Evening star., 1948-08-02


young woman from Chicago in
Trotzky's headquarters in New York,
where she delivered copies of letters
to the Soviet secret police.
He said he knew that Miss Bent
ley had handled mail coming from
Mexico and Canada.
During his testimony, Mr. Budenz
related, in reply to a question from
Chairman Ferguson, what he knew
about funds sent from abroad for
use by the Communist Party in this
country.
He said he knew about them be-
cause at the time he was editor of
the Midwest Daily Record, published
at Chicago, the paper had become
hard pressed" for money. He said
he dealt with William Weiner, also
known as Welwel Warzover. whom
he identified as secretary of the
Communist finance committee. He
said another member of the finance
group at that time had asked
Weiner If it was possible to get some
financial help for the publication
from Russia. This was in 1899.
Committee Members Named.
He said Lemuel Harris, whom he
described as IAN offspring of Wall
Street." and the late Charles Crum-
bine were members of the powerful
party Finance Committee.
He said that Golas, Clarence
Derba and sometimes Alexander
Biddleman, were members of Con-
troll Commission.
Mr.. Budenz said Mr.. Weiner had
commented that financial help from
Russia had been temporarily cut
Off"
Earlier, there had been "open
subsidies" from Russia, the witness
said, but that practice had been
halted by Francis Biddle, when he
was Attorney General, ,r ~.
Mr.. Budenz said there were not
only Russians secret police, or NKVD
agents in this country but that in
moves to maintain discipline over
Communist agents here, they laid
the groundwork to use character
assassination" tactics if a member
@got sour" I. -
The witness said that under orders
OF the control committee detailed
biographical sketches were pre-
pared on all engaged in the Soviet
system here.
They even wanted data on who
had borrowed money and from
whom" he continued. One of the
purposes Of this, he went on, was
to have discipline over the men,
bers, so he could be exposed If
he got sour"
MY explanation Of this is that
they could engage in character as
sassination," he said.
System Called Blackmail.
You cannot resign from men,
bership in the party, but only can
be expelled" he continued. This
is a blackmailing system that they
hold over the heads of their men,
bers."
In his reference to the Midwest
Daily Record, Mr.. Budenz said 1t
was supposed to be. a. front organ
ization," but that in reality it was
the Communist Party paper in Chi
cago.
Speaking of his service as labor
editor and later as the head of the
Communist Daily Worker, he re-
marked, Woe to the Communist
editor that doesn't know by the
hour-much less than merely by
the day-what was the Communist
party line"
System Likened to Tree.
He likened the Communist organ
izations in this country to tree.
It's roots underground, he said are
the people who are in contact with
the Soviet, such as Gerhart ElSler.
The trunk of the tree, he went on
with his description, was the Com
munist Party and other units that
were out in the open. He said he had
been a part of the trunk"
This part of the system, he said,
was essential as contact between
the underground and all of the
front" people who were hidden in
the branches. These are the people
who say they are not Communists
but are active in front organizations,
trade unions. lawyer groups and the
like. While they disclaim Communist
association, he said, they are &C
tually under Russian discipline
In describing his own secret as
signments, Mr.. Budenz told of get
ting in touch with Bruce Minton,
former writer for the New Masses,
only to be told that he was working
with Eugene Dennis, executive secre-
tary of the Communist Party.
Dennis, he said, got in touch with
him and said that he was getting
comrades into the OSS" and warned
Budenz not to cross into his terri
tory In addition to getting informa-
ton on the activities of government
agents here and aboard, Mr.. Budenz
continued. Golas was trying to get
military and political information,
Committee members wanted to
know the extent of the discipline
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