Evening star., 1939-07-11
Harry Bridges Called
Very Able Member
OF Communist Party
Was Most important Man
In Coast Labor Drive,
Agent Tells Hearing
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 11.-One-
day-old records in the deportation
trial of Harry Bridges today bore the
testimony of a retired National
Guard officer that the West Coast
c. I. O. director was a very able
member of the Communist party"
The Labor Departments No. l
witness, Lawrence Miner, 55-year-
old retired major in the Oregon Ma
tional Guard, testified. had worked
as a National Guard undercover
agent tracking down Subversive ac-
tivities in the Pacific Northwest, and
declared he was certain Bridges was
a Communist.
He was called back for cross
examination today.
Wire communication with Angel
Island, where the deportation hear
ing is being held, was broken today
by an anchor from the japanese
freighter Atutasam Maru, which
snapped telephone and telegraph
cables as it was dropped 'in San
Francisco Bay.
The island, an immigration sta
ton, is about miles from San Fran
cisco. The telephone cable is owned
by the Government. Both Govern
ment and telegraph company en-
ployes set to work Immediately to
repair the break. but officials said
this might take several hours.
Bridges, AuStralian-born long
shoremen's leader who came to the
United States in 1920 is charged
with being an alien member of an
organization which advocates the
overthrow by force and violence of
the Government of the United
States" The hearing is at Angel Is
land, United States immigration sta
ton in San Francisco Bay.
Called Most Important Man.
Bridges was their most important
man in the labor drive on the West
Coast" Milner said after declaring
he had seen Bridges pay dues to the
Communist party, but refuse a re-
ceipt.
Miner said he and Bridges attend
ed meetings of the Communist in
ner circle together. He said Com
munist leaders agreed that none of
them should talk to Bridges, who
might be deportable if known to be
an alien Communist.
The retired officer testified he had
filed "1,400 pages of reports on radi-
cal activities" and about II of them
were devoted to Bridges. The entire
report. at the request of Attorney
Thomas B. Shoemaker for the Labor
Department, was marked for identi-
f1cation as single affidavit.
Examiner James M. Landis, dean
of the Harvard Law School, de-
INJURED at the introduction of the
entire affidavit. and the relevancy
of some of Miners testimony, re-
marking This appears to be merely
the program of group of longshore-
men. What is the purpose of this
testimony?"
Four Words From Bridges.
Shoemaker replied the material
was "all relevant in broad sense.
1t all tends to show that Harry
Bridges was working for the interest
of the Communist party and not in
the interest of labor unions"
Bridges testimony consisted of
just four words. He said Il am" in
answer to Shoemaker's question
whether he was an alien, and mo"
to questions whether he was Com
munist or ever had been one. He Is
expected to testify lengthily later
Bridges wore an incredulous smile
during most of Miners testimony.
1t broadened to grin when Miner
described meeting of 145 men in
San Francisco the night of August
II, 1885, as fraction" or section
meeting of the Communist party,
Aubrey Grossman. one of Bridges
attorneys. announced he would prove
this so-called fraction" meeting
was just the regular caucus of lead
ers of the Maritime Federation of
the Pacific, held in advance of the
convention.