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Re: JOQP L. L IlS, ET AL _'-:--3 i- ..
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92-Qi. " 1. 5 Q-D i
i N Y*" H "During Nov. 1939 or so I received s registered letterA 1 from 3_~'in¢- B__o£'foring mo beck my job under an open shop.
continued I understood that wages were to be the regular Illinois
3 wage scale. The miners did not like the idea of going
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wback under the open shop as FM was the local there but we all had to go
back in order to live as we had been off for 53 months. After the mine
opened it seemed as tho UM? wanted to destroy FHA. PEA did not use an
force to gain memb;rE_§s they always had the majority. During this time _
many new outsiders came to Kine B and they were EH5? organizers two such
UMI organisers, one from Colorado "nd another from Virginia, talked with e
end asked why I didn't join the UMH and nfter I told them the full and com-
plete story they said I was right and they quit and went beck to their homes.
The management of Kine B never said anything to me about which union they
favored. It was the policy of the management of Mine B to place PEA men in
bad rooms and give them the worse jobs so that they would get disgusted
and quit and whenever a Fdm quit or was laid off they would bring in new
UM? men to take their places. Una men from'Indiana, Missouri and other
states were all brot in in" local men could not get d job at Fine B altho .4--.-- -._-.---
they were taxpayers.
After the mine opened in Sept. l939 some one used to place sulphur
rock on my cars of cool and one week I was fined $17.00 because of this but
I complained and it was taken away. It was gossip that the money from the
fines was being used to pay beck the money loaned to Elshoff by UM? and to
pay the UHI organizers who were being kept at thg mine. In regard to this
' head a t- s and aw s r@{5 -7*¥r@%@" and com lainoc $17.00 fine I went to UM. qu r tr s pto him and he went to the supt. of the conps; wan: ' 1" Amy non: back. The
night before this an-other U167." organizer told me that I would
continue to be docked and the I should -eep »{ nou shut or else»-and thatthe money has to come in. told me this in Nine B. I feel that
g 1 some UNI men were puttin _'#' hur rock on my cars just to cause me troubl
as my partner never got fined and he was a UHF man.
"On another case I switched my identification cards number with my
buddy and put some bad cool with his good coal and I got docked for giving
good cool but my buddy did not get docked altho his car had bad coal on it
and this proved that UH? men were gttting by lth everything.
In regard to the next NLRB election in Feb. 1941 I feel that the
election was properly held but the results were favorable to UR'bocnuae
{HQ had gotten rid of PMA men and replaced Nine B with their UMT men and
thugs. It was not necessary to use any force or anything for UHF to win
that election as they had enough UNI men packed in Mine B to swing the
election over to them.
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Re: .1032: L. LE'T'IS, ET AL
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I"1_'_EW1£'.Z '.-TIE "I don't r--call if I signed any cards in 1940 or not; I
think they were prusantea to mo but I refused to sign
92on .-lnueu, theme '
"I an still at line B digging. _
"I was at some tr:-30tin=92' 92--hen Glilscow said something about money and
he was put out of the znceting gccauso of it.
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st;t¢rnont to me and i 1s rue an correct and I ave signed tho same-_
"»-.m92":ss:s "X - signed!
L. -.1 ' - .. -;w§a~'_»,-'5? _| S 1 DH» d ! ~P@<= - -#§¢- FBI
S11. Paul , Lfinn.
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JOHN L. Lens, ET AL
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,*§~ 5 A The following investigation was coi-
ducted by Syecial A,-ents
* at Springfield, Illinois on August 27, 1943.
_ i Springfield, Illinois, phone # Agents int-I
vic-we-I - I a his home in the presence of his wi e and son.
He advise he could not read the *-'n;lish language and it vi-as noted that he
spoke it rather poorly and it was necessary for his wife and son to assist
in the interview.
He advised that he had no criminal record and presently is working
at Lfine B.
It is b lieved he w id :..a3c a rather poor witness as his testimonywould have to be -iven thro" interoreter. He further claimed _
_ _ _'.I92__ __ _ A.l__ ___'I__.__.D down and wne. it reopened. he could, howev_r, testiiy as to the violence
used against him allegedly used to make him switch from P?Ll. to U17-. l5., . . .5 . . - ; , -to know little or nObI'1i!1;', oi the activities between the time the mine shut H /WH N _
In
is a cop;-F ofthe files of the 5pringfield Field Division of this case there
the following affidavit which he reaffirmed to Agents:
- "same; .*F ILLINOIS ! ss
comvrr or s..rJa.:io:: J
*;??'I:Z}TI='*"m1zf ... ... t . . . .. .. . . . .er _ ein__ only sown on oath oeposes and statest at iufve , Sgrin ;fie1d, Illinois and is an employee
at Iline B Coal Compan;,*.
"».ffiant st-tes that lac finished his room in the mine on Septeziaher 17th about3 o'clock and asked the driver, L.Ol%!3921..1[f¬'£rne'§ for an 8I.'1pC;,' car to transfer
his tools. The driver paid no ati-e t1o11'totnis affiant although he asked
for an em;-t;' car a IT92l1b~:I 01" times, and finally when affiant ak;ain asked for
an e:n._>t,-, afiiant states that L.O. Bluaggari j njved frog: the fr ant of the cars
and o-pan strisin; this aixiant anout the tnroat and Jaws, and 3u;uiar re;ion,
severely injurin; this affiant.
"sffiant states further that while st d; him, L.O. _B*-.1m_;arner cursed this
affiant and called him a dirt, sonof- -92itcI; and told him he 1?o92>.ld kill him.
hffiant states that he has been uni.-ble to return to vaorl. since being struck
by Bumgarner and Les suffered severe pain, the injm-';,r i:.1;ai.rin.§; his soeech
and causin» hin severe pain when eating. .~.f:§_ant states that since suffering,
the injury he h.,s been under the care of a _sh_ysician.
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RE: JOHN L. IETIS, ET AL ,
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I}-"T1l;lVl'E-V TIT}? .~LTOIIIC-__CIlIFF$T3$LI..I "itffi2.n'b further St?.tCS 'U13t he
continued! ' ' took the iI923'Ct3! 1.lp with the Super-
intend nt,_Oscar Falcetti, but he
refused to discharge Bumgarner, who is a United ine Worker."
<W1>
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 4th dag of January,
. ~
o dry ru ic
1'5" Cotimission expires So-pt. 9, 19/.1"" seal!
1941
The following one jag; signed tygowritten statement was obtained
fr-.'~" -_ in the r..s~.-nu: of his vife and son1 -
'1 C1 1 prinu iel , I 1.,
kugust 27, 1943.
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.?.£.kin this free ant. -_ "1 er" statement tc 1? ;:;;;; = and__ - , v I 1 . _.,.
who are known to me to bt bpecisl ¢._;c-nts of the ederal ' eau
o nvostigation, United Stat-;s Dope-.rtment of Justice. No threats or
promises have been made.
"I 92-ass b-or: and I became a citizen in' ., imam ?. QM b J. first _jo1'n'L-ct t Q oni "eh min. ..orkers in u in pring-
is I11. and I ncvgr hove held any of1"ice. I started to work at Mine B, -P2. i-,,._.'.'H-1. -Y, , ,in Sprinaficld, I11. 0:1 and I Joined PIE. then. I had no ob-
_]92_-cti-:-n to joining, that unions. ' was the only one there. I liked the
?IO_,1"-s5iVe_-s and they r;c.v.:r caused me any trouble. I worked till the last
da_:, Zlay 12, 1937 at liinc D 2nd I did not knot": _ an},-'thin,; about a strike coming
on until I was ca.11».;d out/of thu nines, and I don't know that the cause oi it
was. I just did that the P13. officials told me to do. _
"I never .:0nt b:'.c.. to Hinc B until in fall of 1939 when I got a
lttttr from L-Zine B I,Li:T_iX'1_, m; to come b:.ck to work and I v.--mt out to
Mine B end they told rm. I could not work fo_1'?,e____,n~or1: 0 s as the room was
not ror-.d;_,' and then ahout a month le.t . u came to1.1;, 110,1"; and told r.".c rg room was read; . wfnt ' Es 0" Dec. 1939.
"From Oct. 193'? until Dec. 1939 I worked in tn Mines. _
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RB: J01-IN L. LEIIIS, ET ..L ,/ F £__ - 1
IlI'115RVIE..' '.-'IT'I "Tien 1 went back in Dec. 1939 I still
was a ?ro_;ressiv.;- but some time later
Si[j1'1Ed over to LIE? because ever'1boct}*
was fi;'.-ting, us in the nine.
"I voted twice at National Labor Relation Boari clections in the
nrrnory in L»prin;ficld, Ill. and the first time I voted for Fill and second t _~
for b'T7f because I was then a member oi that local. I had to join the U1-II
because there was no more PM- there at Hinc B. I did _not want any trouble so
I joined UIJT. ~-W
"Both elections 1-ere alri ;ht as ier es I knot-' and I voted
first and then U'l.f'.'. I never attellcl any me-ztirgp and just pa; my dues and any
fines ntca".-se I don't go to meetings.
"I recall that I si fned one petition for LIL which they said was
going, to be sent to '-.=.shin~ton, D. C. and I never signed any for DIET. c-
bodv "orced no to si n it. v A ..J
"I can't road the *'n;1ish lan;ue,;e so I have hr-".1" -
read this to me and it is true and correct and I have si;,ned it. _
WITISSSBS:
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"I also wish to s.-23' that in 11;-.11 oi" 1940 LL O. BlJ1i*l.1_1IlER, a
blff car ,2-,:llor, told me I 11,"-.'1 to go to the UH. meetings amiid I told him I
never .7-Jnt to any mectin;s and just went hofne and at that time I still was
with 1"-12.1. .. fem days later I azlzed rim for an emgty car to haul nzgy tools
a -nay and 1 turned around and hit me on the side of the neck. I reporteri it
to P32.-too and signed an al fid;-ivit for them. I also told OSCQ2 F..LCETTI
and he never said nothin; ahout it at all. lihile in Doctors office some
1ap"r;,*er came bit and Dr. had him take me to Police where 92§arran_ts_k1.'as issued
for B1j].i };':H'TlER but he -.1-on the case in Court. Doctor 51*" ' -92 .',
5pec1aT..,;cn ederel Bur. of Invest.
lfilraul-zeej His.
I pecial .'.,ent, 1 .
St. Paul, Minn."
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RE: Jam: L. 1.8.15, ET ;.L }__ ____A : 6- ~- é
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' INTERRYIIJ 13?? The following invtiation was conducted' S ' *en*..F-9292 by special A»... = ndA21 Jet Springfield, Illinois on August 2'7, 943.
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r Tele ihoma was interrith t on I1 I r- " » -. -,- t .- - - J =1? A - husoand working a Line B and she advised that , is her hus-
S band's brother and than trier to the t PTA t ": " J - nV i _ me 03 oven at liine B,T took a tr".-_: stey% for about months and then returned. P-. tO_,t!1 Unted States . e re urned and worked at dine B until nout é " ' u for about months
§--..='i hen re urne to the n e a e .
.<_'_'f',H__ She felt t1'sE1_.aCO'ild not furnish an; information of value rela-
- , tive to the instant case as 1e was not there.
. _.?~-.~,-
Hot-ever, she advised he has been working at Kine B until this
w-92| - e Q4 g. S.r1n. 1-men he -o he went tc
45%; 4 --., a 1, -..-..4 -1. - nan ._.92...-:.., -0 101':- gnu |~.A um: D 1;. LIA. -L7'd:__»1§-.m$?: y iv 4.>==.-+' -5:".;-r=?1#-3§-- F »1: . . phone lc O "s I-Te tent there 0 re~a "1 92_n o t E; 1. his ea th an s e 58.1 s e does not know how
- . long he will remain there but robaoly will return to Sprindfield, Illinois
in two or three months.
¢
.92"-;;._ IIJT ,1";VIo1'. 111']! The following investiation was conducted-,,._-, * -»:-s--~?- 5-,. .1;_ _ -_._:___ ._ ,_5; $1 by Special Aoents ?~__ and,= -...__ .-,. _-._ -_ .._. r --- _ _ .. Sl. '.I.1l__,f.l.U1d I:'_1i!1U.1.:5 UH August 4!, -L714}.
]92 is the mother o; an . ' ormer y did work at Kine B.
' 4-! She advised that re is no .1 1 th U. S N- ~ - K 5;
J»;._ 1 - = '1 -- ' e . av? and is ove.seas and that he-_-. N ,b,+;__ 1 the Navy i or months. She further stated that her husband," never work ' If ,
92 ' ._ .1:
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_INTERvn:lw1m o was .1arvi_su_@'~ t h1= "=1-
"" °°' 1°° "'°" ° » m -""1"
on 1» O .= Bi '..<>1~3 b Special
1?I?§@§ ¬i??;$f1d '1;; owns his den some. He has been . e I
M '1s"ii§iE'92 1- -resently employed as a track layer at Panther Creekmines -11-l; 3' C .mMW. 'Q3 HP [9 Mine #2. .§§$t' s above the average miner in intelligence, and
'~ t?3§ r ability te'ei5iéss imself. He was quite excited about events which
II.1 .-
1
woccurred at Mine B He can express himself well and would not be easy
A to confuse on dross examination. He is believed to be a good, potential wit-
ness. He furnished the following information as set forth in a signed
statement. '
111.
zugust 55, 1925.
" . ' ame Wigs __ make the following state-
.=l.'f =' " " a --..:-;,_-~.wr- W Ye _-V9,; 1'1 .:.,"-2%-__ ;".:_:'4-I.-r | 1'10.' _1.__;_- 0. .__| 4. '. -..- _ ._,-. .|. ._ A "H""'-'-5"-"I" .' ;,;___ <|:92,._;_____92LUUIIDIJ. .I|.t.'.!U. DHCUI-DU..LV¬U DU Ill: DU LR: Oi-W;'U.icI-J. &6<:l.IbT"UJ. UHU IUUUFGL
Bureau of Investigation. No promises, threats or consideration
of any kind has been made to me to get me to make this statement.
I am willing, if necessary, to go to court and repeat any part of this
statement.
"I have been in the mines all of my life. I first went to-
Mine B in 1935 or 1936. I do not recall exactly what year it was.
I was a member of the Progressive Mne Workers of America at the
time tht I went to lne B. After the Strike at sine B was over
I went Thck and worked there until I cduld see that the Hne was
going to be a lhited Mine Worker mine. I did not want to belong to
the United Mne Workers so I quit. I got a job at mine A then,
and when after two months it signed up as a mM?ndEe, I quit and
went over to Panthermgreek Mine #2,_becau I did not want to be-
long to the United idne workers. .I was_EEt particularly interested
in the Uion affairs. I went to the meetings occassionally, but not
too often. I knew that there was some discussion at the mine and
some greivances, but I do not know what they were. There were no
slow downs or troulbe before the strike as far as I know. Everyh
thing was going a15§ smoothly. I did not attend the meeting of
the local the night before the strike started. I was laying track
at that time and was down below when the strike started. I noticed
that the men were sending up small cars, and I told them that they
would not get anywhere with that. I do not know what they were quarrelling
about, and I did not know that there was going to be a strike until it
was called.
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C ' O -.-@441
Re: Jeri; L. LHFIS, ET AL. ,_./L H; _
it 62.!
J! : "I went back out to mine a few days after the
" _ strike started to sign some papers. I do not
' I remember what it was about. The Frogressive[L-ontlnuedj
Committee nan called me in for it. We went to Fa1cetti's office to
get something and got the papers there in the office.
i' "I knew that there was a local formed for the UIH the summer
of 1937. I heard somethi g about a contract with that local, but no
one ever asked me to join that local. I did not go out to the mine the
day that the picket line was formed. I went out a few days later and
|=+-1 -r>A n.-.-lb -. '5-.-;+ .-.J 4-L,-. 4-4-,-. 92F92 ._.92... ._... 4-L... ....' .51-.-.4. .-,._,. -1"! ._..... .-l...DUCLJUU 92-H-.l.U_. Cl U.LU UL UJIU U.l.lLI.'Jg LILU lillll U11 hil ]:J.LLl92|-TU HUFU Gil UB5 Iliu
had worked at Mine B. There were no strangers staying out there all
of the time. """*
After the injunction stopped the picket, they tried to open
the mine, but I did not go to work. They did not want any of us to
come, and only were going to let the men who had been causing trouble
at the mine come to work. I have never heard any of thse men say any-
thing personally.
"I voted i the electin which was held in December 1937. It
was a fair election.-No one tried to influence any vote, tell me how to
vote, or anything else. I voted exactly as a I pleased. After the
election the mine did not reopen for sevs;-ra1_1nonths. Most of that time
I could not get any work, but I did work for a while at a couple of the
other mines. Jhen Mine B was reopened, I went back out to work.
"When I went back which was a few days after they reoged, I
did not see any evidence of any big fire out there. There had en a
few falls and cave ins butJ,_ there was no serious ones. Some of them I
do not think have been opened yet._"'1hey weren't when I left mine B, in
about January 1941. J
After the mine reopened I was asked many times to join the
United Mine Workers. The men who asked me to join, and argued with me
were not the old men who had worked at the mine before. Host of them
were new men, who I had not know before. They were the mine, but-id not do much work. the '..as a-fellow named I never
saw him do much wg>r_1<._ He spent all of his timemtfry glto To ganize.Antother was He did not do any work oi?-=-lrlubgét s ntmost of his t:.»<.~ rmin und trying to organize, E __ asked me
to joing the United Nine Workers several tines. I do 5515 Rfnbw a he was
1 * doing in the mine. He did not do any work that I ever saw,
supposed t
, 7
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906442
R9: JOIN L. LEJIS, ET AL.
INTERVIEW WI!!!-I All he did was o around and talk to the fellows.
He was supposed to be some sort of boss I guess.
Continue . I know I saw him and Oscar Falcetti, the Superim-
tendent arguing a couple of times. hoe I saw them come out of
f 'ce. I do not know what they were arguing about, but I heard " , .
tell Falcetti that if he did not like it he could leave, or go
somewhere else. I WO,ldEI¬d right then who I was working for.
"I did not get threatened or anthing like that. I had heard I
that some of the other fellows had been beaten up, I was pretty stubborn
about it and would not join the United Mine Workers, and I was afraid
to stay down there for fear that I would be hit too. The men were sign-
ing up for the United Ijine Uorkers, and 1 could see th t the mine was
going to go over to the U11.-', and I did not want to, so-I went over to
mine A when I heard that they wanted a track layer and grader. I knew
Bast the Mine was going over to the UM? because it couldn't do anything
else. The Progressives were being beaten. Tney were losing checks off *their cars and things like that. I knew that the management must be
favoring the United Mine Uorkers or it would have stopped that sort of
thing going on.
"I went over to Mine A in the last part of Janurary 1941.
I a card to vote in the election at lfine B, and ¥ent to vote.topped me from voting. He stopped me when I was therea - . . .e voting place. My card was still in the local at M'1.ne B and I
thought that I was elgihle to vote, but they did not let m vote. I
was not the only one 75-5 was not allowed to vote the day of the second
election. I had not been working at Ifinc A more than a couple of days be-
fore the election. Harvey Williams, who is dead now, went down to vote
with me, and Ertopped him from voting too. He was not working
anyplace at that
"I have read the above statement on this page and three other
pages. It is all true and accurate,
1 /s/
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Pc:= JOHN L. LE.-IS, 1:": AL {,3 I .
9292l I ¬5'?;! .
F" INT .RVIE..' TJITT The following invs aion was conducted9 W , M bl? special ng»..ntE- anat Springfield, Illinois on August 28, " ' '
Springfield, Illinois, Agints interviewed
was aomewh-it reluctant to answer any
as he said he did not want to get mixed up in a.nj-"thing; as
Iii. still is at nine B and was afraid that something might happen to him if
he t lied shout tlie"!'1etter=
in and He advised ts he has never been drres- 4 :7,-_;,:-gt -v-.__.-_5-~_.:_ '-':,_?,r_-_, ._A:..'__._- '92 -- _'9: 1-».-*' " 1
advised he only Went to the Fifth Grade but it was noted
that hu was = versed in mine matters and appeared to be much more int-21-
lig=nt than the average diner. It is b:lieved that in the Bvont he is called
to testify he will eke t good witness eltho he would not like to have totestify inasmuch aj-he still is at Iline B.
After some. conversation he freely furnished the followin-, signed
typewritten statement.
' :1-» .*;Q.'§ ; ';5:§-Ft-~;-..-'~'.'-'-,_ t, t ,1 L=;,-_ 33 -' "
prino 1e -, .,
s August 28, 1943.
~ .='i-"1?;-§i"fI-=I§',5-"i*I' ,3?-é"'c:.¢._I_= "75I'-. t 5 92f1:T§' . - t .- em ;' ing 1 s free and vo un 11' s atement and
who are knovn to me to be Special gen s 0 1e ee_.u
B nve tigation, United St -tos Department of Justice._ N. threats
or promises have been made me to give this st;-tenant.
