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Re: JOH L. LEWIS, ET AL Springfield woe wnterviewsa at his residence on Sept ‘ Special Agents speaks English with difficulty an slowly and plainly. He has no objections to testifying in court. * said he has never been arrested, It is noted that as bean repaorte the Springficld Field Division as bei information ig available that he is a IVMTERVIET WITH » Ili. r 10 The following signed statement was obtained from QR "Springfield, Ill, September 10, 1945. "I live at I am unomployod. I was "J make the following statenont freely and voluntarily to and who have identified themselves to me aS opeciel Agents o we Cd eau of Investigation. No threats or promiscs have been made to me to obtain this statement. and at present In came to the United States, and I Became a citizen o States in at Springfield, Till. "Y first joined a union, the United Mine ~orkers, in when I ins in I began to work in Mine b about ni9g2 I joins i Progressive Mine Norkors of Amorica ” I f tho mincrs T head no nart in the formation of this union. 1 = Es = wan ~ Wiktil bli lu Ad In the fall of in any union, - Tis tiddele dd eee a pe sen - 940 I rejoined the U.M.%. I have never held an of fice "Chile I was a member of the P.M.A. I was treated alright. I was treated alright by the U.M.v. too when I wes & momber of that union. I did not see much differcnco in the two unions. I don't remembcr hearing about any mon trying to got mombere for U.M.W, befors the strike started in 1937 at Minc B, and no one tricd to got me to join the UMW. "I think that the strike started because Elshoff refused to sign a contract with P.M.A,, and wantod to sign with U.M.%. The Pek.A. union struck to try to make Elshoff sign a contract with them. "In the fall of 1937 I he rd Falecetti say that if the men joined the U.lo%. they could go to work in “ine B, and that if they did not join U.N. ., they could not work in the minc. I think about 13 men went to work in Mine B at this time. - 163 - -