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if if ei gee SO etree apartanner seminal, Aue RE: JOHN L, LEWIS, ETAL Mal EW WITH was interviewed by Special Agents i. B & very excitable perso and it was diffisu 0 obtain a coherent story from him ce Le relative to his. knowledge of instant oase. It is believed he would make & poor witness. executed the following signed statements * Springfield, fll. September 16, 1945 "T make the following voluntary statement to Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of In- vestigation. No threats or promises have been made to induce me to mke any statement. "tl am presently erployed at Mine A and reside at I was born on and became a U. &. citizen in abou I have been mining coal most of my 1ife and have been e member of the U.M.W. sinee about I started working at Mine A in 1940 and had previously joined P.k.A. in 1952. Most of the men were not getisfied with the U.M.W. and I felt that the P.M.A. should be started so the men would be satisfied. "hen I started working at Mine A it didn't seem to me that the men were satisfied, The officers in the P.M.A. wanted to hold their office longer than thay were supposed to and were not keeping their promises made to the man in P.M.A. I don't believe the men were satisfied with the way the P.M.A. officers were aoting. "I recall that the mine shut down in the spring of 1941 and leter om in the early fall I got a letter that RYAN had sold Mine A to ELSHOFF. When I heard that ELSHOFF had bought the mine I also heard that ELSHOFF was going to close tho mine. J heard that the P.M.A. men had severnl meetings in the fell of 1941, but I never attended any of those meetings. I heard that all of our men had turned over to United at the mecting at the Elks Club, but I don't know any of the details of those meetings. I don't oare what union I belong to ts long @s I have 4 job. After I heard all the men had joined U.M.W. I went up te the U.M.W. hall and signed up with United just a short time before I started back to work at Mine A in the fall of 1941. I do not know why the men all joined U.M.Wie Dut I was not beaten up or threatened. "ZT have read over this statement of 2 pages and wish to state it is true to the best of my memory. Witmessess /s/ Qu Justice” - 407 ~ a |