"I was born I11. and am en innerican
citizen. For the pa;'t'wyear_- or gg I have been at Mine B in Springfield,Ill. and an a coal F -15?. round $01 so I first joined the UnitedMine Tiorkers -at Ill. I ha ' never held any office in any union.
I don't know if I-. N. er Elshoff got aloe; with IRIS prior to l932.- Prior
to 1932 I felt th=_;t U111." Tins tr-yina», to do all they could for the miners,
I-lien PHI. Has formed at Mine B in 1932 I felt that everyone wanted to new
union as th_e;' did not want to take any cut in wages. The trouble Fartcd
then when 30hr: L. Lewis signed a contract under an emergency_ after he said
the ballots were stolen from the second election and the miners did not like
that. I think that PI-£1. operated pretty smoothly from 1932 until the mine
closed down in 193'? and I never heard or knew of any trouble with Elsho
or P1}. officials. I never heard Elshoff or FIJCETTI complain that PT-til
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Ir!'I 33VIE_.' LJTZ, officials were crooked or 1Iron_,. I never
continued! "' heard anything grior to the strike about
getting rid of PLL; and getting back U'h.'T,
I and others felt that the 1-EU. officials were doing a good job and we did
not suspect then of an;"thi_n;j and felt that they 1'792'..Ie running Local -54 alri;-;ht
for us. It 1-sas run in an orderly fashion. Pit. never used am force to melee
us "dners do t.-iin_.-s or vote any special way. I used to attend the important
PL; neetin-1;. but did not attend all of the ordinary mectin'_:s. I and other
miners have felt thet some of those PTIJ. non who were convicted in the bombing
case could ham. been not guilty. I I and others were all satisfied with the
money reports from F11. officials and we nevs.-I suspected them of doing anythin
wrong with the money. '
"From l932 to l '7 I don't recall of Ulil ever picketinj; {line B or
causing a strike ther_ and I never saw or received any literature nor did
anyone try to make no join IJTTI and leave FILL. I have never heard anything
about any parties b".-tween Elsheff and U1-[T men. I never knee anything about
the wage ques in the spring of 193'? until one afternoon about 2:30o'clock then ;-J3; board member, celled us out of I-{ine B and told
us miners the hey ha been unable to reach a wage a;reenen'tI "I'did not
attend any meeting, the night bnfDI'C' the strike but heard at the mine that
some Lil. fellows were expelled at that meeting.
"Before the strike be-<,a.n in l-2}? it was common gossip that _Jo_e___
Albanese, imdrew Schrelevious, Dominic Efasquale, Pete Carter, Franiif Austin,
Tony Plotch, John 1~.nani'as'} John Sirtout, George and Eiiorg Jacawajr,_ Charles
Bobannon and James Hale, belonged to one clfck at Mine 3? and that they were
information to FIST, altho they belonged to PH...
"On the morning of th; strike I did not know that some FHA men had
been expelled and I went to work as usual. During that day I did not hear
anyone tall: about the 1:a_;e question nor tall: about the expelled men. I was
taken by suroriso when I got called up at 2:30 P. H. On that day I loaded
tn cars the same as before but at some tine I heard some-thin._', about cars
being load;d short but I never found out what it was all ab ut. I did not
know we were goini out on strike till we got to thcip of the nine that
afternoon. I don't rxnlly know what the cause of the strike was. I can't
say if it was over th: nag: question or bOCnUS3 of the expelled men not
bcinv fired.
"Jhen I went home that night I had no idea that we would be out on
a strike. I ni;ht have signed some petitions in summer of 1?}? DH? I just
can't r;ca1l about it now, I may av: si;med some. II i §§;ned pny no one
forced no to sign it and it was done voluntarily by me. ' *' '
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T' I 1-06445
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P.I 92.<~__/
IN'I'.T.RVI'nT.'J TTIT1. "1 don't believe I was contacted by anyone
continued! i #~'*'" in July, 1937 to join the UH? local. I
heard about it then. I don't know that
the aoovc mentioned fellows were doing in 1937 or thtrcabouts. I did not go
back to work in fall of 1937 as at that time I did not do any picketing and
I was sick around that time anyway. 'Ue were told I33; officials that if we
did not help in the sit down strike that the U117. men would got out jobs and
I went over off and on a few tines to help them out. At that time I was on
r;lief and had to work out some of the money. I was not at nine B when the
Karshall cane out with the injunction. he sit down strike was run in a
ver or'cTerl;' manner and we were there to protect the property and would go
back as P21. but would not go b_c1: under IJIZI. T.'e washed the rooms,
the ponder house, and protected the nine ;ropertY. hile I was around UH? did
not bring in any non to work there. PH men were in the strike and no
outsiders were brot in to help us. I understand that when the Iiarshall came
out P; men left peaceably end there were no fights. ts were not forced to
go on the sit down strike.
"I did not go to Kine B in Dec, 1937 when they tried to reopen it.
I took port and voted in thE"I'I1"st voting for the Plixl. I voted for
then ofzry own free will feeling that they had a majority anywar, so far as
I know no threats or violence was used in anysag to influence the nen to vote.
he met at the PEA hall and went to the nrmory to vote in pairs or groups,
there were no strong arn methods used to influence us in the way we voted.
Voting was by secret ballot and under the direction of a Government man. I
have no recollection of beina contacted by any UHH men in an attempt to tell
me how to vote.
"I dont resenbcr ¢oing out to the mine when an attempt was made to
reopen it in Jan. 1938. I dont recall recievinv any notice to go to work
as I recall it not I jnst heard snout itinn talk. I an unable to give
any first hand information as to what happen>i at this atteugt to open the
mine. From shortly alter this time on I was on PTA and didn't take an
active int;rest in what was join;_on in the nine. I heard rumor at this time
that Llshoff was gettin; n92ney from the UHH, but sw for as I know no one
could prove it,
"Ihen to mine opened the last time in 1939 I believe I received a
registered letter fro; Elshoff, in response to this I re orted back to go
to work. At that time the; told at when to report back to go to Work. La
I r;monb,r it I had no personal knowledge as to the nature of any agreement _
as to wages or anything else, I believe however that the scale must have been
th: sane as Union bag;s throghout the state or else the non nou_d not have
gone back at all. I believe that when they were ready for me to cone_
back to Work some of the other miners in the neighborhood cane by and told
me they were ready for mm to cone back to work. Chen the nine was first
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RE: JO'~'N L. LE.IS, ET ;.L §_._ "~ I ~
is 7 .4:
INTL,;VIE.F TIITI-I wouldn't let any of the sons "of the miners
continued! come to the mine to work, but during this
period they would let then come in providing
they would join up with the UHI, it is my belief that this was the method
used to enlarge the UNI membership at mine "B" so they could call for a
NLRB elec*ion and be sure of winnin3- I"5*t know who made this rule,
whether it was a Union Rule or e Company one, nor do I know who revoked it-
I believe however it was done by what I call Elshoffis gang, in thelf
During this period all of the new men hired were members of the UIT, they
would take on no new IEL. non at all. The {HIT men did me no harm personally.
I heard of dirt; tricks being _1ayed to other men and know of one ;an whose
na.e I do not recall at ,rescnt being beat up and spendin some time in the
'1 YT»-up -.4 4-92,"§UDL_.L PG--L n
"Some time between the opening of the nine and the last election,
Tony Plotc_ and "Qotton" nnanias, visited no at my hone and tried to get me
tb aign'up with the UK , I E611 then I would do whatever the majority tented.
They said to "Hell" with the xnjority we want you now. I finally rcj'ined '
the UET because cg son wanted a job in the mine and I had to be a member of
the UKT in order for him to bet it.
L hadn't joined the UEI, I believe I would f - _ have had to
get out of of the mine. I base this on what I heard an saw done to other
miners who i:_o'u1dn't join. I dent feel that I joined the UiI..' of rzgy own
free will but because of the pressure brought on no as I have indicated here,
if it hadn't been for this I would have st yed with PEA as I was satisfied
with that Union. I know of nothin; else done by the nanayencnt that would
indicate preference for the UMH. So far as the PEA men were concerned they
just had to take it and keep their mouths shut. I do not recall si5ning any
membership cards in either PI-L. or U'I.f.i during the sw:u;.er of 1940.
"I do not think that all of the men who voted in the last NLRB
election, I f;¬l that a lot of the UNI non who voted were hired at the mine
simply so they could vote and give UNI a majority. As far as the election
itself was cnncerned I feel that it was run honestly. I voted for the UHF
in this election rgsalf because I had joined the UHT and felt that it was
best thét I should vote this may in order to avoid any trouble.
"I believe that Kine B is in bad condition and that if it had been}
closed for another year they would have been unable to reopen it at all. t
appears to me that the Fir;clay under the coal has heaved up and would
have blocked the nine entircl_ if it had rereinod closed nUCh longer. I
- J |have no present recollection of the fire in the nine in 1939 at all. ;
"I do not have any personal knowled,e concerning the time when
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IHTERYIEZT um-1 H: stat that conditions were bétter urder
contlnued! :L---_92 the PEA and as far as I personally am con-
cerned I would rather have them repesent1Irn_ Q1-n A 01¢:-9 no / 5.., :51 J-LL /__, /C
mo.
I have rend the fortgoing statement of 3 pages and it is all true
and corrcct to the bust of qr lmowll:-d._,e. I an ther-_'ri'.:>r92_1 signing the s@e."
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Spec. Lgt. FBI, US Dcpt. of Just. ST. Paul!
Spec. FBI, us Dept. of Just. Hilw,!
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806445
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL ! _
£3 lg; 5'21!
was interviewed at his resi-
noe, Springfield Illinois. _ .
I l hgenE%%@§Q}1'*"'%a meek individual w ev -e ho 1 n --
_nterese _n eke a__; as long as he could work. Be scold
not make a good witness because he does not recall events which occurred,
ioes not remember names, and was not in a position to know? much about that
happened at the mine because he worked above ground. He would make a fair
apgearence, can be understood, but does not possess aggressive qualities
tend rcs exam vLUu c ins . Fe 18 presently em lo dHes. semi
The following is e signed statement obtained from
"Springfield, I11.
August 25, 1945
'!92l__ ___ L . _ -r n...__ J.92._ 1---| i-._._._ -.._..__n_._4___ 4 Home ls » - . ... J. make tno 1 OJ.LDWll1g statement
tcieeggegfy & f$§§$§§§Q§$§} " --- have identified themselves to
me o -e peoia Agen s o .e e-e = i reau cf Investigation. No
premises, threats, or any oonsideretitn has Been made to me to make this
statement. I am willing to appear in court Tb repeat this statement if
necessary. _ 'B11
no *I-1 4:11 T
ire
I got a Job at the Hine E§_§0metime along in January of 1936.
Soon after I started warning There I was approached by three men on the
..-..._........,. ...........-4_. 1' A- .-..-.+ .-I..@..._'...=.- +1...,.'..- ...=......., "P1-"1... s.-1.-ma our +.-. 1..-1...Udllsi-VQIIJ Pl UJJUI DJ I J. BIL! J..l92J92J J ~.-.l|..l924lk|J92-ll M51911. lAU92I.l.IWJhI I 4-ILUJ I3-Q-WU UH-v' V92J SILK
the Union. I told them I we 1d if necessary. I asked the §u2g£intend§nt
if I should and he told me I should so I joined The Progressive Mine
Woruer's of Ameri. They took my dues right out of my pay ohcsk.
"I worked in The Reoeil Yards and Tipple most of the time. I
worked below only a couple of months.
"I recall when the strike oocurred. I had not heard any dis-
oussion ebout e strike, and was surarised when the strike ooourred. I
did not know of any diffeoulties in she nine over wages or over discharging.
I had no idea about what the strike was all about until after the strike.
I do not remember what was told me about why +he strike was caused. I did
not stay around the mine much after the strike was culled.
la Few days after the strike wss called I went book to the mine.
The men were Eust stending around. I wont to work a few days above ground.
N0 one tried Yb keep me from working, but there was not much to do so I
quit and did not even go Book to The nine since that time. I got another
Job and have never returned to nine "B".
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Re: JOHN L. LEJIS, ET AL
g>_7<:.. Log 7
.1 . "Jhile I was a member of The Progressive Hinerls I
;£§r§}qif 1;. U __ did not attend more than 3 or 4 meetings. I IE8
co 'ne92 not particularly interested in what happened. I had
no trouble with the Union. I did not see anything
wrong wi_ the P. Hk.W.; I did not care much which Union was running the
mine. I uhought most of The men at the mine wanted the Progressive Mine
Worker: and were satisfied. There were a few_men who were disati§Ti§H' "
with the P. M. W. But I do not recall who they were or what they objected
to. I do not recall anyone saying that They wanted to change Unions. I
do not recall any talk about changing Unions.
"I do not recall if I signed any papers or Petition. I recall
that there were some petitions passed out by Both the P. M. W. & U. M. W.
Workerls around the mine. But I do not recall having ever signed any
paperls at all.
"I do not recall any violence or threats. There was no wage
trouble. I Just did not knot why the strike was called, or have much in-
terest in Ehe Union at all.
"I have read the aoove statement on this page and three other
pages. It is all I recall. It is all true and accurate."
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nmilyl n a 'ome w h he owns, 'oca e- s
e is a naturalized American citizen,
Ha is presently em lo ed atF
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Re: JOE? L. LEXIS, ET AL
WK .
esides with his f
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Spec1al gents pg; = jhn and
to be e good potontio_ _i_ness= _-
claims that he can reed but cannot write English. He speaks English rather
well, does not have o pronounced accent and is fairly easy to understand.
He can express himself in English fairly well. He would make s good appear
Interviewing ogonts hove some doubt, however, as to his ability to undergo
e rigid cross-examination. He would probably be easily confused, and would
follow 2 loading question and probably become confused in some inconsistency.
Upon bring interviewed he executed the following signed statement
I name i"Springfield, Ill.
August 27, 1943.__ _, s e the following statement to@@fno¢5§T%@. 1ni"¥;Q%§EQfQ;?Q§§§¥' .~ who have identified themselves
promises, throats, or
this statement. It i
necessary, and TOpcBtconsioeration of Any
true and accurate.
this statement.S
"I first st:
this country. Except for
until the strike in 1932,
Kine Iorkcrs. I attendedrtud
e short period i
During thzt time
n cou gr. 1*-Tinc
officer of the Progressiyedxigg Trrkersllto work at ?Iinc B imp when I first came to
n 192 or 24 I stayed at Nine B
meetings every tngen s o 49 cscra _ureau of Investigation. No
.-Ikind has been made to me'to make
I em willing to go to court, if
I was d member of tho United
o or three months. I was not
od, I had some money saved up. %;.9ffiO@r , In 1932 when the strike occurr~ -.= I lost all my mo_n_ 9. = a while,u .' not ~i beccns;?§@§$§§§; - H&S an
nix. Y
A ~ ~ kept no from g-tting a j b I sorked on 1 .. . e 0 . " é?
when I was able to g;t back into Vine B.n and he -1- no e me and
and other thinbs until 1936
- vi T M nIn those days I_-31 Pl-etch He did notlike the idea of joining theM?FoErcssive ¢ no Yorkers, 5ni' saw many man
come from the mine and argue with"hisn trying te get him to join the PH? of
A. Hc also told mo about it, and that he w
Nine Workers.
he time from 1932 to l§3¬ I
Bony times I would be out at the mine BBL e
- yon _entcd to stay with_the United0.11
tried to get c job at the iigegi.
3 .-sk for a job, and Oscar Felcotti
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E Q 136451
rRe: JOHN L. was, ET AL -~_ -J L.» "
INTERVIET XI ; told me and ther other men that there were no jobs.
I know.-, howe'v7iI-T that when Joe hlbanoso or some of
"?" H-= the other men who wanted the UItEd TIne workers
brought someone to Falcctti to ask them to hire them,
that Talcetti slwiys would hire them. I know this because I was standing
around trying to get a job. I saw Falcetti hire men introduced to him by
Jo; ilbtncso and Jimmy_H:lo just after he had told me and other men that
there were no jobs in the"mine. _
_ "Finally I got 2 job at y1g;*§: I joined the Progressi:2:igg,
orkers of nmerica. I went to the meetings every now and then, mostly just
to elections and to Special meetings. In those years there were severdl
fellows who were ccuseing trouble at the meetings and in the mine. I did
not hear all of them, but I did hear Joe hlbonese, Ton Plotch and JimmyHale say in the Progressive ¥ine'Uorkers meeting, thitligmlrlocal #54
that someday we would all have to join tho United Fine Torkers again, and
that we nhuld be better off if the local were connected with the UHF instead
OI th PHHI
"At other times in that year before the mine went on strike I
overheard Domenic Pasquale say several times thét we ought to join the
I1!-FT. I also ha arc I say the same thing.
"Those men I named and also others such as John Sirtout, Andy
Schrokevious, Pete Qggter, Frank Austin, CottpnJ§gQnia§T Ch?Iby Eohnbn,
and the"Y*hg Jzcinay were trIed Uy the union and expelled. ¥The§ ¬éT t?ied
1 couple of month§'or so before the strike if I recall accurately.
"I attended the meeting of the local #54 the night before the strik;
I think that it was 1 special meeting. I think that there was an announce-
nont in the paper, but I an not sure. There was an lnnouncement on the mine
bulletin board. There were over 200 men there that night. Ie decided that
we would not go back to work until these men had been fired. I think those
non hid been tried before, but the union decided that night to kick them out
of the Union, and ask Falcetti to fire them. The next day we went to work,
nd sent down into the mine. To did not want to work as long as those other
men were working there, 1nd we only put a little coal into each car. Fina11y_
they called us out.
"As far as I can remember there was no discussion about a contract
or wages at the meeting the night befsre the strike. e did not quit work
because of wages or the contract.
nht that time I was very well satisfied with the way the ::;§¥Essigg__
_ Kine Zerkers were running, and was satisfied with local §54. I di o
dent tb"6h¬n5e unions. I think everybody else was satisfied also with the
"I".'.92
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R0: JOHN L. LETIS, ET AL:v
*' '?rr."1'"i. _'---_-:- _T_# --_,.._..._,_ _ ___.:u______L M
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who had been kicked out. I Illk '-ITH local, except those few men
j}h_,; "' hoard no complaints about assessments, dues, check offs
con nue~' and etc.
"gftor the mine went down I went back home. The next few days I
went out to the mine with the rest of the fellows. I was ready to go to
work if they would fire the men, and would re
union. I had heard that Polcotti had said thcognize the Progressives as the
at he would not recognize the
'n__, __,_..:--__ ,__ J.L._. _._:.._ ;92_...__ .-.._-- ._.-.....-. r 3,. _..4. _..-..-.11 .-.-.-92-e-- .--t.-.-l-..-,l"I L!E,ILii'JbJ.VU§ .1-5 DIN, LU.1J.UI.1 LIIUTU {Ally Ill-JTUQ J. Lid .LlUia I"b'Lr5-l>.l- UVUJ BLEJLLLA6of A or the qi'!.s.. After a any papers about the strike, either for the PHI
while I tried to get another job, and I did 5
"That summer I knew that o UHF localet a job on the MTQ.
was formed for Mine B. I did
not know that n contract had been signed with this ;.fon b the Kine Bcompany. That summer both J-'>~?;___?i__].;tQ_:_92.nese one asked me
1;; join this 01.2: loeol, but 1 did nit. I die ' ' ,
Q t H unt Hnrk ifh +hr "TF .c .rm av. T ' A . w . . l-n --, ...... ,., - I--- -i-_ "I-" -n-
to open the mine. I did not went to go book
the Progressives as the Union. There were a
day. Oscar Falcotti got up and told us all t
but that we would have to join the UH? in ord
they hai signed n contract. I did not want t
e progressite and wanted to stay a progressiv
day. The next day we all came back, and thqs
the mine. Te stayed around the mine then for
Unitd States Farshnll brought us an injunctio
to open the nIHE"ETTEe days after that, but dno wan
rest of the men when they tried
to work unless they recognized
large number of is there that
hot we could come back to work
er to work at the mine because-
e work as Q UM? because I was
e. Only 12 men went down that
e 12 men did not go back into~
about 2 months until the
n. I heard about Elshoif tryin
id not go down to work because
I was told that I would not be able to work unless I was o UHF.
"A tow days after that I voted at the election. Ho one told me
how to vote, bothered me, or threatened me in any nay, I voted just as I
wanted to. I think it was o fair election.
"I heard that they tried to open the
try to go beck to work because I did not went
another job on the WP£.mine again, but I did not
to work as n UMK. I got
"In the fall of 1959 they decided to reopen the mine. I guess
Folcetti told the men that he would recognize the Progressives es the
union. I never heard anything about it.
I went beck to work on the first day that the mine was open.
I went buck to where I had been working before. That port of to mine was
in wood condition. I knew that there were afew falls in the Fhe. Iguozs there were a couple of bod ones, but they had not fixed them when I
left.
