I can see no explanation which would justify such a conclusion.
My own conclusion necessarily is that it does involve such a change, and for a long period of time I felt that such a change was justified because of the adamant refusal of people in high places in government to respond to the needs of the people. And that was particularly true in the depression period, in the unemployed period.
Mr. Velde. I take it from your testimony that you feel the Communist Party of the United States never did teach the overthrow of our form of government by force and violence.
Mr. Dennett. I would have to say to that that they did not emphasize that point.
I think it would be ridiculous to contend that that is the complete statement of it.
They relied and fell back on Lenin’s explanation of the question of force and violence. And Lenin’s explanation always was that force and violence occurs because the employers start it.
In the case of strikes Lenin always contended that it was the employers who started the violence by bringing in either strikebreakers or armed guards or police or something of that sort, and that the violence is started against the workers to begin with.
And then he taught that the workers must defend themselves.
Mr. Velde. Did you have the feeling while you were in the Communist Party that the ultimate goal in case all peaceful methods fail was to use force and violence?
Mr. Dennett. It is hard to give you a direct answer to the question as you are posing it.