Mr. Tavenner. What year was that?
Mr. Dennett. 1935. I continued at that work off and on practically until the beginning of the Second World War, doing various kinds of work, deckhand and freight handling, and some longshore work. I also worked on some of the tugboats and some of the barges.
Mr. Tavenner. You say that type of employment continued until the war. Were you a member of our Armed Forces?
Mr. Dennett. I was. There was an intervening period there, however. I was screened off the waterfront in 1942. After being screened off the waterfront in 1942 I was searching for work again, and I saw a big advertisement in the paper that Bethlehem Steel Co. was hiring everybody and anybody. So I went out there to work.
Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee what you mean by screened off the waterfront? Briefly, not in detail.
Mr. Dennett. There was an intelligence unit of the Army which seemed to have information which convinced them that I was some sort of a dangerous person, and they were convinced that I should not be permitted to work on the waterfront. So my passes were lifted and I was denied opportunity to do any further work longshoring or work anywhere on the waterfront. By the way, according to my information, I am the only one who never did get his pass back that was lifted at that time.
Mr. Tavenner. Did the lifting of your pass have anything to do with Communist Party activities on your part?
Mr. Dennett. Well, I was asked to go down to the security office at that time. It was in charge of a Mr. John J. Sullivan, I believe. And he put it to me rather bluntly. He said, “We think that you are still a Communist. And so we just don’t think we should have Communists on the waterfront. That is why we are lifting your pass.”
Mr. Tavenner. Will you continue with your narrative of employment?
Mr. Dennett. I went to work at Bethlehem Steel Co.