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Re: JOE? L. LEXIS, ET AL
T é;':::_ 6'/o
IHTERV 1'1 "After two or three months or so they started hiring
new men at the mine, I was not present but I heard
92CDht1nUOU! that Falcetti was doing again the same things about
hiring that he had done before, that is, telling the men
who came to ask for work that they
introduced by Joe Albanese or someora not hiring, unless they were
of the other UH? men. I did not see this.
Lftcr that several times I was asked to join the United Kine'Torkers. I wasasked by Joe 4ll,_l>_aneso, and also by a man named He had never
u at the min? befnre the strike. He was s rpose o timborman,
but he only worked a little bit each day, and the rest of the time he ran
around the mine talking to men. Hc came to mo several times to ask me to
join the UNI. I told him that 1 would not, because I was a Progressive andworked
did not want to change.
"I knew in the mine. He never talked to me about
joining the UNI. Ho ha3'tho job of air check man. Ho was supposed to go
around and chock the nir. ill the
novor had been an air chock man in
air at night.
WM92&k: ¢ .... .- n1 L-,,__A1 Ih1lJ.J..|.5 u.uui>u.a..|. lh11lJUL.|.92'.»'U
I stayed right in my same room allti e I had been in the nine before there
the day time. One of the mn checked the
I-._. -A 4..
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the time. I know, however, that when
a room ran out, that Folcetti treated a UM? better in giving him a new place
than he did to a PEI. Fnlcctti did that quite a bit after the mine reopened.
Joe Llbaneso seemed to run the place. e would be in the office, and it seen~d
that whatever he said was done. That was done to a certain extent before the
mine went out on strike in 1932. Faleetti always seemed to give Albaneae
the best consideration in everything, and the men that Albanese brought to
the nine got the btst places to work, and were treated best.
"A couple of months b fore the second election, I came to the
walking towards the wash shed withmine one morning to go to work, just as usual. It was cold, and dark. I Es"
around came up and kic od me and beat me. Qmx
other men knew by name was Cudgitlaumgardner.
In T n? '§"}92c»1r L.»-A §9292I+ "92l,| :92|nr>R nun:-vuv v|.|-1.1: 11.41.; Juqu uuuz 1:4. up. uu|92.. ;
I got a chance to get up-
my bucket under my arm and my hands in . Qmy pockets. , who was :1 new man who had just been hired at I 1."
the mine, wal WM??? 1 y. and knocked me down into the snow with his y
shoulder. Before I could get up he and 10 1 or 12 other men who were hanging
The only one I recognized and
ognized some of the
1.11 +Lf§ I Y-9292|r nuvnqIT Vllplll K-VJ JLIJ-HKQ
and did, and got away from them, and
wont in and told Fzlcctti what had happened. He told me that he was sorry
but did not do anything about it. I called m father up out of the mine that
day, and quit. I never went back t0 the mine at all. The company clerk sent
me to the company doctor. He checked on my back. The company sent me a
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K , O I 106454
Re: JOHN L. LIIIIS, ET AL
0- ' _. 5,10,
T I: "" = go to another doctor. He told me that my back had been
@gtJ 'i' _ hurt pretty bad, and I had to take treatments for a
eon nuad m: th an or so.
"I was never disatisfied with the Prog;g:si!e_HjQe_iQ§§g;s. I did
net want tn join the Unite Kine 7arkera. I';;tod in the elction held
a couple of months aftar I quit. It was a fair electin too. I could notget a jeb after that for nwre than half a year I wouid have 1'k d -1, Q 1.9 t9
stay on at the mine, but I did nwt want to stay on and work under those
conditions.
"I have read the above statement on this page and five other page!
TH .ey are all true ane accurate, and I am willing to go to court, if necessary,
and repeat all or any part of it.
<=1~@'»"ed>
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Re; JOHN L. LEWIS, 1'1 AL. I _
4-. '1 » 1
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an interviewed .1; hi-I» heme, _
Springfield, Illinois, on tho - _- "-mi-e .." -' " 26,
Ni nd
He is e
the pr
J.:':..92?-.. I --1:are
in I 1?rican citizen. He
uderstand Be is very
definite in his opinions, and would be very difficult to oross up on
cross examination. Because of his speech difficulties he would not
make a good witness. He save the gggliiii signed statement, which
M me to he by
"Springfield, Illinois
August 26, 1943.
"1 ' Ikthfll set e _hM ___i nsne_is§?;§%@{d;%f H _ ma e e o ~owing s amens w who have identified
themes tee to me to be Specie ggen s o ' 1 ederl Bureau of In-
vestigation. No promises, threats, or consideration of any kind has
been made to me to make this statement. I am willing if necessary to
go to oourt and repeat this statement because it is true and accurate.
I wns working at Mine B several years before 1932. I was a
member er the United Mine '-re :-rere because I could not work at that mine
unless I was a member of the United Mine Workers. In 1932 there was
some trouble and all the men at Mine B joined up with the Progressive Mine
Workers. I joined up too at that time, and was willing and anxious to
do so. I belonged to the Progressive Mine Workers all the time until I
quit working st Mine B in 1941. I never h5H hn§I5unplsints against
the Progressive Hine'Workers. I was satisfied in every wuy_with the
treatment I got from them and the way they acted. They never trhretened
me with nything or aked me to do anything thnt I did not want to do.
' "When the mine went on en-are in 1951' I was down I did not
know about the strike until they told me that the strike e. on. I Oamp
up to the top and they told m8 that the _t3>_ul_b3 was about some contract,
but I do not remmber the detils. AfteFthe'§tri e I cums home and
did not go beck to the mine. I did not sign any petitions
"Then the men were called to go back to work in September of
1957 I did not go back. I told the men that I would wait and see if they
nctuelly did stay there before I went beck. I had a job with the UPh
so I wanted to be sure that the mine was going to Work before I Went beck.
- 195 -5
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C U '
Rm some L. LEWIS, ET AL. '
/ -7 .
J 9'2 _ HT I kept on working with WP-in I vo¬ed in the BIGOH-II.
' in December 1937. N0 one told m0 how to vote or made
me do anything that I did not want to dO| I voted
just the way I felt at that election-
"I only heard of the mine trying to go hock once, between the
time of the strike and the time that the mine actually started to work.
Ihen I went bck to work I did not soc any Lndiotion of I-ny big QIWB in
or fire. The mine was in good BhB92pO when we went back to work-
"after I went back to work it was a your before anyone aked
me tc join the United Mine Workers. About the 514110 time my clothes
were stolen, and my tools were taken. I talked to Elahoff, and Ploett
about it but they did not do anything. I quit work the day that
was beaten, which was just a few days before tho next olootion a A
mine. I voted at the election, but I never went back. I never joined
the United Mine Workers but I had boon asked to do so many liiltllo
"I was always satisfied with the Progressive Mine Worker» I
never wanted to join the United Mine Worko:r"B¬' "H0116 '01 "Bhd" Pi"6 gres$1Ve
mine workers ever threatened me or asked me to do anything tht I did
not want to do-
"Thc above stateentcn this and one other page has boon road 'to me by It is true and accurate-
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C O ;@s4s'r
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL I _
if I? . é;?f92
,4!.
1 t 1 wed at his home 3 n erv s ,
Springfield, Illinois, on the aftSpecial Agents
lire- nmericcn -.--sen,
Ho is presently employed
quite definite in
his statement. does not recall the t happened at the mine
and apparently was not too interested, mainly just wanting to work. He is
an aggressive sort of individual and would not waver on cross-examination.
Ke requested one statement to be deleted from his signed statement because
he did not want anyone to have the idea that anyone would think that any
member of the Progressive Lino Horkcrs would threaten or cause any violence.
Ho speaks good English, is easy to understand and would make a good witness
in every particular except that he docs not have much information of value.
Upon interview he executed the following signed statement:w#IIBMQHIIP
D
as a miner at
Springfield, Ohio
- August 26, 1943.
.f2, M f" .4 e is §§ET§§_ E§q 1 make the following statement to, and , who have identified themselves
to be Specia_ Agents of the Fedora- iureau of lnvostig8tion= No promises,
threats, or.ccnsideration of any kind have been made to me to make this
statement. It is true and accurate and I am willing to appear in court if
necessary and make this statment again. '
"I first was employed at tho_§i§e_B two or three years before
1932. Hhon I first was employed there I belonged to the United Hine Workers
because I had to belong in order to work. In I932 there was trouble and
I moat over to the Progr;ssivo_jjnQr§prkers because that was what all the
rest of the men at Vine B did. 1 had not objection to the United Nine
1orkers then, but I had no objection to_3cining tho Progressive Kine lorkers.
Both Unions treated mo alright, and I would belong to either one in order
to work. I joined the FTDgFvSSlVC5 because the majority of the men at
Kine B joined. Thorc was no trouble it the mine with the Progressives so
far as I know. I was very satisfied with tho Progressive Union. They more
a fine bunch of men. I am still a member of tho Progressive Nine Workers.
Eben I was at Einc B I used to go to tho Union meetings of tho PEN regularly.
For a while I was door keeper at the union meetings. Most of men when to
all the meetings. I do not recall how many there were, but there were quite
a crowd at many of the meetings. There were so many at the meetings because
the men were interested in that was going on. There was no disatisfaction
with the way the Union was being run. _ hmj *_g-*_g_
"On the day the strike started I was working on the track below.
I had not hoard of any trouble, and was surprised when someone came down
- 197 -
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R6: JOHF L. LEWIS, ET ALYC O Y.-064st
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I§TERV1ET ITH and told me to quit working because there was a strike.
I had not known anything about it Some of the men toldWho
K V _,~-a._l__L-J._-__._U_. Q} _-. ,__,_it_nn,:;__._ ';_ _ __g ___ _ l __
1 Icenllnucli mc what the strike was about afterwards, but I do not
remember it very well, as to just what the reason was.
I stayed around the mine for a week or so after that waiting to see if I
could not go back to work. The men would not go back and I would not do
anything
petitionthat the majority would not do. dhile I was there I signed a
for the rogrcssivos, but I do not recall exactly what it was for.
In September I ans called beck to work, and took my bucket and
vent out to the min;
of fellows ther; all 1 mont'ng to go to work. Oscar Folcotti told us all
while I was there that we would have to join the United Kine
__' I did not want to join the United Kine
majority of the follows wanted to work as Progressives and IOrcer to go to work. Workers
Workers
was notin
SO
to go against the majority. I did not want to go against the majority
because I mos satisfied with the Progressives, and wanted to work with
these fellows. When we could not work that day, I stayed there on the
company property for a few days off and on while the other men stayed. It
was s couple of months Inter that we got an injunction to keep us off. we
all left right away. There was no trouble of any kind.
I H1 "-+-A n+ mu- -1»,+:aq 0-_ +u _:_- +- AqAQ mu:.L &§na AJ. VUULU L1-924 MILL. 92'-.1!-J-.492|'J.LJ1. -I-U1 L41: Ilhlllii DU UC92¢1UL92 I'l.lJ.92.r£1 ULLLULA WU
wanted. It was o fair election. There was no fighting or threats or
onyt ng. None of the men from the Progressives threatened me, or told me
how to vote. The progressives did not tell me to come to vote, furnish me
with a ride or anything. I went to the headquarters, and they told us where
to vote.
I went there and voted. There was no trouble. It was a fair
election.to go to work. Then I got there ther; was c big bunch
92L_LEE
ins
"Soon after the election I got o job at the Panther Creek Mine.
I never hoard of any attempt to open the ino_except the time I went to
y did reopen the mine in 1959. In*1939 I went
y worked one day because of the change in
I thought I would be better off ct the Ponthework and the ti e that the
to Work et Fine E, but onl
conditions in the mine and
Creek line. If there hed been any other times that I could have g6E5 tO
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306455
é= <; L=1£,
WTEPVIEW *1TH "I was alxuys satisfied with the Progressive Mine Workers
- an- 92 1' 1 ' '-' ' 'é of America, T1-my treated me fair1y'}never"'threatenet!- ,
gcontznueu! 6+ abused me in any way. I was never threatened of
mistreated by anyone.
I have read the above
pnges. Lverything o
g a¢ * signed!
I! 1'
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_ _,, _ _, _ ...-....__--..,statement on this and two other typewritten
n this statement is true and accurate.
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LP
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121:. JOHN L. wax: 1 ,_ f_ _ QL; _./' 92____ b _
1.'0646L@
The fcllowin vti ation vans conducted b Special '- A_ t 4' e. s sen s at nrins-field.-i-ri--1 H ~ " 'x Illinois, on lugust B, i943.
interviowei advised he has never been arreste .Springfield, Illinois, telephone F Agents
He appeared to be more intelligent than the average miner and it
was noted that he fully understood questiens when asked and he appeared to
have a very excellent memory as he recalled many dates and specific instances.
He speaks the English language but at times he is difficult to understand.
Fe also appeared to be well versed with the mine conditions and it is be-
lieved he wruld make e gecd witness. He indicated e willingness to testify
in the event it was necessary.
grave Lsents the followinr signed tetenent which he signeden the lust page and pages:
"Springfield, Ill.
» gust 30, 1945
. "I Eive the following signed statement to:n-E r. he are known to me to be Spec. gts. of_ the
ed. Bur. of Invest. Ho t eats or promises have been made me.
__ I__ p " - dress is Springfield, Ill. Iwns bornI came to U. . in 1. and became u eit.i.n '
pringfield, irst joined a union 1r _ in Penna. this was a . . . union
I hnve never heldv-union office. I sterte working in-92-line B gs a coal dig-
ger in 19-36, I em st-ill werking theree I jsined
that tine I was working in the copper mine.the Progressives in 1952 es
During the year and half pr-ier to the
at Kine "B". I know nothing of anyone trying to cause any trouble at that
time. I was always satisfied with the P.?-1.11. and felt they were 0.K. I at-
tended P.H.A. meetings about once n month, because I felt it would lc;ok'be.d
if I didn't.strike I of no trouble
I heard about the men being, convicted of bombings but have no per-
sc ml knowledge of it.
"I wns satisfied that the P.I:1.A. officials were handling the union
money 0.K.
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- 5C Os ' 306461
as. JOHN 1.. LEXIS, er AL
/e " I '
nmzavzsr WITE to u.s.w.
"I have no knowledge of E1sho!f____ giving any parties for
U.lI.r*T. officials. '
"I heard in Apr-ii of 1951 that Elshoff didn't Want to sign a con-
tract with the Progressives. I don't remerrbcr of anyone trying to cause any
disturbance or neke us think that FHA couldn't get as good 0. contract as
Unus"¥n
'1 d"nt remember any OG!"JJ.;J'tiuI1 at the nine ever wages.
"I did not attend the meeting at which the spies were expelled,
but I knew there vms to be n meeting. The next morning I heard talk at
the nine that these mun had been expelled. I don't remember the next morn-
ing whet the argmlent was ebout_ I think nnyte it was about wages. I renbr
the miners being expelled from the union and that the management wouldn't
expell them, the miners did not like this be-cause it was u closed shop and
they should have been expelle. I remember the cars being short loaded on
Hay 12_,_ this wns done because the Cornpany was not going to give back pay.
loaded one shcrt_,_ we miners did this zurselvcs just because of beck pay.
"hen I went to work that day I did not know there was going to be s. strike.
As I remember the strike was celled both because of beck pay h because they
would not fine the expelled miners.
"1 signed the P.B{.A. petition in May of my own free will- We signed
this petition on the rend outside the mine to show the"Co. we were all Pro-
gressives. I signed r_n0;h6I petition for I.lE.A. to show we were still all -
Progressive, I signed this of my own free will. I never signed any U.M.'iY.
petition.
"Nobody oskec! me to join the UJJ.-I. local formed during the summer
cf 1937. I heard that srme miners were visited at their home to get then
to sign, but no one bothered me.
In the summer of 1957 I heard that Elshoff had signed n contract
with the U.1.i.W.
I returned to the nine to 50 to work in Sept. 1937. some U.Li.'»T.
men went dc-wn, the Progressives wanted to Co down, FALCETTI told us that if
we we ted to 5:: down we would have to join the U.!i..'I. D, §.1ll'1I§§_+l_f{3_S-§I}{._I:,E3, -csnomiuori, ms! BCHRELEVIOUS, "C_OT10N" mlinms, Jog ;A_1,_B_{;1{E.SE, F1=uu.q;,_
sue" , 'r0u1§_gI,_QIi2'1°IT'Ehs"I"tI>Tiew .1Qs_1_a__3pr1jop'1' sn<1 seq, s 1:1.1ORY_.J5iCKI5;'_Q§!and JJ;T§;§. mhlwnt down ts work that day. *"?%to1a FALCBTTI mil-I"1r he
went-ea P.1»i.;.. men they wculd go down but he W-"u n t let than go down. 1
<iont know whether or not P.Ii.I.. had had r. meeting to decide what to do.
- 201 -
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as. dons L. LEWIS, or AL
lg 7 C.em
"Thee day we had a meeting and decided to go back the
next day to picket the mine. We stayed night and day
after that. we stayed there and watched the place after
that. We stayed there and watched the place after that.
The men who had gone down the day before were in the office and the Sheriff
came out and let them [O home. "e stayed about 55 days after this to watch
the property. I was there every night. We were saurdin the property so that
no one would hurt it and blame the P.LI.l'.. Ho P.N..A. men were brought in frcln
outside to aid in this. I went out of my own free will to protect my job.
"I woe at the nine when the Hnrshull_came & said We had to 1eave_
Ia all left without any trouble. I W
"I did not go out when an attempt was mode to open the mine in Dec.
1937. I had heard it was to be opened.
"I voted at the first N.L.R.B. voting for the Progressives because
they were the ones I wanted. I feel this was an honest election.
udhon they tried to open the mine in Jan. l938 I heard that it was
to be opened but did not go out as I knew P.E.A. had an injunction at th
time . - '
I never went beck after this until I got a reriestered letter inSept. 1939. I do not remember anything unusual betweenjen. 1938 and Sept.
1939. The mine was already opened when I got my letter. I hnd first learned
the mine wns to be opened through the papers. I went out when I got my letter
FALCETTI put my name on the list and told me he would call when they wereready for me. came to my house and told my wife to have me"' " 'M&tMy@wmea@Mrmm %m
the wage scale, we worked for wht wecone cut the next day. "hon 1 went
we wont buck nothing was said about
could gut after being off $0 long.
to. Someone Fran the U.M.W. sew me
about 2 months aftor I went back toNo one
in the
work.
fore I joined the U.E.W. three men came to
U.L§.'W.' I told them to get out though they
put anything on my coal to cnuse me to get
to my hr-me in July 194-0, they were ANDY SCt.l92iELEVIOUS, young J.ACf§V'L.@_lf, and sbig fellow r1a1:1egrLi%RGE. ":" "' '_'§"-asked no what union I belonged
nine and asked me to sign over,
I don't rmnember his none. B0-
my house to ask me to join the
did not threaten me. No one ever ,
docked. The men I mentioned cane
"I signed no membership cards between the time I went to work and '
the time I joined the U.MW. I don't remember anyone getting beat up or any
trouble prior to the second N.L.R.B. election. When the second N.L.R.B.
election was held I already hndqgoined the U.H.W. but did not pay any dues
till after the election. CUDG:. was the man I signed up for the U.H.W.
with I did this because e§¬?ysedy was signing over to u.m.w. we signed over
because we felt if we didn't they would fine us the first chance they got.
"U292 -1
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$05453
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RE: JOHN L. LEWIS, rm AL
£2: ?<1b' gg ;7£>;Tf;_w3;j_ u: When the second clectivn was held I still voted P.I.A. H '
§;T;;.¥§?. because I felt this was the best UniouL I still feel
cc » -= this wny and wdeh they were beck. I believe U.HSH. won'
the election because there were u lot of U.M.W. men had
been hired at the mine. ery cf these men still work there. I feel how-
ever that the election was fair and honest.
Khan I went back to the mine there were lots of falls in it. I
hecrd nothing of e big fire at the nine while it wee closed. I don't know
GLLSCOW and did not attend the meeting at which he was kicked out.
"I have bed the above nine page statement reed to me and it is
111 true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. I an therefore
signing the acme nnd initinling each p;ge thereof.
t /5;"
'.fITN35$@ :
. Agent, FBI Milw.!n n n Ste Paul
Springfield, I11 Aué., so, 1943I
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. _ R8: JOHN L. LE-'15, ET AL -
5§:?_;d_n_?.,_ .
U : _;_ _.; ___ _ I _ ;_ _T _ /bk TH -= e ' A _ -.s infield. - 1- .9 5 was er We Y 389 2-Q u ~ and August 29, 1% -
' that to wl' nt than the average miner and that ' E; C _ ' 92% y that
~
11" I _ the following statement, his wife
92 said to him that she sun. th_.t they would have to go back on
~_ relief as her husband might lose his job at Nine B for 't:~.lking to agents.
