JFK Assassination System Identification Form Date: 5/13/201 “Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: _ 124-90143-10290 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILENUMBER: _ 100-370750-119 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: LADD TO: HQ TITLE: DATE: 08/20/1947 ‘PAGES: 142 SUBJECTS : JOHN HOWARD LAWSON DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: Secret RESTRICTIONS: 1B; 1C; 4 CURRENT STATUS: Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: — 10/09/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : MEMO -  rOmVvOwOhnR —  ———— v9.1 NW 45838 Docid:32338872 Page i
oe 7 a a SECRET , ‘Committee, she identified John Howard Lawson as’ a member. of the Communist Party. She stated that: he was active in Communist circles in Hollywood . when she was in the Communist Party and that in Communist meetings, Lawson had stat bed that Comaunist. propaganda must be integrated into. all screen, plays. : On. August 8, 1944, yalter Wanger, a Movie Producer, stated that he definitely knew that John Howard Lawson was a Communist. This source stated that a. few days before he had contacted Lawson to see if he was available to write a screen play to which Lawson replied he. was hesitant to work for Wanger for fear it ee cast some reflection ‘on hin. This source quoted Laws on as stating "Tr am a Communist". Confidential Informant of.the Los Angeles Office, advised that he talked to John Howard Lawson on July 25, 1945, -at which time Lawson stated that if he were called as a witness before the - State Un-American Activities Committee, he believed he would AU them that he was.a member of the Communist Political Association, ‘On March 1, 1947, Ben Kadish, a confidential source of thé Los Angeles Office, and a former member of the. Communist’ Party, advised that he recalled John. Howard Lawson's attending Communist meetings. This source was in the Communist Party from September, 1943, through December, 1945, and for a time was in Branch A-3, which was the same branch to ~ ‘which Lawson belonged. \ \ Be Attendance at Communist Party Meetings During the time that Lawson has been in Eos Angeles, he has been identified as having attended numerous meetings at which all of those identified as being present were known Communists, according to a highly -“yeliable and: delicate confidential source. In those cases where the highly reliable and delicate confidential source was not,in a position to iden- tify the particular person as a Communist, the source that can so identify. the person is mentioned. There are set forth hereinafter several examples. ae “Party, at the Melody Lane Restaurant, Wilshire Boulevard and Detroit Avenue, NW 45838 “of this character of meetings which Lawson attended. i : on February 7, 1943, Agents of the Bureau observed Alexander Trachtenberg, head of International Publishers and a member of the National Committee, Communist Party, USA, met with John Howard. Lawson, Albert Maltz | and*‘Jane Wallace, fduca tional Director of the Los Angeles County Communist at 12:45 p.m. Trachtenberg is known to be a member of the Communist Party through official publications of that organization. wart DoclId: 32338872 Page 4 OTHER 4
On April 12, 1943, Agents of the Bureau observed John Howard Lawson; Philip M. Connelley, CIO Official and Carl Winter, Chairman. of the ‘Los. Angeles County Communist Party, enter the home of Max Silver, organizational secretary of the Los Angeles ‘County Communist. Party, 5138 Maplewood Avenue, Los Angeles. \Elsie Monjar, a member of the Com- (u} munist Party. and.a paid confidential informant of the Los Angeles oftice( has identified Connelley, Winter and Silver as being members of the ‘ fos Angeles County Communist Party. On October 4, 1943, Special Agents of the Bureau observed Max Silver, Organizational Secretary of. the Los Angeles County Communist Party, pick up John Howard Lawson at. Sunset and, Cahuenga ‘in Los Angeles, and proceed to the home of David Grant, 827 Bast 2ist Street. Carl Winter, - head of the Communist Party in Los Angeles, was observed in attendance at this. meeting. As indicated above, Silver and Winte ve been identified .as Commnists [by confidential informant -lsie Monjar avic Grant is a Lu known Communist, by virtue of information furnished by former. confidential paid informant AL Katz, a former member ‘of’ the Communist Party. On March 14, 1944, Special Agents of the Bureau observed Lawson, accompanied by Max Silver, then Administrative Secretary of the CP, enter the home of David Grant, 827 Fast 2ist Street, Eos Angeles, California. These Agents also noted that Carl Winter, Executive Secretary of the Party; Jane Viallace, County Educational Director of‘the Party; Pettis Perry, — County Chairman and Helen Allison, County Membership Director of the’ Party, _were also in attendance. Silver, Grant and Winter have previously been identified as known Communists. Wallace; Perry and 4llison have been identified as being members of the Communist Party by former confidential informant Al Katz, a former member of the Communist Party. Special Agents of the Bureau on May 2, 1944, observed John Howard Lawson, Elizabeth Leach and Marjorie Fiske, Organizer and Executive Secretary respectively, enter the home of Sam Moore, 314 South Murfield Road, to attend a reception given for James Ford, Negro, of the National committee of the Communist Party, U.S.A. Pettis Perry, Negro, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Communist Party was also observed in attendance at this reception. keach, Fiske and Perry have been identified as being functionaries of the Communist Party by former confidential informant Al - Katz. Literature publicly disseminated by the Communist Party has identified James Ford with that organization. On September 24, 1944, Agents of the Bureau observed Lawson enter the home of Carl Winter and also observed flizabeth Leach and Jane Wallace, both of whom are Communist functionaries, in attendance at this -. surprise birthday party for Carl Winter. Testifying before the California Nw 45838 Un-American Activities Committee, Lawson admitted attending this affair given in honor of farl Winter, who was then the head of the Los Angeles ' County Communist Party. “Winter, Léach and Wallace have previously been “identified as . functionaries of the Communist Party. : ant Y — Hy | Docld:32338872 Page 5 oe - .
