rappaport came in--speaking now of the second period--Rappaport raised cain over the fact that the membership was all transient, insisting that the party must root itself in the neighborhoods. It must become acquainted with the permanent citizens, not those who were called the boomers or the floaters, those who used Seattle as a mail headquarters and holed up during the winter or off season but left the city during their construction work, which most of them followed.
And he used the technique of developing neighborhood branches out of those who were members of the unemployed citizens leagues or unemployed councils, and from those, as people went to work in industry, he tried to develop shop or factory, what we call nuclei.
Most of the success in that field occurred among the lumber workers because they were among the first to get out and get back to work out in the woods, the loggers.
So we had still the problem of maintaining contact with them. It was very difficult to do.
Mr. TAVENNER. Will you tell the committee, please, who were the functionaries of the Communist Party in Seattle during those two periods.
Mr. DENNETT. The first one I think we have covered, when we mention Mr. Alex Noral, Fred Walker, Jim Bourne, B-o-u-r-n-e, Mr. John Lawrie. I think that is L-a-w-r-i-e. John Lawrie, Sr.
There was a Mr. Ed Leavitt, L-e-a-v-i-t-t.
They were the leading functionaries with whom I worked at that time.