It is felt by agents thtt if he were called to testify he would probably v
. be :1 reluctant witness. i. .. " I? " 2' 1- The following is the signed statement executed by
B ..
.;,%{L,__.E._ ;_;.F_¥__.: I -r; .
- 1 - 1 7 7- t
.1-_;'.j _ PI e I , , ,
August 29, 1943. 4
~=;+ » "I,;..__..,éBie1<1.=mI1._i.l- .=92=~;._..._M1=.e =this free and voluntary statement to nd .4?? _7__ " " = I s y who are known to me to be Special A_._en s o e 8E9I"11 Bureau 0 ve -
gition, United States Department of Justice, and no promises or threats have
- been naie Zi;"iIlSt me. '
* "I was b°" in f and I am an
American citizen. I stil " eh :1 ' pr sfield, I11. whereI am a comp-my men and I have been with the?T6'F eh ut }E';.IS. In aI first joined the U111? '11; Springfield, I11. Aboutyears ago I was
S financial secretary with Ul at liine A in SpI lngfiOI'G'_, I112 As f'1I as I
_.; know UH-T got along with the r.1-en:-genent at Kine B prior to 1932, and things
" ' 1*.-ere _e_I_L_riEht. Back in 1932 I was neutrsl as it didn't rnetter to me ifiv I had to join over with PILA but I did not like the idea of tsking a cut at
- I . that time. I did not help orgwnize the PHA in 1932 but I went over as
IE -_ the majority went over. I don't know of any trouble between PHA or Elshoff
-_ » or'the management of Hine B. I don't knows! any strikes or "my trouble
>1 between 1932 and 1937 when the mine closed. "7-'hile with PH.-L we got the"J--' L--;-'-- 1 union scale and tln contract ws lived up to. I attended most of the
I n PLEA meetings between 1932 until the mine closed. The men themselves in
" ; PIE.-1 voted upon all matters that came up and the!-: were not a few who ran
the show. I don't know: if those P231 men who were sent to jail for the '
hcmblngs were guilty or innocent as I never paid much attention to that
metter. As far as I know there never was any trouble over money effairs
with PITA officials. To my kno":-ledge no U151- men bothered us at the mine B
prior to the strike in 1937, and I never saw any 1iter'1ture from UIJW then.
I never was approached by anyone to swing over to IP.I'.? prior to the strike.
I never heard about any parties being given between Hine B officals and
U";-.-§.T nen. I donit know anything about the contract expiring in Earth, 1937
AAA
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O' ._ A .,_,.._-__,__.______ ...-._._~__ '-_...-__...- ,..c._.- _ -. >1. - .-_ - _. l _s_ _. _ __ __4_ __ __._ ., _.... _ .. is-.-__.__i._..-..-_. - __ ._ W . _.._ V. .. Vt... _.t .ii ._ _,__._.. _,.. -.___...,.,
9 .
C Q
coe4es
Re: JOHN L. LEHS, ET AL L» ,7 Q_ I
<52r>
ITH as that matter ms left to the officials of PHA. I
dont recall the nature of the trouble over the wages
con between March 1937 and the strike but it seems to me
that we got back pay for it but I an not sure. Hone
of us were complaining about our pay as that matter is left up to the Scale
Committee and no abide by their wishes. I don't recall of anyone tellingus the PLEA could not get a contrxt and that we should go over to Um.
Anv 1lI"1r?O n192nc+-inn ie 1.;-.'F'§ +0 +'hn r92"|'!n |"'r92:-n1--1'++ a r-I +l-us D-ii Fn1-u.J u _L,92.¢ 921uv>.n-if.92-no mu -0-ua-mi niv 92i.u92:,v_havi-n.|.92- 92/'92II1M.al}.Ul92iee Qnu van... 4.|,92i vu
the rank and le don't know much about those matters. '-
A "I did not attend any nesting the night before the strike and I
don't know if it W15 a regular or special meeting but I did hear something
about a meeting to be held that night.
"Q": the morning of the strike I did not hear a thing and did
not know anything 1bO'L1tEl strike to be called over the w-ge question. I
did not that ewe men were eipelled the night before. I Just sent
about my worl-c and did not know about all things going on. About four of
us were taking out iron in the old part of the mine and that afternoon
word was sent into us to come on out but nothing was said then about a
strike. After I got up on top I 1e":rned thru the gossip that there was
a strike. This was the first I knew of i'T.*_I wont right hone and never
leorned why the strike ms called that day, and I don't know who celled the
men out at all and don't know if it ms celled by PIIA or by the management
of Mine B. On that day while coming out of the mine I noticed several.cars pr-.r+ d P with coal on the bottom of the mine.
"I don't recall if I signed :1 petition shortly after the mine
closed or not but if I did I would have signed for FHA. I don't believe
I signed any petitions during the summer of 1937. In surtner of 1937
I heard that UH?-' had formed :1 new local and got about 18 or 20 members but
I never was C.p{JI02.0hBd in regwrd to it. Nothing unusual hafpaued that
I recall of during summer of 193? when mine we closed. It we rumored
around that during the fall of 1937 the Uli.7 was going to open the mine
so about -'50 or 50 oi us-showed up that morning and started to picket the
nine. ""e were supposed to have the contract with the I-line B and we went
out to protect our jobs. PM did not bring in any outside men to picket
but they were all from 1oc'~.li54. I recall of seeing about 12 or 15 UM?
- r.l I14"
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C . O ¢954Es
Re: Josh L. IE-TIS, ET AL
1 -- " lo 1;: I '92._.- -
TNTERVTET ClTH "I sent to HhyjLto picket to protect my J o
continued!one forced me to go there at all and I never heard of
anyone being forced to go there. The strike IS very
7 quiet for those 2 months and there wasn't any fights
there that I know of and we were just protecting the property.
"fhrly that morning I was at the mine on that strike and the
Earshall came to me and took my name and then gave me a subpoena and than
' we I went home. None of us complained at all after the Marshall told us
would have to get off the property and we all left peacably and there
no fights or anything like that. I was at the mine about one-half of
time during the strike.
"I Did not hear anything about the attempt to open the mine
Dec. of 1937, did not go to the mine at that time.were
the
in
"I Eoted in the first NLRB election voting for the PMA. This
election was by secrcct b1l1Ot and so far as I know es held in an honest
%HD@I=
"I did not heir anything about the attempt to open the mine
in Jan. 1938 and did not go to the mine a; that tine.
"I recall nothing unusual during the period from Jen. 1938 3
the time the mine opened, during most of this time I was on the WFA _I voted for Pie because that was the union organization at the_n
at that time. I was always well satisfied with the way they ran things.
nd
and wes not paying much attention to what res going on in connection with
the mine,
"Then the mine reopened in 1939 I reeieved a letter from the
mine to come beck and go to work; reported for work understanding at the
time that I wws to be paid the regular Illinois wge rate. I went back
to work that same morning working as always as a Company,_man. When I
went back to work no one asked m§n;rhether I belonged to the Progressive
or the UH? and so far as I know no one else Wi§ asked. I still have in
my possession the letter recieved telling me to go beck to work and_of
the stipulation between the ine "B" G021 Co. and the Union, which pro
__________for our return to work.
"About 4 or 6 months after my return to work I joined the EH1
I joined this Union at that time because I felt this was the way the magroity
was Poin'. Ho one threatened me and I dent know of anyone who was threatened ..r
or beaten_ I did hear gossip around the min; about some men having been.
I did not at that time care which Union I belonged to. I heerd not state-
nents on the part of the manapement as to which Union the}'wnnted the men
-we
58$
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Er
_ -'i {:1 006487
Re: JOHN L. 1E??IS,ETAL
Ir? bLL92 a
I ? sane way while belonging to one Union as while I belonged to the other. I have no recollection of having signed any
con inue membership cards during 1940 for eithe: the PEA or UH.
"I know nothing about how the Company got the money to keep the
mine up while the men were on $trikeL I dont believe it took a great deal
to do this so far as I know they only had one clerk and a watchman out
there.
"I voted UHW in the second NLRB election, so far as I know this'
was an honest election.
"Khan we went back to work the mine was in pretty bad shape, I
dont know how much it cost to start it back in operation, but I imagine right
much. Boxes 2 and 9 have never been cleaned up and pot back in operation.
"I have read the foregoing statement consisting of 2 pages to
the best of my knowledge and recollection it is all the truth. I am there-
fore_ Signing this Statement and initaling each page thereof.
Sieed-
Witnessed:
Spec. Agt.
St. Paul
Spec. Agt.
MILK.
Sprinpfield, Ill. Aug. 29, 1943
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I C
RE: JOHN L. LE#i'IS,_ ET AL
M -57¢.B06468
.4=.;>_,j
. INT EH TITH T investi ' was conducted by Special Agents" F and 1; Springfield, I11-
0 5 on = gm , 1943.
92~ '92 :1 In the rear oi the home 35;" : ;_1_ ' - livesj - who £.~.id his first name is not was no e t he coul
,9 speak the English - »5e in an underotenoblo mnnr e he odvised he omald ll!-Ins u friend named no relation,
' . I
d tennined th
with thes, who was jus 1 5 for the day.
acted as an interpreter, it was
working at Mine "B" continuously since$ time when the mine we. o o strike. It was
earnecl that ot the time of the strike in May 1937, was e member
of T-MA and he said he had no choice as to which union they ' at Mine "B"
as he felt that one was just es good as onothor. He stated that during the
period in question he too}: no interest in the union affairs as in 1937, at- ' - '-,.
e state " nu - " "__ .;_ i .';:= ..-..~ .' "t=. 1 of his time and he pm i no attention to
0
s
-208-11111 on matters .
I
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" ' """" ""'"' _ ' ' "* " "'A"" *"""* ' _ "'*"i 1» ,_'Tk'_.I'-T.i¢¢3r:'-".",*;9211'*»-§§¬'*_"-:.;"Ii*."=
"* .-» .~. ' 92
Q ' J 1106468
Re: JOIN L. Isms, ET L. :7?74> " "
3 s
. VIE '1-_y _ was interviewed at his home,
I _ . _ Springfield, Illinois,
1» S <>ia1:»e@ms¢%n -elem =9, 1943.
tated he --- not ve a crimina. reeor . He would make an
unsa 15 aetory Withrrss as he has a diificu"_t time speaking and understand-
ing English.
The following signed statement was obtained from
"Springfield, Ill.
August 29, 1943
1; -< ' ' _ ."I, -_*1*-'- _ '. f 193-d»Ill. make _ e o I 0'-illng vo un ary statement toand ho 1 know to be Special gents i
Bureau or ves igation, no force, mreats or premses have been
_made in obtaining this statement and I know that what I may say
may be used in a court of law,
~1 em -*""e==*~%° "'° - s~__ _n Italy I H35 1:'-1 .'-no '1'. . citizen O thg U. S. inQ?-13'"---K 92~ ' " . *?'=*"'*_???T7 '
"I was ju_st employed as a minor in 1'11. in get which
time I became a member of I was em oyed in several differentQ!» . I -
1- ' '
"I have never been an officer in anynnion, nor have I taken
an active part in any mien.
n if --v,;;-,f_5;§v-P4 I was employed by ts,-=M:i.ne, I11" in
1932 at which time I discontinued my mem_-rship in L. and b-seam
a member of Phhl. The reason I changed from UMJ to PMA was because
I heard some representatives of John L Lewis stole some votes cast
in Springfield, I1l__ in 1932 concerm'_n§ the wage scale at_mines.
"I did not take an active part in the formation of PMA.
"I was employed by I-ne '8' as a miner in about 1934, there-
fore I am unable to make a statement as to what occured at Nine IBI
prior to that tim, -
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or-q C; Q! @U64fU
Re: J01-gqL_1,F2:s, so-.'.L. }_J/W? ..
1 _ ,
b?!!
" a v |_ M i A, . from bout 1934 to No ember '7, 1936 the
r management of Mine B seemed to have been on
" , good relations with PMA. No one attempted to make me
dissatisfied with FHA during that period of time
I liked FM and thought it was an honest union, there were no
unnusually high special assessments up ntil Nov. 7, 1936. I took no in-
terest in the bombing cases and can furnish no information concerning
the cases.
"During the time I was employed at lgne '3 U151 did not set up s
picket line nor did UM; distribute any 1iteratur'7§'.'-1'rom 1934 to Nov. 7,
1936 no one contacted me concerning changing from FHA to'W1iand I had no know-
ledge of an intended change of Mine 'B' from Pmh to UHF.
, "I did not see any of the management of Mine 'B' with any
officials of UM; dm~:Lng the time I was employed at the mine.
LE-_,,y_ ..
"I have had the three pages oi this statement read to me which
statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
92 /Sr
'Wtnessed: -
/S1 g Special Agent F.B.I.
Special Agent, F.B.I."
_-...___.. ..-..___.,.h.... ._ ,_:__._._._.___ ._ _... __._;;,E_ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _1 is
O O 388471
v
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Re: Lu IE-HIS m -
c""_'1°! -do
interviewed at his residence
eld, Illinois, he
1943, by Spa
born inD
t- j and
zen.
ife, and is presently empl
,4 English. He speaks English poorly, and unoorstands English oorl . He~P Y
r appears to be rather inteiligent, however.He is unable to rend or write
_ ...v
;g:' -..__f A signed statement was not obtained due tcexpress
F1 desire. He advised that he did not know that he unders obi in e ~iewinz_ents correctly. He stated that he had been at Mine B sincet 3'10 belonged to the United Mine "
'- 92¢_f »orkers when the oontractmnd§'wi
t F'I-H and with the Progressife dine Torkers when the contract was with the
FHA. He had no interest in thBH§nlOn nnd did not attend the meeti s Heng -
was unable to recall the day of the strike, and the events that occurred that
days Ho did recall thnt he had been on the picket line at the mine. He
voted at the election in December, 1937, and voted in the manner th t hee
wanted without any threats or compulsion of any kind. He was satisfied with
the PHI prior to the strike and did not join the UH? at Mine B until after
the second election and he was forced to join in order to continue at Nine
B. He had no further information pertinent to this investigation.
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RE: JOHN L. IE IS, ET AL, - .7."< ' ' "
KG LO noosm
1,? Q [Q 10
arr:-a Haas intevled his rel...ence, ocat-ed at .,f'i1;§i;E.-Q;-"_ -;- -'
Springf
A;
#4Cblst 31 1: Izl
as born
aen' he mines _ears, and
make a fair witness, having good command
of the in;lish 1an;ua¢e, a fair ability to ex ress higself, a fair appear-
ance and an intelligence above average of miners. He gave information set
forth the following si;ned statement:
"Springfield, Ill.
Au Just 31, 1943-
, j ._,|_._ __ is I make the following; statement
to_§ ¢§ffsyjj; _ and §§§$§Qf§@§§@§g- . , who have identified them-
SClV:; to me o'~e Specie A JD s oi e -eral Bureau of Investigation.
No promises, throats, or consideration of any kind has been Jade to me to
make this statement. I am willing, if necessary, to go to court and repeat
any part of this statement.
"I started workin; at Nine 5 in U Zaen the local went over to
the Progressive
um time "I ~;=a§
in; at the mine
PITT in order to-
I was satisfiedEine Eorkers of §§erica from the United Hine'To~kers. At
not particularly anxidus to join the PUT of A but I was work-
and the PET of A had the contr ct, so I had to stay in the
nee; my job. In 1937 when the strike was called, however,
with the krogressive Kine Jorkers of America, and local #54.
If I had a chance to hV; changed unions at the time of the strike, I would
not hav changed unions.
"I n.s not garticularly interested in the unions affairs. I was
never an officer of the local. I did not attend neetin;s regular1;.i When
the strike was called in hay 1937, I was down below working on recovering
some track. I had not heard that there was going to be a strike. There
had not bcn any discussion about wages or a disagreezmnt, and so I was
conpletcl; surprised when I was called out. When I got out of the mine I
asked a little aasut it, and went homo. I do not recall what they told me
that the strike was called for. I was satisfied with the way thinrs were
going at that tine. I went on hone, and I do not think that I v;nt out to
the nine again after that. I was not interested in the quarrels out there,
and did not vent to go on a picket line. In the fall of 1937 when they at-
tenoted to oen the mine, I was out in the country and did not hear about it
until a few days later. I did not go out and sit on the picket line or stay _
on th; company ;ro,erty. I heard about the {creation of a UT7'1ooal, but
no one asked meto join it, and I did not take much interest in it.
- 212
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as: JOHN L. LUIS, ET AL I
IIJI;.RVI':I.. '.;I":i "I voted in an election held in the fall of
continued! .- 193'? about the union for Mine'B. As far
as I know that was a fair election. N0
one tried to influence my vote, or tell me what to do. I voted at that el-
ection exactly as I wanted to. vote.
"I did not hear of any other attempts to open the mine.
"In 1939 when the mine was actually opened, I did go back to work
at my old job, of - J0rkin;, on emergency matters, etc., for the cornparw. I
traveled over most oi the nine. There had been some bi»; falls in the mine.
Box I and 2 and boa: 9 had falls, and they have not been cleaned up "yet. Box
5 had a fall, and it was finally cleaned up and opened. I do not know how
bi a fall it was bccsluse I did not help clean it up, but I did put in track
afterwards.
"I knemfter the mine reopened. He was supposed to
be a first aid ,*o ar eck man or something like that. I never saw him
do any work. My partner and I are supposed to keep track of air and first
aid in the day tine, a;..-d we kept on doin_.-, things just as We had before.
There ncver had been for that before the strike started, and I Y
afggr we strike t, no one else was hired to do that kind '
0; r*¢=1'K. I km,-." " was supposed to be a timbe . u He 1 *
Jld a little t .auch.__.. q Vs!" saw 1 II " do 1H .T?";T:;"- A '*=~'.r-E;i"":-£l~:1.'L- ""-:'r'- 11-*- I ' 92 has _o around and talk to the men. , were "ork- 1
in; there. They spent a lot of time n he .. nc talking o t e man and I
thou;-5-h~L that the-3' must bc organizing. The only favoritism that I saw of the .
company, in hel_.>in_, one union over the other was that the company seemed to» H
favor these men, and let then sgend time in the nine to hel, organize for the 'United Mine "orkc-rs. I did not sec anyone beaten, or threatened in any wav, j *although I heard that was bein, done, J L
I
"Cud_',-e J3%=,u_;r1_-_<'.j._;*_d§_:_e;*, and Ji4m§{_,;],c asked -c if I was yoing to join
the United liine "orkers. I told them that I would, but I ut if off for
quite 2 while b-causc the non T110 I rc-dc with were pretty much set a__inst
mj_,g,_1';;f1_i_n-* _L U13, and I did not "want to be the cm}, one in the car. Finally,
asked me when I was goin_; to-sign up, and I-si ;ned up with
»'"Li*1-"l- l1P- W1 ;>rett;' late in the organizing out there, but was shortly
oefore the second election. I joined up with the U'IIf.' bccause I could see
that the_ inc was going to be UT~f..' and I would ha.-'2; to join up to keep ngr
job. It looked to 21:, like the men were all switching, so I did too. I
would just as soon have stc;-"ed in the }ro_;";ssivc Kine "orkers, but it did
not make too much difference to no which Union I h;long-ed to. If things had
I
F92 -213--
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{Q _ £0 006474
RE: JOHN L. LE..Is, ET AL
2>"_*_ $10
INTERVIET I-TII been different out there, I would have pre-
contlnued! forrcd to stay in the PL . No one in the
PI-ET over asked me to do a.r1;'t% that I did
not want to do. I liked that union.
1I
"I have road the above statement on this pave and two other pages.
It is all t ue and accurate."t M
Q A
»1§E§¢~
Special Agents F B I"
- 214-
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" C , U3 :-new
es. .1[]E L, LEWIS. ET L.
i 4". F_ _.//
5-!1*'»°92"i'"nd at his residence,
Springfield, 11413015.
1 ' 1by Specie __ __
born
He Ms I
He is presently employed at Panther Creek Hi.-no #4
not nelze a good vritness... He has ' g"eed 'UClf|!f1t1H"'e1' Ehe
language, but he is unable to give a coherent description of
events. He have infermtien set ferth in the following signed
statement:lm
"Springeld, Ill-
1d.lgl.15l5 38, 1945.
_ N _ _ "M name is _ __ nkc the following statement toand "116 h "° 1-1°11;-1 °<1
0 = to b .. .n.r;en s e e Federal Bureau of
Investigtionu Ne premises threats or eensideratien of any kind I I
has been nude te me to nuke this tateeznents I um Willing to go te eeurt,
if neeessarv. and repeat any part cf this stnizncggt, II-_._.¢-.-.¢..-...-..||-_
' "I werked at _1{~line _B free seen after the last war until about
1941. I was a member ei the United Mine Th-rkers before 1952 and
joined the Pre;:e$§iY°lHi¥Qli;rkers at uneriea. I was a member or
that Unie all the time that I stayed at Mine B, end I an still a member
of the Progressive Mine ".i';rkers. I have always liked the Progressives,
the leeul and 'Ehe"£ntemut1'eiiET: I never wanted to ehange to the i
United Mine Ucrkerss Iiest of the nen at Mine B were satisfied with the
P11 ef xi, '
"I voted in the election at the nine in 19570 Ne one told me
hew to vote er made no do anything that I did not want to d0! It was
u fair eleetien, and I voted exactly as I wc-nted te VO'|700
"When the nine reo enod e 1;, 1': e we k
argued about it, but I did not want to werk there any nere under the -United Mine .Terkers,_£nd se I_did not argue about it. When I went
brelc after ' . W pf_.:,' " Qnd another nan I dc not knew beat
no up and kicked my 'r 1je's' W never got ziy pay.