Nw -45838 4 = ~~ Ye 7 . - SECRET On January 8, 1945, a Special Agent of.the Bureau observed ° Elizabeth Leach, Communist functionary, accompanied by Carl Winter who was then head: of the Communist’ Party in Los Angeles, enter a meeting at the home of John Howard Lawson, 4245 Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles. on April.11, 1945, Special Agents of the Bureau observed Carl Winter; William Schneiderman, California State Communist Political Association President; John Howard Eawson; Mirian. Brooks, Communist Party functionary; Jarie Wallace, Communist Party functionary; Pettis Perry, Communist Party functionary; and Wyndham Mortimer in attendance at a County Board méeting of the Communist Party which was held at the home of County Labor Chairman, F. Kadish, $38 South Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles. Brooks, Mortimer arid Kadish have been identified as Communist Party functionaries by former confidential informant Al Katz. On May 30, 1945, Special Agents of the Bureau conducted a surveillance at the home of John Howard Lawson, 4245 Coldwater Canyon, and observed Elizabeth Leach, ‘Communist Party functionary, Ned Sparks, head of the Communist Party in Tos Angeles and Max Silver, formerly the Administrative Secretary of the Party in Eos Angeles, enter Lawson's home. ‘Eisic Monjar, a confidential. -.. informant of the Los 4ngeles Office) has identified Ned Sparks as a Com= munist functionary. (u mo : oo . OTHER 4 confidential informant of: the Los 4ngeles Office, advised that a meeting ; ‘of the financial directors of. the various clubs in the Hollywood Section of the Los Angeles County Communist Party was to be held at the home of Hannah. Schwartz, 2076 Paramount Avenue in Los Angeles on the evening of - . the same date. Special Agents of the Bureau conducted a surveillance at this address and observed John Howard Lawson yin attendance at this meeting. ‘On September 9, 1926, Special Agents of the Bureau identified John Howard Eawson, Max Weiss, National Educational Director of the Communist Party, Frank Carlson, State Educational Director of the Communist Party, John Stapp, Communist Party functionary and Charles Glenn, Communist Party functionary as having entered the ‘home of Abe Polonsky at 8071 Selma, , Eos Angeles, on this date. gone DocId:32338872 Page 6
III. FC | SECRET » OTHER EVIDENCE OF LAWSON'S COMMUNIST AFFILIATION “In July, 1941, a memorandum was furnished to the Chicago Field’ Office by Colonel Walter L. Furbershaw, a representative of the Carnegie ‘ Tllinois Steel Company, which cited meetings of the National Committee Plenary Sessions of the Communist Party on June 28 and 29, 1941, in New York City. .It was stated in the memorandum that those definitely known to ‘ have been present were William Z. Foster; James W. Ford; Alexander Bittel- ‘man and numerous other high ranking Communist leaders. The memo further related that John Howard Lawson attended these national meetings as a dele- gate from California and there is a notation to the effect that Eawson had. been in New York for the previsous few months in connection with theater work. ° In October, 1941, c/o Metro: Goldwyn Mayer . OTHER 4 Studios, Culver City, California, a temporary confidential national defense sntormant of the Los Angeles Office, advised that John Howard Lawson was one the leading Communists in the United States. He stated that on an occasion. oporosinately four years previous, when he was at the Clover, Club in Holly- . wood, he met Lawson and drank with him during the evening. He said on this. occasion Lawson talked of the purge that took place in Russia and the mass ‘slaughter of the Kulacks. The source acvised that Lawson stated to -him that he hoped the revolution would come here without bloodshed, but that it would come "even with bloodshed if necessary". The same source stated that two years following this_ incident, he attended a debate at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood where ‘Lawson stated publicly that everything should be done to avoid bloodshed and that under no circumstances should this country ‘get into war. [__]related that he got on his feet at this meeting and recalled OTHER 4 - to Lawson his conversation concerning the. revolution referred to heretofor and asked Lawson how he’ could justify such an inconsistency. Lawson, accord- ing to the informant, turned to the audience and: stated that this was a : typical, example of Hollywood red- ~baiting and refused to answer the question . put to him, , Nw 45838 On November 15, 1941, former confidential