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RE: JOHN L. LEVI6, ET AL if INTERVIE: WIt s intorviewed ct his residonco filiiliay . Springfield, Illinois, on poe a ’ sr 13, 1943, by Special Agents 0 200 Camb > is considered os 8 gGo : oe and hing boen a corel miner for yourBe He is not difficult to uncerstand, tas a keen momory, and an intelligence tbove that of the average miner. It is not believed that he would bo easily confused on cross examination, He gave information set forth in the follow- ing statement: ; - id ” "Springfield, I11_ Gantmnher 1% 30a" BEPC tuy 20 EV 8 "My nemo is erm arama Iwes brni wh: btive idonti*ied thenselves co ne @ Special Agents or Une Peeeee Burceu of Investigation. Mo promisse, threats, or con- s6iderction cf any kind Iyive been made to me to get me tc nake this statenent, "I worked ot Minc A from nbout until Fobruary, 1941. I ws a nenber of the Progressive Kinc Workers of Amurica until September 1941. Be- fore I read the announcenemt im tho piver tht Mine A had been purchrsed by ELSHOFF, I hed hearé of no dissension nmong the Pili membors. All of the men were satisfic?, execpt - very fow, and I think they wore strong Phil membcrs. "When ELSHOFF bought ine 4, there wes no contract with any operator. It wos my understendirg that because thero wos no contract that the operator coulda hire or dec] with anyone thet he wanted to. We thought, and it was ny opinion too, that ELSYOFF would nct cerate mine A unicses he could operate it with Ui’ men. I thought this, and I snink mcst of the men thought this, be- cause of the things that they kad heami abcut what had happened at Mine B dur- ing the trouble therc. Freon what we hed heard, ELSHOFF favored the UMW, and we all thought that we would have to join the Ui’ in order to get our jobs a back. That wis the iden must 7f the men had at the Progressive meetings that I attencod. That was my iden, At the meetings of the Pregressives, wa dis- cussed thet, 7: as told us 211 that we would have to join the UM in crder tc get sur jots buck. "Zt the first mecting held at the Progressive Hall, the men did not know what to do. Tasy did not decide much. 4t the seccnd meeting they were pretty discouraged, and did not get much done either. At the meeting in the Elk's club, the men hod ccme tc the ccmclusicn that there was not much that they cculd do to get their jobs buck, and that it wes the best chance for than to join the ULV ant maybe we could ge% our jobs back. That wes my idea. We joined the UM thr.t night, not becaus2 we wantec to, but because we had to in order to keep cur jobs, At loast, that wie my roascn. - 3"7 - ee a RR a EE AR el SN EI SR A EN NS ne ele EN alee Mr ERIS See ag ne oe