"I have read the abeve stlltenelit on this page and ene ether page.
It is all true and O0uTi00
W w-'>-55$ ~ "-54 T ' 1-,, ~ . , _._ ex --1'?" 7.: - 2 :13;
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Ct; ' QC-> seem.
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL
-~%92@%4Han C ~ ?" -.-.--- -.,- =..-- e.-;=.-i i
End was
eyed es a miner at Nine "B"- "S!well, he. howc";r,en"
read:1- - 5 ,3/J
was interviewed at his residence.
id, Illinois, on
1943 by Spec
born in
father
ted that he could not
and spooks English well.27
He is n little slow ind his mentality may be somewhat dulled. Ht is very
definite in the things that ho does remember and would be stubborn enough. .to withstand cross=eznmination. He would make e fairly good appearance on
the witness stand. It is believed that he tould make as good a witness as
the average miner. Upon interview he executed the following signed statement:
Springfield, Ill.
August 27, 1943.
name is ' I make the following statementH V - rA¢"£;Q§% ~~ Q; I
* **~E &§t$¬;**¢¢1I"V an-2 A ;¢_ _ _ who have identified themselves1;-@~:;.= -j--;;;_i; :=>_L_E_.5. :,_.-1: - .--. . :- : = - ; :- '- '- . _to ;J"ec J; epceis- Agenos o; one ,eecra_ Lureau of Investigation. Ho promis
threats or sonsiderotion of on" kind has been made to me to make this stats- I
manta It is true and accurate,
and I om willing, if necessary, to go to
court and repent any pert of this statement.
"I have b
A over into B, andeon working in {fines A_ and E since Q I -worked from
have stayed oE'B ever since. I 'oino the United NineYorkers, and was 2-. comittee man on this union in h In 1952 I went ever
with the rest of
America. I was not involved in
I was glad to go
Things were better after that.
Zine Jorkers, but
men attended meetings regularly
the neetings.the men st Mine B into the Progress; e Kine Eorkers of
grrnnigiga thg Prnorannivn Yinn';nrPnwn. hutJ _ Q - ..-J.--_-.- n--- v. -.-, -_-
over into the new union. After that things went better.
I never was an officer of the Progressive
I attended meetings about once a month. About S0 to 100
. On special meetings a lot more men came to
I do not recall any trouble with the unions with Elshoff. I guess
he got along alright with both the UK: and the PER.
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Re: Jess L. LE IS, ET AL; } rri! 0064??
¬t»'*c: 4;,§iZ! ~
_ NTHQ w f'_ w: __ men about the wages then. I attended the meeting
;»;;§,1%e;,eoeedth- er the uniOn held the night before the strike.
bontinued It was a special meeting. I do not recall exactly
how msny men were at that meeting. I do not
remember exactly whet it was that they decided thstnight. There was some
talk about having some men fired from the company, and som talk about short
cars. I know I went to work the next day, and did not know that there was
gfing to be e strike. There were short cars coming up that day, because the
men would not leave a ear in the room long enough to let it got filled up.
I did not come up until about quitting time, and then learned that a strike
had been called. I was told whet the strike was for, but I do not remember
exactly whet they told me. I went home that night, and came beck to the mine
for a couple of days after that but did not work. I do not remember whether
I signed any papers for either union at that time or not.
"I could not get any other job, and stayed st home. I remember
when they had some treulile at the mine in September. I do not recall
exeetly what hej;ened'§r.§Fet it was supposed to be about, but I know I
went out to the mine. I did not expect to work that day, and there was
something said about gain; down if those 12 men who had been wanting the United
Kine uorkors went to work. These men had never talked to mo. I do not know
whet they said. Someone else
I did not wont to, and wanted
"After that day we had a
mine until the morhshall came
the property. I stayed out there
injunction there was an oloction.told me that they wanted the United Mine Workers.
to stay in the Progressive Kine Yorkers.
picket line and stayed out there by the
with an injunction and told us to leave
part of the time. A little after the
I voted in that election, and voted exactlyout
as I wanted to. Ho one told me how to vote, or threatnend me in any way.
No one told me how to vote. I voted exactly as I wanted to vote.
"Until the time that
did not know of any time thatthe mine reopened I did not have any work. I
they started to open the mine. If they ad
tried to open the mine I would have heard of it, and would have gone back
to work, but I never heard of
"Eben I went beck to
was opened, I did not see any
some cave ins. Some of them "
up oven yet. There were someit st all.
work, which was the first day that the mine
evidence of any big fire. There had been
ere pretty bad, and they have not opened them
that took two or three weeks to clean up.
*"hen I went beck to work at Vine B, I still belonged to the
Froiressivg Xine_Tor_L_'-u1-Thcrc MEFC some non working in the mine who did kors. - * "- .- . ;
not do anything but Q9 ground and talk to the men about joining the UnitedIfine Korke-rs. "gm-.es one of these men. He never talked to me.
He did not seem to QQ any work. He just talked to the men. They called him
en nir cheek men. In ell the years tint I was at the mine, he vss the first
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__..,,..;. . - _v-'+._!g-. .1... .ks.n.'a-s:~..1..'I:_:.-d. 1-4n.a..L_...... b _ 92 *1;_ _.._- ..- __.._.. --- 4. - -,___ -, IA ___ ___ _ _ ___ A__r4_H M _
¬ E
92
I.{O 1.06478
1» = eojo
elirchcck man they ever had. Before thot the HT .. VT , .?£'iTTii'5Th1t at night. Aft.-r 1eftI 'e"' Sues " the mine, about the time of the secon ection,
they did not have any air check man. He was the
only air check man we ever bod ct Mine B. I do not know if there were any
other men there. ' I IRe: JOHN L. LETIS, ET AL
"Ho one ever threatened me, beat me, stole my tools, put dirt on
my cars, or took the tags off of my cars, but I heard that that was being
done. I know some of the men got beaten.
. -and some other fellows there :1s1-zed me to join
" "92 r92 I """ "92United nine n-r crs. o d then that I would n.t, and that I would wait
until the very lost chance before I would change to the United Kine Iorkers.
I did not join the United Fine workers until after the second election, and
they told us then that we had until the 16th to join or we would have to
pay £25 to get into the United Mine Forkers. I do not remember who it was
who told me that. I waited until the lost day and then joined the United
Kine 'orkers. I joined the UK? because I had to in order to work in the mine.
I did not want to join. I voted in the second election, exactly as I wanted
to. Yo one threatened mo or told mo how to vote. Both of the elections were
fair and honest elections as for as I know.the
"I did not ~.':o.nt to join the United lfine Tiorkcra. I would go back to
the Progressives new if I could, because working conditions were better than '
than they are now under the UMW. I had no choice but to join the DMZ, or
lose my home, so I joined the UHU and am n meber now. I go to the meetings
about once a month. e -
fThc eto"e statement on this page and three other pages have been
read to me 1» It is all true and accurate. - >e.- K he
H S i gne
Signed!
V_?.-"mmM.w.-' _'h__- signed! FBI."
B
i
Y 1
H
4' 92I
Y
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Ix? sf :
___*__./
FRI J0? Lu LHTI3, ET ILL. -
Z/"'7f_'_,
INTERVIEW WITH
-I 313--=-r fa. -;_"~; _ _ H . --..
.<- _.. ,~- 92:D gr
awed at his residence,
pfin ield, Iliinois,
Special 55¢;-ntves born aty p eyed at 1I.ine92 m
culd make an excellent witness
for what information he ees good ecmmand of the kiglilh
language; can express himself clearly; makes a good D.PpOI11"D-I100, and
appears to be quit intelligent. He gave informatics: set forth in the
fell owing signed state:-ent|
"Springfield, Ill.
.sugus'L: 28, 1943.
I
__ "E-y name is 92 _ ae the following statement
to a_.: who have identified
thense .0 e be Special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investi-
o-n+'inn n nrnlninpla 'F|'1Pl"+.= nr r'Ir's'rr-:1r1n?-r1i""'|rYI'92 nf nnu lrin hr.-u-n hnnn n v-up-E nu -92.qI..-.-.--as inn. -;-=--e 92-I5 v-~¢.|.92.-.¢._92-.--;.;--.- 92.--. -s .,.,|.. Ca L I V
to me to make this statements It is true and accurate and I
to appear in court to repeat any part of this statement if
"I have been in the nines all of rrgr life. Prior toIH Asrv vv vvvpa I-M-I!-av
an willing
necessary;
1952 I was
a member of the United Mine H-1-rkers, but in 1932 I joined up with the
P1"ugl CBSiVO Mine WorkQ1j§.._Q£..uu,Q;'ica. I was unable to got back into
te nmr een working at because I was a RM of 1.
I did not get a job at Mine B until about 1934- I worked at
ulltil the time of the se@i-1 l9-3?, 1 was a member of the
did not go to the meetings too often»
"I did not know much about what was going on at
was not particularly interested in the union matters. Ithe
we sDO1f1b0 I 0
I-{inc B
u_n_i en , but
lT1i.I1B 0 I
sati sfied
with the _92-my that the Progressive union was being operated, and did not
want to change unions» I did not particularly care, but I would not
have changed as long as the majority were HM of In at that time it
seemed tc no that almost all of the non were satisfied with the Pre-
gressive Tln.i@=
"I had heard that there was talk about being a strike, but
I had not been at any of the D0011-inf;B just before the strike, and when
it was called I was surprised, and did net know nythiq; about its Ch
the day that the nine went out on strike, some of the non were loading
short oars of goal; I heard uft0I'Vi¥iId8 tht thy WGPO objecting BO
_-In
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A F Ht~ kc! '
ma. JOSH L. Lens, m ILL.
DL ° A 2.0
; n TH working with acne men Ln the mine who wanted
we-== Mine Workers. I did nbt particularly
carc-
"When the mine went out on strike, I did not come back I got
a job with the it " c y 4OBt right away and stayed with tho city during
almost all the tine the mine was um strike-.> I did not o out_ E
and picket. but I did visit some of the non who were out at the nine
on the top when thoy were occupying the nine propertyq .
I voted in the election of the unions in December 1937 I
No one told mo how to vote, or threatened no in any my. I voted
exctl as I t d = "' y wan c to vote. at that tune, I voted for the Progressive
Mina Workers of America at thut time bocauao I preferred tht Union
at that time. '
"I did not go to Hino A until about December 1941» At tint
time Hi.-no A was e Ui mine, end I joined the UHEI because that union we
at tho 11111109 I had not voted at any othe::'.olecti<m at Hine B because
I we not w,rki_n;; there»
"I on new n norabcr of the United H1110 W 1»:or ors because I new prefer
this union. No one connected with PIN over tlmreotnenod no, or bothered
me in any uny-
"lohove r ad the above statement an this page and one othcl , .
It is all true and accurate-
220-
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{C _ LO 1064 :51
RE! JOHN L. LEWIS,-ET AL.
v éqio10' gt}-1_j_ 92 [Js residence at i
Illinois, en the
Jtgtl
born at
cos
D to his weak voice, and apparent
disinterest in what ore1:.'red at the mine. Upon being interviewed he
executed the following signed statement;
Springfield, I11
August 28, 1945
_ _92 name is the following statement to
who have identified
t emse vos o me to be Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation. I-Io prcni see, threats, or consideration of any kind has been
made to or given to no to nuke this statement. It is true and accurate.
I an willing if necessary to repeat this statement in court. 'rw
"I have worked at Mine B for many years. I do not recall when
I first started the:-'0- but I was urnrlrin 4.11411-n n n n-1+. A ll-I TI. Ir _ _____ _- _--_ __----, __- .. ..N_ ..--......-,g -..--.. _s _ .....-e.. ....ne ..er..er
when the Prg ressive Hine'Werkors were organized. I joined the _Progressive 51310-41'-orkere.~thc-nu---I never was an officer of any uuien,
and did not attend the meetings of the union very often. I was ai-
ways satisfied with the way the Progressive Mine brkers were being
run. I never wanted to change to any other mien. ~
"I last WuPk0d at Hine B on May 12, 1937. I do not recall
what it was that caused the strike. I was not interested in what was going
en, and did not pay much attention to anyone. I just worked. I.did
not hear much about it. I do not recall ever signing any petitions
for any uion after the strike. I was out at the nine 0 the picket
lino for a while in the fall of 1937. I voted in the election held down
t--wn about which Union I wanted at the mine. This was a fair election.
one told no how to tote. I voted exactly as I wanted to at that
election. I never went back to w.rk at Mine B when the nine was
reopened.
. It is all "I hve read the &btVO statement en this
true and accurate. _Hapage
~* ;s»es%* *de U1
er» I ~§@~»eao»@%§m@§mame* I . _ K '1 F. B. V 1 -H I U M
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Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL
. é,
,!5~r1'r.RvIsr.' IITH
years
The following is a
x_ $06482
Fl
.-
R-
"! A_ /, L!
was Agents
and 27
Spring-
memory
only with nnoh time and e
ted a fear of "union
it is believed that he would not make
he has never been arrested.
signed statement taken from
"Springfield, I11.
August 27, 1943.
mart Inc followin statement freely andV91-mbaflly t- ELIG who have identied
themselves to me as o ' e eera "Y an of Investigation.
No threats or promises have been made to me to obtain this statement.
' "At
I am not workinc-.v:r_v-$]é_';'g_é_.__ L _,
*
g _|__ - . tates in
on
__W._92~_ T_ joined a union when I was working as a miner in themines Ill., about This was the United Mine Workers
O union. I s aye in this uni
Workers of Junerica in
' I started to work
to work there until May 1937
management and the miners to
efforts of the management ton un I changed to the Progressive Mine
I never was an officer of any union.
at Mine B Ln i From the time I started
there was no trou le at Mine B between the
the best of my knowledge. I don't recall any
discredit the leadership of the P.M.A.
"As a member of the P.l{.A. I attended the union meetings. I
don't know of any member of the union feeling that the P.M.A. was run by
racketeers; I do 1- nor; that many miners felt that the P.H.A. was more
considerate of its members that was the U.H."vI.
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WI <1 306483 _
Rea JOHN L. LETIS, ET LL
/_ !_"§r92
<3 *9 ii.!
W H I was working at lino B on ly 12, 1937, but I don't
- know what the true reasons for the strike were.
_Cont_iue_, _
After the strike Was a few Weeks old, I recall that
I signed a P.M.A.. petition. At this time I was in favor of the P.kZ.A¢
union. '
Q41-_i' ;;_; -_|_ -0 1 :1 __ -:1 . - . - . -some 13...{s.J .atar_. .1. eon 1: .eca.._ 92...e exact cats, 1 signed
another petition which I had been led to believe was a petition of the
P.T'..A., but it really was a petition of the U.Ii.W. Lt that time I was
living at 2029 H. 11th Stu mingfield, 111., One day two men, whose
names I think are Tony i-lotoh and Joe Alb=~nc_se came to ng house. In
the presence of my w?T¬T"fhey asked as-H_I'wanted to work at Kine B.
They said that I could not get work there unless I signed the petition
which they had, and which they said they were taking from house to
house for all miners to sign. They said they wanted me to sign the. .paper so the mine could rec-pen. The paper which they asked re to sign
had the work "progres:'_"1-2" at the top of the page. The paper was one of
a tablet. They talked me into signing 1-.1~.= paper, and I em sign the
paper not knwring that these men wa-:.-_=» really in favor of U.PE.Vi., and not
in favor of P.lJ.A.92-Ikfter had signed the paper and they left the house,
I learned from Jo%1um'bo PH!, who is now dead, that these men were
trying to break up the P.LI.A.. and were for U.H.W.
In the fall of 1939 I recall that I signed another petition
at the oifice oi the Pal-ieas at the amine I learned that I had been
tricked into signing a petition for U.ll.W. I did not like this beoaus
at this time I really favored the P.I"l.A.. -
"When 1 was living atringfieldl; 111.,
I recall that Tony Plotch and Joe banese came to my house again.
They again told me that I would have to sign their paper to get work at
jlIine___B. They told me that if I signed with them an; son could also get
a"5Bb at 1-fine B. at the end of the week they again returned to my
house, at which time I signed Ir;-,r name to a paper which looked like a
receipt. I knew that this was a. membership receipt of the U.1'»1.W.,
but I really did not want to sign it. The reason I did not want to
sign the U.1_.W. was because I was in favor of the Progressive Hine
Workers of America. I felt that I_had to sign with the U.l£.W. in
order to get a job at Fine B, which job I needed very much because I
had beenon public relief. I had no choice in the matter. I either
had to sign with the U.l{."T. or go without work. .
I don't recall the exact time or place, but I do remember
-1
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C A $06484
Re| JOHN L. Lens, E1 AL - A f
,'/
_ WITH In the fall of 1937 I recall that I pickstied Him B
7 for about 30 days. The purpose of this picket was
" to keep m.1.w. men out of the mine. -- 1nue-
In December 19"»? I voted in the election at the State armory
which election was s;>c~"so:ci by the Notional Labor Relations Board. I -
went to thi; elect-3:-n -.'cl.-untarily. I don't recall how I received notice
of the e].:'oCi">n "I-in-my told me hm: to v't-J. Ti -voted for the Progres-
sive ?.Ii..£=.! because I liked tie Progressives bea."l;er than the United
Kine Workers. I felt that the P.lI.A. was more considerate of its
members than the U.l'i.W»
Then I rot": .11.} to work at
parts of the 11".:'.ne were 5;: good shape,
I do not recall any ii:-us at the mine:3 in 1939, I recall that some
and other: were in bad shape.
after I returned.
After I retxcrned to Mine B in 1939, there was some trouble
- --._-i,. - :,s --et the mine. I recur .h.... one deg I was fined 95.65 for sending up
dirty coal. For several zveeks after this I received fines almost as
large as this for dirt!" coal I feel that someone was dirtying my
coal because I have always been a careiful Worker, and never before
had been fined such large amounts, never over one dollar. This
trouble at the mine was in contrast to the quiet working conditions
that had prevailed at the mine prior to t§':C strike in 1937. There was
no trouble that I recall prior to 1937. l "' I
~;,:-§-*j* "- 1., Y :;;;___;-;_-.-:.;"*jj~:-_,'i; 1_ Ii I had vde is ld have vo
Iiine Workers because I we afraid to vote for the P.l!.A.. I was afraid
of Icing, my job. I also -was afraid that I would be given a poor roan
in which to work. Prior to February I had been given good rooms, and
the track was always laid close to the wall. I-Icv.*e'ver, just before I
got sick, I was given a bad room in which to work, and on several
occasions the track was not laid close to the'we.11. Beceusecf these
conditions I feel that I would hove been compelled to vote for U.M.W.
in the hope that the conditions would be chnged for my benefit.
1! ? ,5. v4_- -v __ rm . - ~ '.,;$M. ~ _M.k~..~ . _.... -_
§~F- - 92..- -'".*:-'i.:;_ - -->1: -- " ':" . . 5i1-'4 . - - ~ .;;,,;§-M;-,1-hp!- "' L ' a.. _ . - _
Even after I was a member of U.M.W..I continued to get bad
rooms in which to work. I don't know why these rooms were given to
me.
This statement consisting of this and three other pages
- 224 -
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pk1 - "I""" -""' -' _ _.";.'_1-.~:Y92-fr-';'??r, .';,*-"'¢'.--~P-1---r-_'*" -.3
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Re: some 2.. Lxs, er LL 5,. 2- "7 ~ 1 To
l WITH has been road to me, ~ é 1 State that it is true to the 'bss of
co nus my now edge and recollection. I have reed this
statement also.
/.., //=»/ 1 -
--....._....--.-..-.______ -
Springfie I11.
__ V .= -__ : P - n sined statement taken ané
» zrttt. , = . t = -
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"" "$pringiie1f, 111.
- August 27, 1945.
!!11k6 the [Q11 statement freely
identified themselves me iel e rel Bureau
of Investigation. No threats or promises have been made to me to
obtain this statement.
_I- -- B law in 1939 I
wife of who resides on ' Eringfie d, 11.,
say that D M equals had received ""3'iII om the United Mine
Workers for h-is &Wct'i?>'i' in stirring up trouble at Mine B. Because of
his eooepting this money, Dominic's family had nothing to do with him.
