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cM a en aan Cf O Res JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL. b?Ie birp inois, and who is presentiy employe pringfiie inois, Was interviewed 5 , i the morning of august 31, 1943 by Special Agents | on he was borat € was employed at Mine "B" from lay of 1942, d make a fair witness, has a fair appearance, and is ' able to express himself fairly well and has an intelligence above that of the average miner, He furnished information as set forth in the following Signed statement. INTERVIEW WITH \ "Springfield, T11_ August 31, 1943. v "uy name is I make the following state- ment to an , who have identific emscly o m to pec ak of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ho promises, “throsts, or consideration of any kind has been made to me to have me make this statement, It is true and accurate. I am willing, if necessary, to go to court and repeat any part of this statamont. “I havc been a mincr all of my life, I first joined the United Mine Workers when J was years old. I went to work at mine B in as near as I can remember. J used to go to the Union mectings quite rcgularly, but I was never a wnion officer at mine B. In 1932 when the cntire local joined the Progressive Mine Workers of America, I was wilking to switch over. I had no objcctions at all to the formation of the PM/. The relations between tho company at line B and the unions coltinued to be about the same both before and after the formation of the Pif7. 3eforc the strike in 1937, the relations of the union and the company vere satisfactory as far as I tas concerned. I did not pay much attcntion to what was going on. I just did my work and did not pay much attcntion to what went on at the office or at the wiion meetings. I went to the important union meetings, but was not intcrostcd in what went on among the union generally. I di@ not go to the wion meeting the night before the Strikc, It was a complete surprise to me, J was completely satis- fied with the operation of the Progre Workers American and local #34. I did not know know that there had been any discussion . about switching uions. I mew before the strike was called that there was Some trouble over some men having been fined by the union or some- thing like that, I did not know the details, but I had heard about it.