Evening star., 1940-03-28
Dies Unit Votes
To Cite Powers
For Contempt
Action Decided After
Communist Refuses to
Give Party Records
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The Dies Committee voted today
to cite George Powers, Pittsburgh
Communist leader, for contempt for
his failure to answer questions and
produce Communist party records.
Previously, Powers refused fatty to
give the committee names Of mem
bers Of the Communist party on
the ground that You're trying to
blacklist our people in industry"
Powers, a husky. Russian-born
man OF 35, had refused earlier, on
advice Of counsel, to tell the CON-
mittee anything about his two
brothers on the ground that such
matters were personal" He was
supported in this by his attorney,
Sol H. Cohn of New York.
Powers was the second Communist
against whom such action was taken
In the last few days. Previously
Chairman Dies recommended to
Speaker Bankhead that contempt
proceedings be started against
James H. Dolsen, another Pitts.
burgh man, who baked at questions
Monday. r
Roosevelt Name in Case,
Powers had been called by the
committee investigating un-Ameri-
can activities to shed what light
he could on issuance of a Commu-
mist party membership book bearing
the name. Franklin D. Roosevelt"
1t was in connection with this book
that Dolsen had refused to answer
committee questions.
The Powers hearing, however,
threw no light upon issuance of the
book or persons responsible for it.
Powers testified that he had Joined
the Communist party in 1925 at St.
Paul, Mimi, and had been a mem
Der ever since. He was born in
Russia in 1905 and came to this
country in 1923, he said.
Asked under what name he came
to the United States, he said he had
been too young to remember.
Committeeman raised the point
that Powers was 18 years old in
1923.
Own Name Changed.
Testifying that his own name had
been changed since he came, he de-
clared repeatedly he could not re-
call his former name nor the last
names formerly used by his father
and mother.
After he had stated that he was
accompanied to the United States
by two brothers, Representative
Dies asked:
DO your brothers live In the
United States now?"
That's a personal question" the
witness replied quietly.
You're here to answer the ques-
tions Of the committee" the chair
man declared. You refuse to
answer the question:"
Cohn, a thin and ascetic- looking
lawyer, who sat at Powers elbow,
objected that the question delved
into "a private and personal mat
ter" Citing precedent, Cohn said
the committee had no right to delve
into such matters.
Powers said he had been an ON
cial of the Communist party in
North Carolina in 1929, while resid-
ing at Charlotte and Winston
Salem. Also, he said he had been
an organizer for the textile union at
Allentown, Pa, and at one time an
officer Of the A. F. LIS building
trades.
Worked for Auto Firm.
The witness testified that he had
lived in and around Pittsburgh for
the last seven or eight years.
He said he first worked for an
automobile company in Duluth,
Minn.. for about a year. He worked
for an automobile company in st.
Paul also, he continued. and there
after for the Ford Motor Co.
From 1926 to 1927 he was unen1-
ployed, the witness related, and
later he worked for the United States
Bedding Co. Subsequently, he con-
tinued, he had worked two weeks
for the Bethlehem Steel Co.
Since then. Powers testified, he
(see DIES, Page A-4)