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i ce ee pe ke GC - 0 Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL. On August 27, 1943, was interviewed by Speen hee was horn and came to may be reached throug n ele— speaks Engl-sh brokenly and can un- Nn derstand anglish Miariy, but his coherency, especially in fact recollection [' is not very good., His value as a witness is good but his ability to be a satisfactory witness is extremely doubtful and it is felt he would not make a good Witness. He advises he has no criminal record, wing signed statement was obtained from iii Tl "Springfield, Tl. August 27, 1943 "I, Springfield, Tll., make the following voluntary statement to and a whom I know to be Special agents o e eral Bureau of Investigation. I make it without fear of threat, force or promise of any kind. "I was born in and came to the U. &. in about QI became a U. 5S. citizen in "In about Wl first started working’ in coal mines and at this time I became a member of the United Mine Workers of America Qion. If remained a UM man wntil 1932. In about GB I started to work in Mine tBt in pringfield, and I was a UM? then. "In 1932 a wage scale question came up and the UMi bad a wote at which time I voted, The result was about 5 to 1 against taking a cut, but John L. Lewis, or the District UMi, called for another election in which I also,;yoted, but the ballots were stolen and I heard they had been put car and he took them. There had been an injunction in Tllinois against John L. Lewis but at this time in 1932 the injunction was lifted and Lewis signed the contract which called for a wage cut. So the Progressive Mine “orkers of america [nion was organized and I joined a3. oie arene ~ > woe c- Te ret the UMA In-I932 When -T vient back to work in Mine 'B'. "Between 1932 and May 1937 I can remember no atrikes or shut downs and during this time no one tried to influence me either by talk or force into joining the UM/. I had no trouble with the PMA during this time either-and I never knev of any wfair assessments against us. I trusted the PMA officials and I thought it was a good union, - 304 = we