I also heard about this incident frqn-othehasources, but I can't
remember when or where. I recall that similar information was received
by me concerning To Plotoh.end. voluntarily t
BY
_ _ After the trouble at Mine B in 1937 my husband,' was afraid that something would happen to him. n p_;;g__
slotoh and Joe Albencse talked with him in 1937, and later when he
3B i'eec the v2I.".w.",""th'é'5'r1nrerrea that he me to join the U.n.W. for
his own safety. Ky husband never has been in trouble, end did not 1.-nant
to get into trouble with these men.
I have reed this state:-nent of one page and state that it is
true to the best of no; knowledge and recollection Iv 92.»
mu. _ .*tr"_=;§:3=~ nu - ,1.-x ' -51.--.»F§ -,5-"--' - "" '
3"? ' -1-s'.'5 _ ,1!!'i= r':.. _ . .' '-I JSpecial egnts FBIsprahgrigia, 1i1."
' - 225 -
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' 006485
Re: JOHN L. LB-'-"IS, ET AL '
5 s'r_v1s"s vrrr :- _- wet interviewed at the hone
_ -- -I ere he is presently residing,92 er" r e * spr 111m1=. 0, n . moni of Ituust __ 1943 b Special gentsend%. s an American sen, av been crn _ _ on Janus. , J. . He is resentl employed s,_; of Hine B, s sppsren y s. ra sR t é "i n _ -- , -
0 _
Ngen iniv cue- I-Ze seemed 0 or w s cope of the investiga
tion was and know what kind of answers he should give. Interviewing agents
had some doubt as to the veracity oi his statements, but he could not be
- .3 wavered from the story es set forth. J his opinion.
F? re. able t eco ' " ' Y.-5 " ' ,. e s un o r ll events 'J92hlCh, , it would seem
:1 that h h 16. h '- ll I-I ld " : '= b f h e s on eve re-.. ec. e v.ou m..-e s goo v css ecause o 18
~ appearance, his ability to express himself and he would be very difficult
' to confuse on cross-examination. At the time of the interview, he executed
the following statement:
-. - "Springfield, I11.
=- August 27, 1943.
I» 92=:&' _.. , _ . .. _ __ . . . .2"" "Li name 1S I - I make the following statement to . En who have identified them-
,3!_, _ selves o me - Specie sgen s o e e rel Bureau of Investigation.
No promises, threats or eonsderetion he been made to mo to make this
statment. I make it com tori1y. It is true and accurate and
I om willing to go to court and repeat it if necessary, because it is all
true.....
M.
ll
- "I was first employed at Fine s in W At that time I was t
member of the United Fine Yorkers because I has to belong to that Union
in order to vrork. In 1952 the Progressives were formed and I joined that
7 Union. I did not knov-" much about whet was happening, and was willing to
join the Progp;->_s_§§._§_re I-fine T.o{B.C1.5.a.f,,A;;92;;;ig& in order to work. At that
time I did not care much which Union I belonged to, just so I could work.
In fact, that is the way I feel today. I don't care which one I belong to
now, if I can work.
...Iv--Q4 -, . .=-P 4 92 _ .. 792 .w, tr HH,.@, .n _mnmq§wn@qgpnmuFg wr. H. =.,% ;wh_,, 1;r"{;.;;Q,-;;;; §- ':; _ ' :1, _;-M-5~.' -_;,_j l@f§;" "i""*"*
s--.. *- 1 " . - '_.~- L; ... ,. -» '.-. -:- ~ ', ~*.-.'.-'»-=- --rr... E ,__4l ;_.§g 3 :??,. := . t. r .<'-i.-E;-511;}' 92 - ' . . - "6 " "' .""- "Z? Eva V . . ft:-.~'._4"3 "5'. -.4" - 't5&n..'.. _y.-sgt-.r.:h R-id --3??--=-'=¢=-'1 '- , .=-'-",-- . »§§:;;: =;-.
kg ,,.&:.. its, l»
- Before 1932 there was no trgulbe at the mine that I know of.
_: nfter 1932 things went pretty well at the mine with the Progressive Mine
_ ".erkers. Some of the men were complaining about the largo assessments that
the Progressives were making. They thought that the assessments and
-226-
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> ,92@:*0s4a7
R0: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL
INTERVIET
!%nuo!| I
the Union
local was
satisfied
meetinrsby switching
being run. It was not a racket run outfit. I was pretty well
with the ray tho Progressive Union was being run. I went to the
There was not _ ercat deal of trouble at the moeti s. Rot man1/~°ct. pjajb
deductions were too much. Some of them complained
about the State officers of the F152 of A, saying
that although they were only supposed to hold office
for two years, that the same men kept control of
offices. There was no complaint about the way the
men Wait to_the meetings, unless it was a special meeting, Sui there was
no complaint that the local was not being run by tho men themselves.
"Before tho stri e I was satisfied with thc way the Progressive
Kine iorkers were worhihg, and the operation of the local. It did not
make much difference to me, though, which Union I belonged to. In fact,
s when they had an election in December 1937 as to which Union we wanted, I' . . _ .. . .. . _ . Q11 ,voted for the United Pine porkcrs. I§§r;;y;;;§§§;q@§e@a@$j§s
i§d*F9§ee?*#*{T§T?I?5? v5i*l7 %@%*i3 I we e- or" c Uni - - useair *- 1 ~ ...
?=*?E.="
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." 4.LJ I iEjW@¢§%§Q§§h '.'"= -e strike occurred on Hay 12, l93'l' 'Ere '=s
sdEE di§¬JssIon at the mine about a contract. I do not recall exactly whatl§%?*Z%§: ; I l??¥%él:?li ;I Cilia " . e assessments were loss, and did not
come as often. That is the reason I decided that I would rather belong to
the UI..'Y£. That election in December 1357 was Cl fair election. No one told
me how to vote, or made any threats or requests of mo in any way. I voted
just as I pleased at thit election.
"At the meetings of the PMS local, there was no complaint. There
were a few personal fights among members once in e while, sometimes over
things that arose in connection with the union business, but there was
no compulsion, or anyone making anyone do anything that they did not want
to do at any of thcsc meetings. No one was forced to attend or do anything
that they did not want to do. Before the strike I did not hear anyone
complain particularly about the PET. I did not hear anyone say anything
about switching Unions. I know that several men were tried by the Union
for saying things against the Union. I did not hear them soy anything
t though. These men were ried one or two at a time. I do not know how long
before the strike the more tried, nor if all of them had been tried before
the strike. I do HZ? know exactly who the men were who were tried and
kicked out of the union before the strike. I know that F§3§g_nnstin,_§ggy
flgtch, Andrew Schrelov' us, Dominic Pasquale, Eete Carter, Cotton Annias,EmorqymjgqgfgyythnrlejgohannonI §n¬mUiEHy Halo werznhidked out_bET5rn~~
thc strike. I am not s e who else was tFiedT*I did not hear any of thse
men say anything about switcing Unions.
vi: before the strike fairly well& ¢. .
it was, but a few days before the strike actually started there was some
talk about o strike then. I recall that Oscar Falcetti called mo and asked
3
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50 O _
Re: JOH L. LETIS, ET AL
£>'7=: 'e ~ we
IBTERVIET TITH me to read e the
I l
re-!!m.r
asked him if I read it. He said
th bottom. I do not that it was end if I recall his name was s a
remember that was on the paper that I read, but it had something to do with
the contract. After I read it the men all went back to work.He asked me
"The night before the strike, or shortly before the stri e there
was a meeting of the local. I think this was a special mcetiEET__It was
so long ago, that I do not recall exactly what went on. There was a
fairly large bunch of fellows there that night. They did not try any men,
they had all been tried before. I was at the meeting and they decided s5Et
they would not go back to work as long as the men who had been tried and
kicked out of the Unio were still at work. I remember that there was some
discussion at that*ti_e. I do not rember exactly what happened, but I
think the men decided to go to woTk_the next day. I knew we did. I was
working, and had filled one car full, One of the drivers told me that they
were not filling full cars that day,-hnd I told him that if I couldn't fill
:1. car I wouldn't work. I left and siartod home. I we.s on top ':.rhr=.
called the strike. I went home. I think the trouble was over the rr¥i§ *e"-
of those men who had been kicked out of the Union. I recall vaguely that "
Oscar Fslcetti told a group of the men while I was there that he would not
fire these men until he got some more information on the Tegner act. I do
not reall if that was the day of the strike or the day before.
"After the stri e, I went home. I went back to work the next
day, but none of the men were working so I went on home. I went out the
next couple of days after the strike. Ihile I was out there I signed some
papers for the Progressives, I think. I remember signing something. I
know that I did not sign anything for the United Mine Yorkers. I was a
member of the Progressives at that time. I wanted them to get beck to work
as soon as they could. I was disatisfiod with the deductions, but I was
not doing anything about switchingmhids or causing any discussion among
the men. fl was satisfied to stay in the Progressives if I could get back
to work. After a few days I qhit going out to the mine, and started .
looking for another job._g%§§¬HQ?te;sefnw~nt 11@iJv 5i$¬%n&sn:;gss§?,?= 9
§ i'n id not think that they v:e_uId be working because
there was a picket line. After the men stayed out thereéué w HJ?:;t with_ -. ut there at night for a while.and t on tri.ed__to talk me i'155 %§ n " ere" 'a
I ~ o e~ re -5 tdf ; Q 3 a t a it was -du . I mine a night. to ng he Rd h t KY W
was not threatened or anything for not s &yingL the men just tried to talk
men into staying there. After the job was over I went back out to the mine.
I .
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~C - <0 :~@54§-be-s4st_
an 'I- -r~ e r'.1_' T_Re: £@§EN C. TIT is,1/1
1;1~1=*n1r11'*' ww 1 we-s at e ins as the -Jaw that +1» United States
iiarshall camemout there and ord-e1:edm1is off.
centinuo ""*""-r" ..
* I did not try to go back to work at mine B at any
other time until the mine wee opened in 1939. I did not know that they
ever tried to open the mine again. I know I did not hear about it. I was
not working most of that time and would have gone back to work if they had
tried to open the mine.
"I voted in the election a few days after the injuction was given
to us. I voted for the United Mine 7orhers, but no one tried to tell me
how to vote. It was a fair election. No one threatened mo or anyone else
that I know of. I voted just as to how I vented.
- EQIIIIIIIII -"During I got a job at the nine for e few weeks.Thot_§es a UNI mine, and I joined the d then. nlter I quit working atthe ine I hm. my membor tho U2'.1T=' switched to the
local-574-' o the UNI QT mine B.
"Then I went book to work at mine B, which was the first day of the
opening, I went right beck to work at the same place that I had been
working before. There was no evidence of c big cave in or fire in the
mine in thot'part. There were a few smell cave ins, but the mine in that
pert was pretty well kept up. There had been a big cave in on the South
side of the mine, but t gt ngawnever Fixed u-. In feet, it has not beenfixed up even now. -~. I know that it has
not been repaired yet. It is all bloeke now, and no one eon get close
to the ceve in because of the black damp.
"I was c member of the UHF all the time after-I went back to work
at Zine B. I did not see anyone beaten or threatened. I did not pay much
st£3h£65'ts what was going on at the mine during that time. I do not know
of any organizing that was being done in the mine. I did not talk to anyone
about the union, ask anyone to change or etc. my brother and father were
workinr out there. They did not swish unions and nothing was done toe
either of the
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Re: JOHN L. LE-TIS, ET AL
. /KID
. i 1:" whgn 1 was n member af_bhnt_ union. I am satisfied' with the United Kine orkera nmh
- con nuc . - ..
'*@n°"
<sigw=> '
T.B I
FBI-
92
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0f ___.~.','...-r_..,__..,,.¢v¢--~.-,p---qr,-.,-,.,,.,-,-. %IP 1-/-<'v -1 ...-.-Q-,---wrw --q ,1-.;m.-v-- 0-» - "1 --1; -W-In -7- -.... _--- - -
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f. L} ' __92_!
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL
was interviewed st his hone,
Id, Illino
the assistance of
interpreter. The
J 1 Agents and
English
M well. He cannot speak and professed lapses of
memory. He is not be1ic'§e.:i_ to be a good potential witness. Upon interview
he executed the fO113Wi.ng signed statement:
L ..
Springfield, Ill,
August 27, 1943 .-
_> _ _gg Heme is make this statement toit an-: who hive identified 12hef'35éo?1éi$6 mi; is Ee e Special no Bureau of Investigation. Ho
threats, promises or _o_onsdi_der:=.tion of any kind has been mode to me to
make this tatemell. It is true and accurate, end I em willing if necessary
to repeat this statement in court.
I "I worked st mine B fr;~rE1ti1 someti e irg I belonged
to both the United Elino-Yorkers and the Ro__.5s__iY 1'n Torkers while
I '35 *"@1kiY1E; t1'1@I'<=*-
E m. -Then I was 2 member of the Unit-ed . .Jine Iorkers I was
satisfied. TThenu I was e. member of the Progressive Mine workers I wail
I satisfied. I did not care which uni-on I belonged to. I voted in the election
in 1957. I also voted in the election in 1941. No one ever told me to how
to vote. I voted just as I pleased. Both of them were fair e1ection's"'as far
as I know.
fw _ - " :-53:?=.n; =:'g?_:' hos read the above statement over to me.It is true and scours e. _
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as: Jam L. L.-5'-is, sr AL '.-13-6-48
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1 ' '-TFIH SPY 11° 1111" -=was nteew d at his residence by A1jents -
. and on August 39, 1943. e Ira -
ing talker, and coopere. into ed no cririnal record. It is believed
he would he e satisfactory witness.
The following is a signed statement executed
"Sprinrfield,
August 30, 1
" > .-.~ I 911°"-in st atement
tarily to " and e who have
selves to se as Special Agents oi "F-eder-:11 Bureau of
threats or promises have been made to ne to obtain thisb= -j.~ .|;1_j~:~._ H '
I11.
943 _
freely and volun-
identified them-
Investigatifm. Ho
statement.
not work. i barn it jj*.::;:f.-: Icame to te Uhited States in _=1nd W75 n aF."1i:f"$ zed 5% :1 I¥ e3eraI co'urt ininifield, 1111., in h My certificate of naturalization is numbered
" +_ _i_-i._._ -..l.L I'T.IA-j92l.! A""1: - .LNbZ1TKJF1 ._._,-._;-5;_..._- 2'1] J._;__ _ ~ V 7" - I . DC]? U1 Uni? UTI1 DEG EllWorkers. Q en ! came to e D15! !tates, I was s member of the U.}.i.T.'.
in the United States without having to pay any extra dues I t d7- . - . s aye
in the U.IZ..'.'. union until I joined the Progressive I-Iine Workers of America
.1.un on in 1.932. I stayed in this union until 1940 when I rejoined the
U.I.I.¥I'.
"1 began to work in !.fLnc B about I took H3 part in
the formation of the P.H.A. at Mine B. If the major y oi the miners at
}.fi;j!e__B were in favor of the P.tI.A., that was satisfactory with ire. It made
T15 difference to me to which union I belonged. I just wanted to work so
that I could make money to support me and my family.
"I don't remember any trouble at Hine B from 1932 to 1937 between
the P.!J.A. and the management tr the nine. I don't think there inany
trouble in the P.}1.A. I did not attend many union meetings because I
was not very much interested in union activities. l'7hatever the majority
of the miners decided to do with 0.K. with me.
Prior to 1937 I don't remember that any person
th .1: '" 1asked me to join
e U 1.... I don t know of the activities oi any persons who might have
tried to get members for the U.!-LW.
"I don't know the reasons for the strike in 1937. I did not
attend the P.!i.A. meeting on the night before the strike, and I don't
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XTITH remember if I knew about the nesting. Ch the d ay of the
strike,I walked out with the rest of the miners because 3
I wanted to be with the majority of the miners. I don't. -
i"'eI3e"1'D6f' if I signed a I-.ii.A. ietition in 1937, ear do 1% .
I remember signing any petitions for any union. No one asked me to join .
the U.Ii.T.'. that year, and no one threatened me in an attempt to mice me »- _
join the U.H..'-'. I did not picket Hine B in the fall of 1937 because I "'7-I
did not want to get into any trouble. I wanted to stay away unti1_aver1- .
thing was settled. - ' - -_ .
. "I recall that someone told me about an election in December _
1937, but I don't remember if I voted in the election. I don't know ho!
I would have voted in the election, but I probably 22$ have voted with
the majority in favor of the P.1L.A. . -
"I don't remember getting any notices -of the reopening of Kine B 7
except the last notice. I did not go up to the mine because of the fight-
ing that was going on between the members of. P.!I.A. and U.li.I'. - 1
"I went back to norkiin Mine B, as I recall, in 1939. After
I returned to work I saw n man in thEiuine who was Icncmn as an "air checker.
I don't remember his name. This man was permitted to 50 all through the
mine in his Job. As he did so, he talked to the miners trying to get theme
to join the U.1i.i'.'. He did not ask no to join the U.1.i.TI., and I can't
remember the names of the miners who told me what he me doing. Prior
to the strike in 1937 there I15 no "air checker in Mine B. I think that
this mar. was only tryinr to get members for U.M.'i'.'. I think his name I88 . 1
J": . '7' 1' -."~." 9'_ 6.
"I rejoined _ _A som time in the fall of 192,0, as I recall.ee my are died in I we »n¢1@1_=» ea
asked them if the m3i?F'h'E1" &§e for it Y P FY h.They told me that they did not have any money to e p me. They a so -
me that they could not do this because I had not paid any PJLA. dues. '
The Mine B company had not checked off nine dues for either union, as I
recall. , . , 7 e1
"Some time in 1940 pgminie Pasquale came to my house and asked
depos ed the check to my account in the First National Bank of Springfield
which is located on 5th St., in Sprin['fie1d,I_ I11 1 . e1 joined the 11.:-1.Ti. and they paid no 5100100 with a check. I 92
Q
* "From the time the mine opened in 1939 until the election in
1941 I saw no trouble at the mine. I heard that some men were beaten up,
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I - -
____;.- a 7 u = but I don't 1.1.51. anything about the rcas0na for these
" _ beatings. I don't know_the names of any of the peraml
ca ' =- involved in these beatings. In the election of 191.1 I
' voted for the U.1i.T.-.- 7
, 1
II prefer the U.1.{.'.7. because that union took care of
' " :_ c-fused to help me. If the U.'LZ.1T. had not helped me
f"_1-15: r" I I think that I would have no preference as to what
o o ong to. Unions are all alike to me; one seems to be as g
other. t
"This statement c-Jnsitinfj -of this and two other typewritten
pages has been read tn ne ant I state that it is true to the best o1_my
lmowledge and recollection. ' - A
e /3 ' '
Titnessesx ' _ _
. J-'_ ' . -11'-'¢*.1'-I -Y Q__=ec gen s, ..I.
Springfield, Ina
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'° , . nlino S, was E Q at Q I _: .V V c j] 5 -1. - | _ _ t 8,»
I 19./.2, by ients _ an so
gave formation freely and willing , -- sa d he won -- i- g to I .* -
testify, however, it is not believed he would be a satisfactory witness. II
admits no criminal record. . »- . - _;. 1 . '
- . ' ' / " my -92 ' _' ., _
The follosing sigped statement E38 taken from_ ' _.'_ - .-- ._-
Springfield, Ill. .
_ I August 29, 1943 < .~
make statemnt freely and iand who M. identifiedthemselves to me as " ' '. = gents 0 -= were Hi an of Investigation.
No threats or promises have been made to me to obtain this statement.I
voluntarily to
Old, I11.
.he United _
I first joined s mine union when I joined the United Kine Worker!ina I first started u~ work at about 1926 or 1927. In 1932
I Jo ne the Pr_o_gI1es_si_yg__i;i;1e_'Zn:ke:s~-of-Aanerica. I rejoined the U.1I.u.
in 191.6. At as time have I ever been an officer oi any union. _sprmgri"A
I we B born
As long as I havezoriaed in the mines it has made no difference
to me as to which union I belonged to. I alvsa;-*5 have been interr staid in
making a living, and have not taken much interest in union activities. I
have tried to vote with _the majority of the workers so that we would always
be able to work. ~
"In 1937 I voted for the P.IZ.A. because I thoughtthat the major-
ity oi the miners wanted th.t union. In 1941 I changed my vote to U.I.!.T?.
because at that time I thought the majority of the miners wanted that "
union. Some of the men had said that under the P.1£.A._ Kine B had remained ' ,
closed, and they also said that under U.I£. . the mine would reopen. They
said that if the U.I5.'-T. got the majority of the miners, the mine.-,would
stay open. I don't remember the names of the men who were saying these '
things. "- - . _ . e A _
"I don't remember signing any P.!E.A, petition in 1937. I was not '
interested in union affairs. I don't recall that I wont to a meeting of
F.?:'.£. on the night before theatrike started in 193?. fh the day of the A
strike all that I remember is that the men did not go into the mine. I
c
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Ra: JOHN L. 15515, ET AL
~ time A -
don't know why the miners struck that day.
c '.. .-"- "I don't recall that anyone of the u.§a.:. tried to get
mo to join that union in the Bummer of 1937. I remember
that I was in the picket line at I_~§_n___e B in the fall of 1937. I did not .
have to go to the picket line. I went because I wanted to, land because
I hi nothing else to do. I went to the picket line a couple of times
with men from my neighborhood. I think that only Ifine B men 1-"Pore doing
the pic]-zoting. There were no outsiders.
