◆ SpookStack

g - Memorandum for Mr. Belmont RE: ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMITTEE Background of Manning Johnson; Johnson, a Negro, was born in 1908 in Washington, D. C., and was a member of the CP from 1930~1939, when he was dropped for deviation from Party policies. During the time he was in the Party, he was a member of the National Central Committee. He was a paid FBI informant from April, 1942, to February, 1944, inasmuch as he still had Party contacts and was able to supply information regarding the CP, its members and activities. He has appeared number of times as a witness on behalf of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Department of Justice in Smith Act of 1940 and Internal Security Act of 1950 cases and various congressional committees, In March, 1957, he appeared as a witness during hearings of the Louisiana Joint Legislative Committee which was conducting hearings on segregation in the State of Louisiana, In the past the credence of his testimony has been attacked, based on his admission at the Steve Nelson Pennsylvania State Sedition trial in 1950 that he had not told the truth in testimony in 1948 during the deportation proceedings against Nat Yanish. Inasmuch as Manning Johnson has not been a member of the CP since 1939, it would not appear that he is in a position to speak authoridatively concerning the present policy of the CP in regard to the Negro question, item One of Johnson's Testimony: Regarding this item of Johnson's testimony, it is noted that the ANLC was formed at a convention held during the week of 10/25/25 in Chicago, Illinois, According to its constitution, its purpose was: "To unify and strengthen the efforts of all organizations of Negro workers and farmers, as well as organizations composed of both Negro and white workers and farmers, and sympathetic organizations, and also individuals, for the protection of discrimination, persecution, and exploitation of the Negro race and the working people generally." The national organizer of the ANLC was Lovett Fort-Whiteman, In an article entitled "The Negro Movement - American Negro Labor Congress," which appeared in the 8/27/25 issue of "International Press Correspondence,” the author commented on the meeting of the ANLC which was to take place in October, 1925. He stated in the article: "The fundamental aim in calling the American Negro Labor Congress is to establish in the life of the American Negro working class an organization which may serve as a medium through which the American Communist Party may reach and influence the Negro working class, and at the same time may constitute something of a recruiting ground for the Party."