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rE ~ L 4 * t } i 1 Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL INTERVIET WITE ay Springfield, Bi ois, was interviewed at his home September 10, 1943, by Special Agents ee: Se WMA ct ated he did not have a criminal record amnot spe der- stance English very well and would make a very poor Witness. refused to sign a statement because he could not read English. tated he would only sign a etatement upon advice of an attorney which could be provided by UM. . “urnished the following information in the form of a state~ ment which he refused to sign, although he sdmitted the information contained x r=] therein was correct. "Springfield, Ill. September 10, 1943 "I, , Springfield, Ill, make the following voluntary statement to oo as eararaetel I know to be Special Agents of the Federal Bureau o nvcstigation, no force, threats or promises have been made in obtaining this statement and 1 know that what I may say may be used in a court of law. "J wos born i emigrated to the U. S. in aa >: became a naturalized citizen of the 0, iy "T becamo a nembor of UMY in Ill. in Qt which time I started mining coal in the U, S. I remained a mombcr of UMW until 2932 when I became & member of PMA because my local UMV union changed to PMA. AT 8] eee teen "I was employed at h eek + r at which timc the mine closed, I obtained a job at th fT BB vine in Oct. 1939, which mino did not have a union. In dan. 4 I attempted to return to Panther Creek Mine #4 in Springficld, Ill., but I wos not allowed to work as PMA, of which I was a membor, would not accept my dues because I workod in a non-union mino during the time Panther Creek Coal Hine #4 was closed, I returned ‘> ia and worked until April 1940 whon the mine closed as They no longer had orders for coal. fan elle Hd “ e #4 until about June 1939 "In July 1940 I asked Oscar Falcetti the supt. at Mino “B" for a job and I was put to work os a timberman, Oscar Falectti did not osk mo what union I was a member of, nor did anyone ask mo to join any union. About threo days after I went ‘to work at Iino "B" I joined UMW through Joo Albanese as I wanted to be a member of a union and PMA prevented me from working ot Panther Creck Mine, therefore, I did not wish to join PMA, nan .