informant —— ~ of the Chicago Office, advised the Communist Party he OTHER 4 process‘of realigning its Districts throughout the country as well as reorganizing its structiiral set-up. He said that District #13 was to include all of the States of California and of Nevada. According to the source it was to have centralized offices at 121 Haight Street, San Francisco, and another at Los Angeles. The San Francisco Office was to be headed by Steve Nelson. Further, Betty Gannett is the Organizational Secretary of District #13 and John Howard Lawson and Herbert Biberman will control the . organizational work in the Hollywood Area, according to the informant. In December, 1941, Mir. Verne Tompkins, 71 Eggert Avenue, Metuchen, New Jersey, publisher of the Daily Farmers! Digest, stated that Kathryn Burke, | Chief Director of Courier operations, was the contact for the. Communist’ Party in Mexico City and that she reported directly to Gale Sondergaard, ‘DocId:32338872 .Page 7 . : . . SECR
. ° - ’ . . . ad . ‘ , ‘ . ' » . - . . * . . ‘ . ' . of . . ° ° - On July 25, 1945, former confidential in- , formant of the Eos Angeles Office, advised. that John Howard Eawson -told nin (YU ‘45838 Docld:32338872 “Page 8 , "Northwest Section ° . Communist Party . Los Angeles, California Att: Jack (John Howard Lawson) > Dear Comrade: - "On behalf of our County Committee, and I am sure of our whole ‘membership, IT wish ‘to express enthusiastic appreciation of the’ “contribution to the success of the July 18th Foster meeting by the cultural workers who made: possible the. dramatic presentation that evening. 7 ) "ie wish, through the Section Committee, to:-convey these senti- - ments to all who participated, expecially to the authors. Com- ‘ . yades Maurice (Clark) and Adrian (Scott), and to Comrades Herbert . (Biberman) and. Elliot (Sullivan, also known as Eli Solomon) whose creative effort and tireless work helped so much to put , across the message of the entire raily - to hold the home | front and strengthen national unity for victory. "Gomradely yours, . Carl Winter, Secretary Los Angeles County Committee , Communist Party" In a report of the Military. Intelligence Division dated February. 24, 194k, a. list of delegated to the enlarged National Committee sessions of the ‘Communist P arty held at the Stuyvesant Casino, 9th Street and 2nd Avenue, New- York City, appeared, as shown in the official minutes, the name of John Howard Lawson, playwright. appeared in this list. ~ In 1944, a highly confidential source* advised that. Lawson con- tinued to pay the salary of Marjorie J. Potts, a full-time paid functionary of. the Northwest Section of the Los Angeles County Communist Party, being | Organizational Secretary and Membership Director thereof. Eawson paid her, according to the source, $32.50'per week. It is noted that } Marjorie Potts ‘admitted to Al Katz, a former confidential informant of.the Los Angeles office, that, Lawson! paid ‘her salary as if she were his secretary although she did nothing but Commani st Party work, \L\ . ‘ OTHER 4 [rechten Surveillance on.the residence of John toward tension. (AYU = 91. \
Nw 45838 ‘GE ENERAL coumeunts ACTIVITIES : _. | . RET ; — a confidential informant of the Denver Field. Office, ° advised that John Howard Lawson in. 1941 was appointed: co-léader with Herbert’ - _ in the Hollywood area. . - . ; . ; . 2 ‘article announcing that John Howard Lawson had been made a member, of the .as saying the following with -reg gard to this publication: ‘Attorney General. of the State of ‘California and then chairmen. of the Gal-> ‘and a’ known Communist, Party’ member in the m oes area, . Kenny, vo Ge a nn . ‘OTHER 4 Biberman of the'' Communists in the intellectual and motion picture industry. ' ~ The November 9, 1943, issue of: "New yasées” contained a full page Roard of Contributing | Editors of New Masses. This article quotes Lawson "I, read New Masses for two reasons: «first, because it isa 7) valuable source of information; seéond, because it is equally a valuable for its editorial comment and analysis. ‘Almost every issue offers vital factual ‘material which cannot be ‘found, else- where. Today, as never before, the American people want facts-- ° - “ because they realize that the knowledge of facts-is indispens-_ - ’ ‘able for winning the war. ‘They are heartily sick of the corrup- tion and distortion in‘much of the commercial press. , New Masses oo gives us, facts, and it interprets facts in terms of a consistent - ; philosophy of democratic action and purpose. JI hope the magazine . . _can