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ThamT NY 65-16659 . en - ~*In the mid- thirties Id discussed SLU es ‘Of: the" ie 5 ie Pre so U. 8. Government “fron time to time with ROB F. HALL, “Tan P. DAVIS, Washings""" +. . ton, D. C., Negro attorney, JOSEPH S. GELDERS, and various others. a a the Er GB la > Ld a J 1) iP ™ * “ys . ~ se a * "In 1938, when JOSEPH S. GELDERS and I were on the District Buro of the Communist Party together, CELDERS spent considerable time in Washington, D. C. During part of this period, in the spring of 1938, as _ near: s I can recall, he was for a time on the payroll of Representative .. 2 a. re CEYER of California. GELDERS described GEYER, a weber of Congress, . as lige. / & secret member of the Communist Party and described conversations that: h ent EE é CEYER and others "had from time t6-time on gathering and evaluating general.” government policy information. On many occasions CGELDERS, on return from trips to Washington, reported to ROB F. HALL and to me on information secured and how this information fitted into the Communist and Soviet objectives and the value that such information was to the Soviet Government in determining its strategy and tactics. Because of the passage of time, I cannot recall - the various minute detailed reports, but in general they dealt with the’ * . 2% ot question of determining what leaders and influential people in government *. Pg : circles were friendly to the Soviet Union who believed ina policy of mis . an ® tary alliance with Moscow against HITLER and who were, on the other hand, © as oe suspicious or antagonistic of the Soviet Union. . "It was the policy of the Party at that time towork for the political advancement of those who were for alliance with the Soviet Union and those who went along with the current slogans on domestic policy and to seek to isolate, undermine, and destroy those people in the government, auch, . oot as Mr. GARNER, who were regarded as obstacles to the Soviet line in that’ '..° .-.+ period. Some of the matters were extremely minute and dealt with pending es ae ’ legislation a which the Party, through its fronts and through its powerful © ky influence at that time in the CIO, might influence and in the higher levels, such as meetincs with GELDERS, ROB F. and myself, and meetings from time to time in New York, where GELDE. HALL and I discussed these matters with J. PETERS, EARL BROWDER and JACHYSTACHEL. The question of relationship with the Soviet over-all strategy was the first consideration. "In pathering information at that time the chief questions were to determine how far the Administration would go on matters of foreign policy. Such evaluations would not be made on the basis of one report alone. In meetings of leading Party officials and top Party committees a vast amount of leads would be evaluated, and the statements and reports of EARL BROADER to small meetings I attended had indicated that BROWDER had more extensive and detailed sources of information than I waa personally aware of. On many occasions BROWDER gave alleged reports of proceedings at closed Cabinet meetings in the White House; remarks that were alleged to have been made by the FPresi-: >, 2 L . « ", @ent and by members of the Cabinet. T do not now recall what these remarks ae gest By - ae 9 f G “ = 7 a a Nghe hs ti eee, Da Kt . oe.