◆ SpookStack

¢ nS, Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL NTERVIEW WITH Springfield, — an a », was interviewed in his residence on September 11 i “4 1943, by Special Agents fa eee ~ dD ee not speak English too clearly, bus he understands it ag vell enourn to be questioned on a witnessstand. He is a man who is not ae ‘ vot afrhid to say what he knows, and stated that he is willing to testify. claimed to have no criminal record. The following signed statement was executed by PF “Springfield, Til.” September 11, 1943 nT make the following voluntary statement to ees whom I know to be Special Agents of the Federat Bureau of investi ote on, of my own free will, with no threats or promises made to me. "T was born United States_i am living at and came to the T became 2 citizen in sprinciieid, Tile, inf. I Springfield, and am working at :, where I have been employe I joined the U.M.W. in and rejoined at Sprincfield when I came to this country in 1 joined the Progressive Mine Workers of America in 1932, and remaIticd a memoer of that union until shortly before February, 1941, when the U.M.W. won the election at Mine B. nee a q tI was always satisfied with the P.M.A.. The dues were lower than U.N.W., We would vote for any man we wanted in the P.M.A., while in the U.M.W. the same men were in office all the time, and, at P.M.d. meetings, we had a chance to take the floor and say what we pleased at any time. Every- thing at the mine was satisfactory betweon 1932 and 1937, as far as I knew. "On May 12, 1937, I heard from my buddy, a there had been a meeting of the P.3.A. the night before, I didn't go to the meeting, but he told me that they had kicked sone men out of the union, and were going to ask Elshoff to fire them. If Elshoff wouldn't fire them, no P.M.A. men would work the mire. These men were, Schrelevious, Austin, Bohannon, Albanese, Pasquale, three Sirtouts, Ananias, Carter, Hale, Plotch and George Jacawaye I had heard talk at several meetings of the P.M.A. about what to do with the U.U.W. sympathizers at Mine B, but didn’t know the final decision until told me. None of these men had ever approached me before the strike to join U.M.Y,. es "On the day of the strike, we worked a full day. In the morning, an ~ 167 - PR rene a re me a