reach a much wider circle of readers because I am convinced | ‘that a bigger circulation for this periodical will help us win - | 4 the war." . St On January 13, 1944, an article | appeared in’ the “Daily Worker" beneath | ‘the Photograph’ of John Howard, Lawson in which he is quoted as. _ stating "Greetings to the Daily * “worker on ‘your 26th Anniversary. .As I look back over the years, it seems to me that.the Daily - / Worker has been consistently invaluable as a source of accurate © , ‘news and a journal of progressive informed opinion. There is rio other American newspaper which has done such’a fine job\in effective news coverage and editorial service to the American 7 people and the American nation. "IT hope the Daily Worker's circulation and influence will : in- . crease tremendously. If it increases in proportion to its merit it will reach millions of people". , | 7 a A highly confidential source (k Lechnical surveillance. on Carl ate 7 r . Winter, Executive Secretary of the Communist Political aeemaerie Los “., ur Angeles County) advised that on “July 22, 1944, Robert W. Kenny,. former ifornia delegation to the National Democratic Convention in Chicago, -com- municated with Bllenore .Abowitz, Assistant State CiO Legislative Directoy y(u Docld:32338872, Page 10° 2———t “ S
SE CRET was in Chicago at this time, advised Abowitz that he would arrive in _Los Angeles by plane the following day and requested that she arrange a conference for him with about five of the "right people". Abowitz, according to the source, immediately conferred with Carl Winter, Executive Secretary of the Commnist Political Association of Los Angeles County, concerning this matter. Subsequently a surveillance by Agents of the Los Angeles Office reflected that this meeting was actually held on Sunday, July 23, 1944, at the home of Ellenore Abowitz with six . people in attendance. These persons included, in addition to. R. W. Kenny, Carl Winter, previously identified; Paul Cline, ex-Secretary of the Communist Party in Los Angeles County; Joseph Aidlin, member of the . State Central Committee of the Democratic Party in los Angeles, and _ John Howard vansone (BY I) It was also reported- by this highly reliable source that in June, 1945, Doretta Tarmon,- field representative of the New Masses, know Commnist publication, and Joe Foster,. film critic for the New Masses, came to Los Angeles from New York City to organize New Masses Benefit Rallies. It was stated that both of these individuals held conferences with John Howard Lawson. According to the. source, an invitational benefit for the .New Masses was held at the home of Frank Tuttle, Movie Director, 6217 Rock Cliff Drive, Hollywood, on June 9, 1945, it being pointed out by Manuel Seff, a confidential informant of the Los ‘Angeles Office, that the - meeting was by invitation only; that over $3,000 was raised at the meeting -and that John Howard Lawson was one of those he recognized in attendance. wi ‘In Ragust, 1945, a highly. reliable confidential sources reported that Lawson has been working on a book of American history for the past couple of years. The source stated that the book was in its final stages and had been typed.into script and had been criticized by various people including leaders of the Commnist Political Association in Los Angeles, among then, Carl Winter, head.of the Los Angeles CPA. The source also said that inquiries concerning it had also been made by Alex Trachtenberg, former National Educational Director of the Commnist Party, and currently a member of the National Committee of the Commnist Party. The source in-. dicated that since the change in the CP Line as a result of the Duclos article, Lawson has indicated that he was going to take six months off from his studio to revise the book, He also told the informant that the change in the Commnist Party Line necessitated practically a compl et e revision of the book's Wewpoint ~ ; [ stecmiea Surveillance on the residence of John : ‘Howard vo JOY 13-0 DocId: 32338872 Page 11