"As I recall, I joined the U.FI.7. about 5 or 6 months after I .
cent to work in Mine B in l9&O. No one forced me to Join the U.H.'.'.~'.,
but I felt that if I wanted to work in I-She B, I would have to be a zwmber
of U.}.I.'.T.
"This statement consisting of this and one other t;.'pe~;"r'1tton_
page has been road to me and I state that it is true to the best of my
knowledge and recollection. - '
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P111
- This witnee has a. very di cu t timezunderstanding English and u,
'- * cannot express himself in English. _ I011 d not make "a good Iritneu I
b f h diffi lt 'th En li h. dvi h d 01¢ he I 'Z
ecauae o is cu wi g u a sea e oeln T0'- . criminal record. ételephone number e ~ p . .
- Following 15 a. signed statement obtained from -
-_ " "Springfield, 111. ' . _ " ,
A " August es, 194: ,. p I
'1. r Srinsfiel I11-make the following voluntary statement to and k .=3-'--' ?hom I know to be Special agents '3" -= H eau oi nvesti- -
e t ea s romises 've ee ma t a. -1 -._ _ ga on. Ho fore , hr t or p ha b n do in obtaining hi
.-?'-qt statement and I know that what I may say may be used in a court of law.
I emigrated the U
from as a zen of the U.8
i
2.
- I.
? I was employed in a coal mine inas a member e£___3 U111? and wori In .-several mines in:-B 0. member out from
§ ' was employed in a. coal mine in Springeld,i Ill. a_s_ a ll. '- orko n several coal mine! in Springfield, I11. up untily when I was employed as a miner at Mine "B", Springfield, I11.
as of um. .
.3} In September 1932 I became a member of Pills because the local Ulfi
union wanted to change to HUM ' u
' - '1 have never held any offices in any union and never took an
_ active part in any union. -
- I
Prior to September 1932 the management seemed to he gr:-".ti.n§ along
3 with ll!"-R and after the mine, Mine "3', changed over to BIA the management '
V of Mina "5' seemed to have no difficulty with PEA until Hay -12, 1937- .-
92 . -
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7 4&4 " - . ,.' ' - ' .,",. _..?' "13.. 7"'.92"_g_'- :1 .¬~ .-_ 92Re: Jess L. 1.e:.1s, er AL.
There were no st:-iloes or close-downs st line '8 .
between September 1932 and Hay 12, 195?. Ioither .,
FJJ.-CHTI or ELSHOFF of line '8' mentioned 'to In or.
' - showed anypartis1ity toward Ilfii. The management .
oi Hine "B" so far as I know never showed any hostile attitude in settling
grievancee between Sept. 1952 and Hay 12, I937. I '
. 92 . - _ ,
' "I and other members of HM. I know, felt that Pill was an honest
union, not being operated as a racket no measiires of oompulsion were usetf
to force me to be s. member oi H51». PEA. did not make any unusual special
assessments and so far as I know there was no kick-beck to 1oce._1 PIA
officials. I knew of the bombing oases, but I do not know how other men-
bers felt toward the conviction of FHA members. I took no interest in the
case. 92 1 ._ s
Between Sept. 1932 and I-day 12, 1937, UM; never set up s picket
line at Kine "B" nor did UM? distribute e.ny_1,iterature at the mine, lo one
talked to me between Sept. 1952 and Hay 12, 1937 in an effort to convert
me "from e member oi HM to UMIF. ' ' '
.'I never saw or heard oi any association between the management
of lline "B" and mo." officials between sept. 1952 and Hay 12, 1957. .
' "In the spring of 1937 I did not know of my oontroversy about
the wage scale at I-fine '3': so far as I know employees at line 'B" Iiere
satisfied with the tinge scale at Mine "B" in the Spring of 1937 and no one
made any mention to me about it. ~
- - "I do not rember a meeting of PEA on the night of Hay 11, 193?
and could not say if I was notified of a meeting that night or not. 1' _
On the afternoon of May 12, 193? I;.was told by someone to stop
work as there was a disagrument between BU; and the management of Kine '3'
about the union contract. I do not know what the disagreement was nor
I can I furnish any information as to why the mine closed Hay 12, 1931.
spiea being expelled from * I do not know anything about five Uk5'|'
PHL. - _,
En}? 12, 1951, on purpose; '1 did not load any coal oars short on
nor did I see any other miners loading coal cars short on Hay 12, 1937, on
purpose. . -' - '
I did not know of an intended strike on 1594' 12, 195?. _ 7
. - 92-
'I cannot say whether I signed I: P!-U. petition of May 26, 1931or not es I cannot remember such a petition, V ' 7 7
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Re: JOHN L. Lneis. st AL . A '_ TY ti >
J
. - ' ' H .Y . -/ ._@;,- _..-' Q ~
_ __- _ _ , In "I did not sign any mti petition or any_'j11doat' ff, '
§§§- gee?" ;@f1iT"_ petition in the sumer of 1957. _ ; i p£5 'e..' .H,i*"""" ~ ' ~ . . ' '_r'
-P ll h I did not knew of the formntion of uni local 1459, I 1
July 29, 193?. Ho one attempted to get me to become a member of UHF in the_summer of 1951. _ ' ' ' ' _ " '
5-. ____ =.___ _.LJ._._.j_J ___._ Bur _....-a:........ i_. 1.1..-. -_..........._ -0 1 . M"1 may IIBJVB BLLUHQUU. 50111:: run IJUUULLAEE 111 uuw nulumui U1 1- '
I did not take an active pert. So far as I know there was no viole
Summer of 1957. '
#1 was informed by an agent of'PHL that Kine '3' Ins to open. I
do not know the dete but it was sometime in Soptom5?Ff I937. I reported for
work that morning and was told by some of the miners that Nine '3' officials
had made the statement that anyone who wanted to work would have to be a -
. member of UB5. I do not know the names of the miners who furnished me the
information. I remained at the mine that particular morning as a picket EMU
returned for a few hours the following morning as a picket. Bo for as I knew
IPMA did not import any outsiders as pickets. I did not act as a picket but
for the first two days after Kine "B" was to heve opened in Sept. 1937. I
did not see any vio1ence_at the mine nor did anyone threaten me if I did not '
act as a picket. , e
- '1 do not know anything about an attempt to open Mine QB Dbc. 13,14
1937. I was not notified that the mine was to have been opened.
_J#E,@;,;} eqrw en _-.9: about a Federal Court injunction Dec. 9,'t ~ ...:ej';~>" _. -,_ .'?;<j' "§;;f.;Yf{.=-. ;_ 5-, - _" _*~_ '~.;-'1; -{F »*_i-TI-"--';'.r'f." "'i ' .-_ -- - '
On Dec. 15, 1937 the NLRB held an election to determine if Mine '
"B" should have been a UHF mine or a PHA.mine. I voted PMA as I was satis-
fied with the union. So far as I know tho election was fair and no one was
threatened if they did not vote EMA. I went to vote at my own free will, go
one carried me to the election or told me that I was to vote. '_ Qg..
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» 1 - -92. '-'*-' ~ 4; I .1 ~'u-. - - 1 -_ '. I __ .11 ..- I v _=-__ ___ g _ .-_ .Re: JOHN L. LE?-I8, n 1+ - -_ - _~=--4. _ -_t| . 7'-5 f I _ _ K . I -'. "65 "-I: }'1'E"'_*j§:;».:ev;;'is '1? V"" ' "J - I ;».- . r-- .t':.r'-=1? -1.' I .' ' ' ' I
INTERVIET s "men I returned to the mine, _ 19:1???
there were many caves-inn in Him
con ue two smell fires in lllne '3' subsequ . 1939 _*
L._.l. Y .n.|.s __.|_ 92____ _.n __ __- _____ q,_.__ _.._ ..'__92.___.-__.a.DUI J 0.151 DUE IBII U1. QT I65 I-W LE-92l'§iI
to Hov. 1939. . - 1 1 ' 92' < ~ - ._ _ 1 " '
UH IUDFUQUIIIIF
92 . . _ p . W ' 0' 7
Between sot. 6, 19:59, e.pd. Feb. 21, 1941 no one _t}u~eetened an or "
attempted to persuade me to become 0. member 01 ULTJ or~to remain e member O1
mo I -'3. ' -. ." '-
In the summer of 1940 a man the name of when I do not knew, la-
formed me that I have to join [hi as the mine yes to become q 1135:" mine. I _
mew I would have to become e member of Tin?! in order to work at iiine *5 as I
heard many others were joining [Iii and I heard violence was being used against
PEA members because they did not join HIM I never saw my violence and '-
never sew any fights. I1 one occasion I heard a nnohollow when [Ni members
were beating him, but I did uot see the tight end could not furnish. the as
of the persons ghting. In the sunmer of-1940 I _'§ofned the IE?! to prevent
any violence being; used against me by Uh? members. I stopped paying dues to
FHA when I joined U161. ' J e
"1 voted at the election Feb. 21, 1941 for Pm. because I was satin-I
tied with PM before UB5 attempted to organi ze Mine 'B". 80 fer es I lino!
the election was fair. I did not see any violence during the election. M
s T i hnnhln in 53.11 whofln II , - -....-- 92- -.., J Ivlbklnlll
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9Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET'ALL-.;_ .
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Ma mg92¬:.__..._--_.__ n__.. ' " ' e '1 J lIi1':1L<{Vll:;n7.1'1 .-_-._-:§_:,._..:..¥_*.|:'_=_ ., __ l . 3Prin£fi°1a' _all = on 0 »- =1 M B» ='= . lee by see-1 d " He gave ia-
formation willingly, but because o t e limits on o 1 I 0Irled,go,.1t,il
not believed he would be a good witness. He stated he has never been
arrested.
Following is a signed statement obtained frcn a -
=£§pringfield, ill. = . '
August av, 1945.
volunterily to
themselves to me.4
5 -=} t ioii -; statement freely and' l ' who have identiiied
s 0! the Federal gureau, of Inventi e.t10n' g .
Ho threats or promises have been made to me to obtain this statement.
I presently live at . S ri ' field Ill. and
work at the Panther Creek Mine #5. lasborn at -t
S .. . . ted. .. ' . 'W5 ""5"'="-"" "=1 VI ' " ' ' [P 1n .
.- _
'1 r<--e joined s union, em United lline Eorkere, 1-» " -L QI II 5r HI. ¬ UF Lianin- I have never held an office in any union. In 1928 or 1929 I be- . '
gen to work in Mine B, and worked there until the strike in 193?. I returned
to work in Roveml5er'; "I959, and stayed unti.1?T_ when I quit.
I don't remember any trouble at Nine B from the time I began to
work there until 1932, and don't know the reason for the trouble in that
year. it that time the men started the Progressive" Mine T-orklfs union, and
as most of the men seemed to want that union, I stuck with the majority.
From 1932 until 193'? there was no trouble at Mine B, and I woe satised "=1
P.¥.A.- It made no difference to me which union, P.li.A. or U.H.'=I., covered
the mine because I was satisfied with any union which satisfied the majority
of the miners in the mine. All during this time the minors seemed satisfied
with P.lé.L..
P.?=!.A. meetings, but not _very many
the night before the strike
I knew whether or not there
about any U.Li.T;. organizers
strike.in Hey of
was to be
in lline,. During the period between 1932 end 1937 I went to some of the
ofthem. I did not go to the meeting
1937, and I can't remember now whether
e meeting. I didn't know enythini
and I don't know the reasons for the
.0
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. J - . .. . - .__...92_, ;= ; i, - _s- _ ;_ 1 ;-,,,,w"' '-- H; r'itj_- ~- . a ~ ,. ';~- F" ~. 1-1; ~J"'T3*~.»-- --I-z, -~ "I ' , ;, . . . !,. 5 ._ ' ' _V_'_;_ -1. ' ,-_ ' Ir -_:=-: ye -';~- Q--.,»"1~s.~= .- -.-. . r .-*92;.-- ~"'
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$2 LI ET AL . K - , A:":r:.._-...
I i 19-1:; it/11> ; u
__i_i_; _ _ I . = Es did not. say why they were going to strike. Benny is , L"
oontilhfe . 92 I . _
' "I had to support my family, IO instead of going to
mine for the strike, I went out tr; look .for another job; '
'1 don't remember signing any petition for the PJLA. and I sun:
remember signing any petition for U.ll.'ii., although I might have. I just
can't remember. As I said before, I was agreeable to what the majority of
the miners wanted and did not care if the U.l£.'ii. came back or if the PJLA.
stayed in the mine. . , .
I don't remember that '1 received any notice of the opening of the
mine either in September or December, 1937. In December, 1937, I voted for
the PJLA. in an election at the State armory because I felt that was the
union the majority of the min;-rs Wanted.
"In the fall of 1939 I received a letter from the mine operators
Advising that the mine was going to reopen in November. I went back to work
in November, and was at that time a member of the P.ll.J.. Some time 1111940 cr
' and came to see 1941, I think it was August, Joe Albanese .me at zny home several times. Th_e§"'ETi"?'!.ys came tog A u I old me that I
if I were smart and wanted to keep my job I should. join the U.H.'iI. They
showed me a long list of names of men who they said had already signed up
with U.Li.IA. I agreed to join the U.H.T.'., and signed up with them at _th.at
timo , '92
In the election of February,_ 1941, I voted for the U.]£'.TJ. because
I had signed up with that union, and because I thought the majority of the
miners were in favor of that union. I had no preference for the U;l{.1'.. at
this time, but voted for them because I had been told that I would lose my _
job if I did not vote for U.H.1'.. I had nothing against the PJL1. Joe
Albanese and Dominic Bartolomeo were the men who told me to vote for U.H.'i-'-'_
' " --
as n en came ac o wor " §@h1¬" n,"'my ce cos,"
{_; ,1. gave me a bad room. I examined the room, and when 1- sawJ
ithatmit was a ad room, I picked up my tools and quit my job; I don't know
why I got the bad room because I had never caused any trouble with any of the .
men in the U.!£.T§-
I began to work in the Panther Creek Mine ,
where P.M.TZs has a closed shop agreement, and I joined the P.H-A. _ _
?This statement consisti other typewrittenPages has been road to me by ,_ and I state that it
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R0: JOHN L. LERIIB, ET AI»
b';'c,. ml! _ ,
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_ - " : is true to the best of my knowledge and recollection. ~
=*m<= <->
T-itnesses: I -
1 Agents, FBI, Springfield, I11. '
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, . . _- ~ .=-"'7 -. '~' ,'~"'=. -' F~ . _ ,,; ' I r .**» -' '<*-z=»=*"*@=»~@1:=s-.-;'@-~:Y'1>@=§?¬,?~~ * L o " " one 0-4" ~~e»
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JOE1IL.LEnIS,-AL ' "- - '- " *', . _ V 92be-M4 ' 1
9211 V E: ' H 'f' ' springnole, '_
o s, was owe at not 21,
_ 1945, by Agents and __ .
gave infer:-mtion wi11inr_ily, b s ot be we -- 1| .
_ be o. good witness. Ea says he has no orininnl record. Ibo follwing .s
signed statement was executed by hiiu
Isprmgmla, :11.
nu"'5u'st 27, 1"vea." ",
' "1,o-rj. V _ mo -4, -1 otonent freely and -
voluntarily to one .2 - * he have identified
t .so1vo to M a - ' - - = " bun s no es _oo 1o_ez1ts o odor e..u of Investi-
gation. Ho throats or prcrzisos hevoboen node to no to obtain thin =
statement. .
nit pro sent I on 1_i;ri%|c.t L;_@:.:I. ° Gm "~:°r 15 E * ms min 15
. ._ I em to '* n ted States in and was nature ed
. . F I U -- in ,;7_=' W-..-:__~ 3 ;_-.. H =1;-__ J92 rinffio 1d, 11, ir. m, g:-A..-xg 1
mug: joined Q. 100111 union in Ponnsylvrinio. whore 1 was
working in e coo nine. I do not r0r.'0r1'b01" the none of the union. 'cone to Springfield, I11-, invrlwro I oontinuoc. to work thenines around Springfield. I je e the United Mine Workers 111%
While in any union, I have never held mgr ofoe. In 1953'
oppoc. wy nonborship in the U.!'-.-T7. one joined the Progressive Mine
Jorkors of America. It lid not make mgr difference to no to which '
union I belong-ed. I reooll that in 1932 when we were allowed to veto - _
oo to the onion whioh we preferred, I vet-of. for the P=!!=_,A.= ,
Fran 1952 to 1937 there were no strikes or trouble at I-lno B
to the best of 17;; knowledge. I attended meetings of PJZ-A. Xiuring '
this 113.110. I would hove been fined. if I had not attended the -aootings-
A11 during this the I was quite satisfied with PJLA. as e. union, and
with the men and officers of P.I=.A. While I was o member of P,H.1'L- I
knew nothing about org; ottonpts of the U.1!.W. to organize the non frcn
P-15.!» to U-1557. Ho one ever asked no to join the UJ.LTi'¢
From April 1, 193?, until the first of bum, 1937,one knew nothi-I15 or am strike at Iiino a until my 7-
to 0 A-' it in o letter, I do not know any reasons for this strike. .
lifter tho strike, I rooell that I signed o. U.!;I.'lT. paper, but I donit
remember wlnt the paper woe about. I don't recall signing any p&p0,'I
for P.M.!L. At that time it node no difforonoo to no inowhioh union I -
was n member; _ ' .. Q , _ ff. - . .;" M
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U D 206505
JOH2NL.I.-.'BTIS,I.'1AL _ ' _
HQ 107»
J H In the election that was hold in Dooonber 1937 in
the Stato _§_.z-scnal, I recall that I voted for the
926U-I-lb-J.-Lidj P.I'Z.... iiiora. Zest of the nincra were for P-3-LIL,
and it" did not make any difference to no which union
was at tho nine so I vo-bod with the majority of miners. I voted for the
Progressive T':Lno iforkers also in 1939 for tho sane reason.
In Ho-mrlaor 19259 I returned to work at,IZi.nn»3-; and at that
tiwu was a zuonbor of P.!{.A. ibout 10 ;:on-ths later as I roeall II I
changed ovor to tho U.II.92T- I rooail that 50:10 of the non, whose nanoe
I don't recall t t '" " ~ - , I ar od t""1-kin- about point back into the UJIJ-L It
6001166 to no that cost of tho Tli wanto this iiiaioh, 0'6 I wont mack
toLU3;.'J. It mdo no difforcnoo to no. I had oocn oatisfied with
Pal-{urn LIP £0 thi tiflUe
_ This statement has boon road to :-.0 .-
and I state that it is true to the "boat "' '.'$'i" t an
""- ootiom
s-
_>.-_;-__T.L._.; . I
:.:" I - 1;=1?=3. -I
ocia agents, FBI-
Spr ingfie Id , Illa
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P
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET LLbile bio
INTERVIEW WITH 'te Illinois, was interviewed on
A 94 , - 1 - residence '1 Special Agent:
and '- I He stated be had
never been arrested. e gave -niors~.a.--e z'se-y m_ ve..unt-arily, said he
01.116 be Willi. E 1; ng o estify and it is r lieved he would make an excellent
B55!
The following signed statement was obtained from ' I
é Illinoisugus 28. 194$
__ mks the fello-sins statement freely and v 1" ._ 9292 = e i i * ° '*"
tc who have identified themselves
me as oi gents o ' e '-H ureu of Investigation. Fe threats .
or promises have been made to me to obtain this statement.
- ' - I = ..-5 i H1" I as 19° n
.. ' e 0 - = United States Ln ' 1 s no urn ized in :. Federa ourt in Springfield, I11., in-
' ' ' I-1.- 1 :...:...._.l .n.I_.. n'_:.n. .1 u.irst Joined a mine is-1i-on in .-me" u. .1 J-11.-1-<h$92l one unibéu iiworkers in Springfield, 111., in? I was a member of this union until
1952 when I joined the Progressive _ e~__E_e:.ke:£.i-e~i'_,&.meri.an.- I was not
working in a mine when I joigedwthe P.l£.A. I joined that union because I
felt that I wanted to belong to that union in case I started to work in
the mines again. I started to work in Mine B as I recall, in I935. I wasa member of PJLA. until 1941 when 1 has '¥;e §'"ie n the u.u.w.
"As far as I knew the P.M.A. had no trouble with the management of
Mine B from 1932 until 193?. As for ngself, I was absolutely satisfied
with the P.M.A, I was dissatisfied with the U.M.W} because I felt that
John L. Lewis had not played fair with the members of that union. It seemed
took all the money the miners made by means of assessments.
