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a ae cial Stel aaah Re: JOHN L, LEwIS, ET AL. INTSEVIEN WITH wes _intervicwed by Special agents cits and nis :: Ge Tilinois * on Soptembor 14, 1943. He was very cooperative and scemed to be above the average in intelligence, although his infor- mation wis very linited. He would be a good witness insofar as his statements made in the folloving signed statement are conccrned. "Se 14, 1943 Til. wy c¢ the following voluntary statement es Special «agents of the Federal Bureau nyestigition., No threats or promises have been made to induce 4 i ig b f to of me to make any statement. "Il was bern_on in Illinois and prese - I am presently employed yd I first startcd working in MB onc joined the Ui at that tim, IJ stacted working at Hine A in 1939 and was there wtil the first of 1943. I was working at Panther Creek in 1932 when the state went progressive so I just signed up with progressive, I didn't have anything to do with the start of progressive, "Everything was going along fine at Mine A when Elshoff bought the mire from Ryan. I got ea letter from Ryan telling re he had sold the nine & at first I thought nothirg abut it. I believe this was in the early fell of 1941. ZI know that the pro-~ gressive union held some mectings after the sale was announced, but I didn't attend any of the meetings, Iwas living in Auburn at that time and thatts une of the reasons why I didn't go to any of the neetings. ",11 I know is that the majority of men in progressive had Signed up with Unitcd at a mecting at the Elks, It was some time aft.r this that I heard the men had all gone United & that if I wanted to work I had to sign up. I had hearc that blshoff had mde the remark that if the nine hadn't gone United, the mine wouldn't have opened, but 1 @ rot have any othcr infurmation about this. I went down to the United Hall and signed up just before the rine opened in the fall, I was not forced to sign up & nobody ever threatcrned me to sign. "ft do not know any of the details of any of the mectings held by progressive in the fall of 1941 and joined United because I wanted to be sure cof a job. : ~ 473 - ee ee a ae eee kk a oe