. NW 45838 DocId:32338872 Page 12 future expulsion at this time on controversial issues; this is factional, rather than my response to published and broadcast - material. However I am also convinced that this was merely a loose way of talking to impress me with your seriousness,of which I was already impressed. "Adding my personal regards, and the hope that not long from 7 now we shall all be members of a functioning, militant, Marxist- Leninist vanguard party devoted to the interests of our nation, ‘ the peace of the world, and the liberation of mankind. "Yours sincerely." Subsequently, a highly confidential source (technical. surveillance. ~~ ; on residence of Bruce hinton) advised that Minton was very. bitter against Lawson and had made it known that he was "out -to get Lawson". This source indicated that Minton was of the opinion that the CPA in Hollywood was a closed corporation and that he had referred to Lawson as the. "rabbi" of this group who ran it as a "tin god and in a dictatorial fashion". Similar. repercussions regarding Lawson were reported by Harvey Gilbert Wolf, a , confidential informant of the Los Angéles Office. Wolf advised that. on August 1, 1945, he had occasion to talk with a friend who was a member of one of the cultural groups over which Lawson presided. He said.that this - person stated that the rank and file of the cultural groups were not © satisfied with the revisionistic policies which Lawson and Elizabeth Glenn had followed during the previous year’ under the CPA set-up, and were desirous of getting rid of Lawson and Glenn as leaders.. Wolf further revealed that his informant definitely stated that Lawson was the leader of the Communists in the cultural field and that he obtained the impression that Elizabeth Glenn was Lawson's underling in an organizational capacity. Wolf, a former member of the CPA, stated his informant was very bitter _ -against Lawson and Glenn, not from a personal standpoint but from a Marxist - standpoint inasmuch as Wolf's informant thought that Lawson and Glenn had misled the rank and file CPA members by their leadership and adherence to the theory of-revisionism. J A practical example of what might have indicated a tendency toward change of Communist leadership in the motion picture industry was reported by a highly confidential source* who reported on July 19, 1945, that Lawson had just returned from San Francisco and admittedly had not been included in ary inter-Party~ discussions of the motion picture strike, it being noted that the Communists, prior to the strike, had adheredtoa - position of not aiding the strike and had urged its workers to keep the no- strike policy of their unions. It is to be observed that in 1946 Richard , Hi . Bransten and his wife, Ruth McKenny, were expelled from the Commnist Party. [stecimica Surveillance on the residence of John Howard ravconf O(\ SEGRE
VIII, ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES ‘SECRET B] A. HOLLYWOOD DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, later known as the HOLIYWooD , ~ INDEPENDENT CITIZENS COMMITTEE OF THE ARTS, SCIENCES AND ' PROFESSIONS (HICCASP); succeeded by the PROGRESSIVE CITIZENS. OF AMERICA : aan : Harvey Gilbert Wolf, a confidential informant of the los Angeles Office, advised that the Hollywood Democratic Committee was launched-in _ January, 1943, by persons engaged in the motion picture industry, to obtain national, state and local legislation essential to victory; to clarify a political issues and support candidates best fitted to serve the nation in wartime and to cooperate with other organizations "whose aims are similar _ to our own"; housing for. defense workers, protection of labor's ‘rights, child care, humane treatment of juvenile delinquents and the end of negro discrimination. The same source stated on February 15, 1944, that the aims and purposes and program of the Hollywood Democratic. Committee had changed very materially. He indicated that its purposes had formerly been exclusively political, but that now through speeches, public advertisements and sham ; ' Americanism, it was attempting to enlist the..support of non~suspecting . citizens, under the guidance of the Committee, to exploit names of important individuals in the furtherance of the Communist Party line. This informant - further stated that the program of the Hollywood Democratic Committee was not only parallel with that of the Communist Party Line but that the organ ization was dominated and inspired by persons of a Commnist character The following information with respect to the activities of John Howard Lawson relative to the Hollywood Democratic Committee is set forth to illustrate the direction and Control exerted over this organiza-— tion by Lawson. The most pertinent information in this regard was re- ported to the Bureau by a highly confidential and reliable source#, Rn ormant frrectaicar Surveillance on residente of John Howard tawson. \)(w\ -29- g of the group was scheduled at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for that ‘evening. This informant attended (aR }\Nw 45838 DocId: 32338872 Page i3