Lewis and the U.M.W. said the miners would get back the money they paid in
special assessments, but they never did. I believed at that time, and I _
still do believe, that the P.M.A. is a wonderful union. Whenever, the I
P.M.A. asked for a special assessment, which was not very often, the officers
always explained just why the assessment was being asked. All of the men
who were members of P.H.A. were fully satisfied with the union. If a man
misd -s 0 a PJLA. union he was not fined, but in the U.M.W. union, a memberL- _- .|.a,_4. -L-DU 171$ LB?-ID RU
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Re: Jess L. LEWIS, ET AL
zL.~?,o:>i9: _,
INTERV WITH was fined 50¢ for each meeting missed. After the election
of 1941 I was forced to join the UJIJV. to keep IV JOB
d...n_ 1-r:__ 1-92 1- .l_;_-lib 1.'lJ-DU D; 1. JUJ- U 92GD uifluu!
of the P.H.A. I a time I was a
that the P.M.A. always did everything in their power to help their members.
"From the time I began working at the mine until the strike in 1937,
I did not know of any time when the U.H.W. B61 up e picket line, although
I do remember of one er two cccesicns when s men steed et the highway by
the entrance of the mine and passed out handbills, telling the men to join
the U.M.W., and that they could join without paying an initiation fee and
that they would get a cut on their dues for a certain period of time.
In June of 1936 an election of officers for P.M.A. was held. Just
before this election, 12 men, namely, Joe Albsnese, hndrew Schrelevious,
Dominic Pasquale, Pete_§3§;;r, Frsnk Ay§EIHI T5g_£1gtch, Cotton_IEan;as,
John Sirtout, George and Emery Jccaway, Charl§s_§qhannon, and Jemesnle,
ell members of the P.E.A., had begun talking to the men and attempting to
cause dissatisfaction with the P.M.A. to try to get the men to join the
U.H§W. Approximately s year before the strike, because they were afraid
that the above named men might be hurt, the Kine B company gave these men
a separate wash room in the office building at Mine B. Some of these 12
men were drivers, some were company men, and some loaded coal. The drivers
end the company men could get all over the mine and were in a position to _talk to the miners and to agitate them to join the U.M;W. h Ki
"These 12 men were pretty k with the management and were in ;
with the management much of the time. They had the best of everything, and _
the diggers would get the best rooms. All of these men went around with
Falcetti, and I know that they went out together. I hoard that Falcetti
was along at one time when some of these men tried to get miners to join
the U.M.7., but I don't know if this is true or net. /
"At the time the contract between the company and P.H.A. ended in
1937, the lenders of P.M.A. told the men that they hed no contract, but
4-92.92..+ +1.,-. .....,.... ...,.....,. ...-..'|,-2.... ......:a._... .-..... -..,¢.,,.....:..... P5 4-92_.. -1.-1 .._._4-....,,.a _....4..|1 -uu-Au unu mvu. msau WUIIkJ.4'1.E ua.uu=..1 nu cu92w.,uo1.vu Lu I.-nu uiu uuuuiuuu wu-4.1.
a new one could be signed, The members of F.M.A. were willing to do whatever
the leaders thought was best. At this time there was some trouble about
the back pay question, namely, the pay the men were to receive from
April 1, 1957, until the new contract was signed at s higher scale. This
question was finally settled, the union giving into the management, and
agreeing that the wage scale would begin st the time the new contract was
signed. The men were satisfied with this arrangement because they did not
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Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, arm,
37¢,
IN VIEW WITH
co in~.'..~* ;0ss0e
We
want to make any trouble with the management and they did
not pay any attention to the fact that the men working in '
U.M.W. mines got their raise in pay sooner, because the
men in P.M.A. knew they were going to get a raise anyway,
This matter was discussed at a P.M.A. meeting and the men said they were
satisfied to let the leaders of P.M.A. work it out with the management. The
wage scale and all other matters concerning the contract had been decided
between the union and tho management, and the men were just waiting for the
management to sign the contract with P.H.A.
On Hay ll, 1957, a notice was posted by the P.H.A. on the bulletin
board at the mine, advising that a special meeting was to be held that
night at ?rogressive Hall, 6th and Washington Streets, Springfield, Ill.
This meeting was well attended, all the chairs being taken. Some of the
members had to stand. I think there were about 450 men there. Although
the notice did not say what the meeting was to be about, I had been told that
the meeting was to ascertain what the members<f the P.H.A. wanted to do about
the l2 named men who were agitating for the U.H.W. Just prior to this time
the company had stopped checking off dues for the P.H.A. for 12 men, The
activitieslof the 12 men were well known to the P.M.A., and it was known
that these were the 12 men whose dues were not checked off by the compan.
The meeting was called to draft a petition to the management saying that
these 12 men should be forced to rejoin the P.M.A. or else be discharged
from Kine B. The referendum vote on the petition resulted in a vote of all
the men present for the petition. I believe that seven of the I2 men later
agreed to rejoin the P.M.A. and their names were deleted from the petition.
None of the 12 men was present at this meeting, although the notice was
posted in the usual place and no restrictions were placed on the persons
attending the meeting. I don't know how the seven men were advised of the
action taken at this meeting.
"The next morning, upon arriving at Mine B, the petition was
presented to Felcetti, and he was told that the remaining five men either
had to rejoin the P.M.A, or be discharged from Mine B, because the P.M.A.
men refused to work with two unions in the mine. Falcetti said that he would
not fire the men, and that from that time on no dues for the P.H.A, would be
checked off from the salaries of any of the
to fire the 5 men, the P.M.A. members began
action had been decided upon at the meeting
further decided at that meeting that if the
not influence the management, the men wouldmen. when the management refused
loading the cars short. This
the night before and it was
loading of the oars short did
strike. The strike was called
after the management refused to fire these five men.
"As far as I know this was the only reason for the strike. Nothing
concerning the wage dispute had been mentioned, and I don't believe it had
anything to do with the strike. We began to picket the mine because we did
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Re: JOH L. LEWIS, ET AL£49 17 CIm_ L3 ill!
' WITH not wont the 12 men to go to work until the sheriff cama,_
and after ho told us that no one would go to work in the
7 con inu mine until the trouble was settled we went home. I
I don't remember signing the P.M.A. petition in hey 195?, and I
don't remember anything about it, although I might have signed it. I don't
remember signing any petitions that summer.
IDuring the summer of 1951 Ph!, =1 u.u.w. agitator
brou ht - ' g up from the South, who had been roug up to work in the mines a
couple of months before the strike, asked me several times to join the U.M.W.
I saw him several times in Springfield, Ill., and he asked me at those times.
One day during that summarf*7Q5e~ F1" came to m home it and1Hl!!!ll EHIIL asked me to join the U.h=¥= *; i;_ - _ihember enyone else as__ng _-. I was
not threatened in any way by these men.
llDuring the summer of I937 the P.H.A. paid ms my gasoline and
meal expenses, and I went around trying to keep the members of P.l.A.
together. I talked to them on the streets, and I saw them in their homes,
trying to keep them in the P.M.A. We had P.H.A. meetings about once a week,
and the officers reported to them whet was going on. Host of the men felt
that even though they were out of work, the officials of P.M.A. were trying
to do the best they could for them, and that they should wait for word from
the officials as to whet should be done. As time went on however, and
men could not get work, some of them began to sign up with the U.M.W. I
talked to several of them after they had joined the U.H,W., and they said
that they wished that they could still be in P.H.A.
"In September, 1937, I received a notice from Kine B, saying that
the mine would reopen. Later I received another letter from Mine B, saying
that a closed shop contract had been signed with the U.M.W. We had e special
meeting of the P.M.A, at which we decided that if the management gave the
contract to P.M.A. we would work the mine, and if they refused, we would picket
the mine when it was reopened. The P.M.A. did this because we had e majority
at that time. The men wanted to work and were-ready to work, but when the
management would not give the P.M.A. Q contract, picketing began. This had
been decided upon by a referendum vote of the P.M.A. members, I was s picket,
and all of the pickets were men who had worked at Mine B. The men were all
in agreement that they would not work under e U.H.W. contract,
"At the time of the Federal injunction I felt, and I believe that the
majority of the men did likewise, that the purpose of it was to keep the men
from going to work. I don't remember getting any notices in December 1957,
or January 1938.
"In the election of December, I937, held at the State armory, I voted
P.M.A. because I believed then, as I do now, that the P.M.A. is the best
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Q , ~53, 9006510
Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL .
5 we
went to a window at the State armory. F9¢BiV°¢ »
checked the union I preferred, and deposited the
a box. I think the election was on the square
think most of the mn wanted the P.H.A. t thbtWITH union. I
a ballot,
nued _ ballot in
because I
151136 I
"In Bovember of 1939 I received a notice from P H A f, . ., or re Nine
B, I don't remember which, that the mine was to reopen. I don't remember new
tn ' - 'at anything was said about the wages we were to receive. Host of the men
I talked to were still satisfied with the P.M.A., but were mad at Elshoff
because he wo 1d -t ' ' u no sign a contract with P.M.A.
"Khan I returned to work in November, 1939 there was some fall 1 , n
the mine, but I donit think it would have cost the company a lot of money to
fi "t ' ' x 1 . I don t remember any largo fire or accident occuring since I retuned
to Kine B in November 1939.
"Between Hovcmber 1939, and February 1941, when the U.M.?. gained a
majority in the election I saw several men receive boati s 1th: th ng , or r e
res of the beatings. Some of the n Nho were beaten were ' W Ph!, and :2 man known There were several ethos 0 I'ee&@ -eaten, but I dont remember their es. Each one of the men told A
M, _.:Q_that he w1s,boaten because he did not want to join the U.H.T. Bohggno- "
and Btfdr.-jgs. d d D r nor, an several others were the men who beat these men
my self was nEvEF_threctened, or beaten for failing to join the U.H;W.
After the election of February 1941, Bohannon and Felcetti told me that if
1 did not join the union U.l£.'='J.!, 1 would not be allowed to go into isms B
that day. During this period I never hoard the management of Wine B ss ~- Y
or do anything that favored U.H.T., but I do know that U.M.W. men got
better rooms bett ' b ' , er 30 s, and better treatment, than the P.M.A. men.
. I _ _. _. ._ _ .. ""2""? ~dIP"@ " *1 U.
see? M " _ _ H _. _ _-I = _,.~ - "-3,!-Ii:-"¢_:'f¬_l._ . ,.; -.- 0.-F. __.. ";vjjI,,§.". 92-:I':-.lVi.%l . $5.17 _'e-.~--,-I _
. . " -f~ u . , -_ -' -I, _' _ -, =.- =-¢-';_.1_,'j _ . . __ ,~:;'_- 1.,-J--"'_ " ' - , ; ~e%§§%%eee$=@h Inogn--aw ewe ,,Hoeh§eq¢¢@~e;x_? I had sgvcra B H5wi eho 1 a s
, an ough he tree ev me nice y, e would not cooperate with
me or give mo anything. Just before the election in February 1941, if I
presented e gricveance on the part of a P.M.A, man, Elshoff would not listen
to me. I afsohed several conversations with Fslcetti who acted the same
as Flshoff. On one occasion when a P.M.A. men had his tools stolen, I went _ g
to Fnlcetti, and asked him to furnish or buy some more tools for this man as }'
his tools had been stolen in the mine, Folcctti refused, and said I don'tgive the Progressives nothing. 1'11 give you everything if you will join t yf
United Kine Korkcrs. shy don't you join the United Mine Horkers?' i
In the election of February 1941, when the mine went U.MJI,, I
know that the majority of the men who were P.M.A. voted U.M.T. because they
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R0: JOHN L. LEIIS, ET LLL ;0s511
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p /I '92__f__
not vote for U.M.K. Since that time in talking withH were afraid that they would be beaten and harmed if they
did
continue the men I have been told by many that they still favor
the
union, and the U.}.!.'f;.
"I have read
ngrgg, and Rfnfo fhnfL D , .... ..-e_-92. .......-,
"£itneeses=
Q signed!P.M.A. I favor the P.M.A. because it is 1 square:
is not. '
1
this statement cunsiating of this and 7 other typewritten
it true to the beet of :1-:_,' me.-aledge e.::.é recollection.
=="~e@¢>
és1g==ed>
Snngigl Arnnn- PRT,r"-' D '_""'I -~-|
Springfield, I11."
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- to " 906512 .
He: some L. 12:15, ET AL .
C»
- IME1w1E"~"m1 é Springfield-} Illinois, was te ewe this hon Au st 0 1943;
professed to have a poor memory, this s i=. evien --- - se0 _ . . .- 1 iculty he had in reme baring incidents at Mine B. It is not
believed that this man would make a good witness becaisembf his memory and
his limited knowledge. He claimed to have no criminal record.
The following is the signed statement obtained from
"Springfield, Illinois
August 30, 1943
make the following voluntary statement to
who have identified themselves to me as. I-_.. .- H I 5
inSpecs gents of of Investigation. I give this freely,
Without any force or violence being used, and no promises made.
horn in
and be-cane
"I £' st oined a uni-on the United Mine '-1'orkers, when Iwas working in I bec-inc employs tit ins B in 1936, and joined
the Progressive 1-i:.n' ..or-kers of An_1_e1"ica at that time. I joined the PJ-kl.
because tHE-jfhad :f'bTosedi'i'sh'6'§ §'{7reement, and I had to join to go to work.C
, Springfield, Il1., an 5
came to this countr infield, 111., in i
"I was satisfied generally with the P.l.{.A., although to me, one
union is just like another. I didn't attend very many meetings, because
I wasn't espe"ia11y interested. I don't remember attending a meeting of
the P.LI.A.. the night before the strike in May of 1937. I might have seen
the notice of the meeting, but don*t remember it.
"I don't know the reason for the strike in Hay, 1937. I remember
that I 1.-us told a strike had been called, so I quit iith the rest of the
men. I hserd some talk before the strike, that some men were trying to
agitate the men into joining the U.}§."., and I don't know anything more
abiut it, and no one contacted me.
"I don't remember signing any petitions although I will not
say I diel not, for I night have. Neither do I remember anyone trying to
got me to join the U.?i.'.T.
"?hen the P.!¬.A. picketed the Nine _B_in the fall of 1937, I
wont to the picket line several times. I don't remember if I heard about
the picket line at a union meeting: or if some of the men told me, but I do
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92 . ..' 1 ' p IEC Z-Q oos512
Re: JOHN L. LEJIS, ET AL
571, ~
297/Juj. Fa !mr syn. know that I was not forced to picket by threat! 9? an?
3-I _ thing of that nature. I do not remember seeing anyone
crrttle but T.M.A. men rrm lne B on the icket line. P
njn the e1@¢.1on of December, 1937, at the arsenal, I Ioted
f~r Ugj h3q_u1w mi of the men seemed to te in favor of that union at
thrt tjnun I uid not join the U.H.U} until after the election which they
won; the one in February of 1941. I voted for U.H.Y. beeause the majority
of the men seemed to favor it, and also because the general feeling was
that the nine would not stay open unless U.H.¬} won the election. I do
not know where I heard this, nor who I heard it from, but that w=s the
feeling that the majority of the men had. The management seemed to f=vor
1: *" .-. ,.--.-. ...-. -...-.¢.....-.~.-. ... ...._ ___.-__ ,.=_IRE UH ... Ht I CF-in -Jiufc uu luou.u1u.::: U4. ouch f<-1VUI'i!.t.1.EJ1- '
"I was not forced to join the U.HIT., but knew that if I wanted
to keep my job at ine B I would have to as far as I am concerned, ne
union is as good as another, and I have E5 preference. The U.H.W. has more
money, and can pay larger benefits, but, generally speaking, I have no
preference.
"I remember that then we return=d to work, one man hada job . , -
as air checker. I don't remember ever seeing one in the mine befo.e the
strike. I don't know if he was agitoting the men to join U.H.7. or not.
"I have have read to me the foregoing, consisting of approx-
inately three hand written pages, and sta e that it is true to the best
of my knowledge.
I / W 1,:-m-._--g,=_"_-;=_»*==_; -_;-..._.,,._55 eneee-nmnveee
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FBI
Sprinrfield, Ill."
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9292-v...
-- eI on August q! 006514
bf?
t e 1
and7t@%htf* - J in th presence of
It s , and seems to have .
Q uni o recall many of the events which happened vrhie was 1» loyed
of his poor memory, and because
did not take much interest in union a - es -- 1-. 1'
speak and uderstand English very well, it is believed
.-ould not make a good witness. No attempt was haveO - r
T 1the statement set out below, which was reaQt represents the facts as they are today.
could not concentrate on the reading of the a emen
The following statement was Obt/lid from
"Springfield , Ill.
"I» * Ween "311and voluntarily to in -_ _ who have identified' t f th' " - ' an of Investigation themselves to me as pecis sgen s o e e a . e _ .
No threats or prlmiscs have been made to me to obtain this statement.
I was born
States prior and was nature
0, 111.I case t2.oP?.'3§§§dl_ M
fE__;. ___ - +.£.¢~d I. -
"I don't rec:=.ll when I first joined a mine union. It was many
iears ogo.' I never held an office in any union.
I have worked at Liine B_ on sever al occasions, and I don't
remember the exact dates that I worked there. I don't remember when I
joined the Progressive Mine Worke;§__9§___A_n1erica. I joined this union
because it had a closed shop"é{greement with"L{ine B. I have gone to very
few union meetings.
"I was workinf at Hine B when the
don't imov: the reasons for the strike. Pd
petition in the year 1937. I was not asked
"In the election held in December
I was sick.
"I don't remember when I rejoined
it was after I started back to work at Hine
in 1939.
-254-
"" -' "*'-""'- -92--_--z--.-.-- 1- -Q ~,_.,92_,strike started in 1937, but I
on't remember signing any
to join the U.I~.'[.TT. that year.
1937, I did not vote because
the United Mine Workers, but
B after the mine was opened
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INTERY ;j nun _*L "I joined the U.M.} because I thought they;;{@@i;;;T?=f- ?¬¢§ would have a closed shop agreement with Nine B.
_c0n __gé1, I can't tell ahich union
T115 - his and* I¬:u "-do me '3", and I state that it is true to
tnw bebt of my nowledge an reoo ect on.
*1tnesses:
Agents, F.;»I.
Springfield, I110
wns not naked to
ncnt be use
mm hmw,
understand English very well.
.
255 --2.. 'l._._.|..a._.,J-Q LUUIJU-l I
one other page has been
sign the above state-
read it and said it was true so far as
not listen to her read it becwuse he did not
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<3 §! 305515
RE: JOHN 1.. LEZIIS, er 1.1. Z9? C; _I BUD A
"- NTERV; "_;1T' "j____ SP1-"in§-915,. $63 Ill no s, was interviewed at his heme on Jmmst 1we by =-»pe=»1 ti
furnished his infor1:1aticTn1'ii"'5 cooper-Etige manner.
H aw, the c. - ' " Ic a 1_ Tee t e a been put in J8-il for drunkenness, but clame 0
have no 92b}~1" criminal record. This admitted failing on part of
mi_;ht injure his or-edibi3:Lt;> as a witness.
The following signed statement was obtained from
"springield, Ill-.
August 31, 1943
statement freely and
who have identified
of Investigation.
we to obtain this statement.I,
voluntarily
themselves to me
Ne threats or premisesAha:-re; ult; cu Luca-=45Q an.» Uh AIra
DU
live at Springfield, Ill. I was
born at I an working at Panther
Creek
"I first joined a union, the United 1-line "'0:-kers, iwglmen I
was workiné in Springfield, Ill. I stayed in this union :1-nti 33 .¢
when I joined the 1-regressive lline :_o1j}<e;js__o_i__ wnerjga. As I recall I be gan
to work: at I-Line B same tL"se In'1?§§§. I quit working there in the first fartof h I 'h?.!¬"never held any office in any union. I had no part in the
formation of P.Li. A. I joined the P.}-I.A. when I started to work at Mine B.
That union had a closed shop agreement with the mine company.
"As I recall there was no trouble at the mine between the manage-
ment and the P.H.A. I liked the P.K.A. union better than the U.R{f. union
because the P.Y.A. treated me squarely and fairly. I was gIad to join the
P.I.A. because I did not like the nay the U.M{f. had been taking so much
of my H3585 in special assessments. I did not think that this was right.
"Before the strike started in 1937 I recall that there were some
men trying to agitate for U.7.f. and to pull members from F.F.A. I
remember that Frank éestin talked to me in ine B, He said he was tired e!
P.I¬.A. and Sugéested that we join the U.I'!... I was not in favor of this
and told Austin that I was satisfied with P.H.A. I also remember that Jimmy
Hale talked to me in Mine B. He said that the U.H.W} had over 100 membérsj"
and that I might as well sign up with U.M.T, Ho One else ever said anything
to me about U.H.W. nefore the strike fh 1937.
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RE: JOHN L. 12313, ET LL.3065
Pd. L», J3Z 11
*"92 TH BEEBI I did not kno much about the controversy over the
wage scale. I went about my work, and was confi-
co dent that
…[truncated]