Mr. Tavenner. It was held in the home of Mrs. Fowler, on January 13, 1939. Now, it was suggested at that meeting, according to what I read, that a person by the name of Mr. Smith would get in touch with Marcantonio and Jerry O’Connell to get their advice on how to proceed.
Did anyone confer with you as to how to proceed to get Congressmen to lend their names as sponsors so as to form an impressive list for the American League for Peace and Democracy?
Mr. O’Connell. No; certainly nobody got in touch with me. I don’t know of any Smith who got in touch with me. I know I never had anything to do; I never came down here and tried to give Congressmen teas. I don’t know who this Mrs. Fowler is; I don’t know who Berrall is.
I think they were talking through their hat so far as I was concerned. I mean, I can’t speak for Marc.
Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall having been a speaker at the function of American Friends of the Chinese People in June of 1938?
Mr. O’Connell. Yes; that was in New York, was it not? A banquet in New York.
Mr. Tavenner. Yes.
Mr. O’Connell. Or was that a meeting here in Washington? I think that was just after the Japanese aggression in China.
Mr. Tavenner. Are you now aware that the American Friends of the Chinese People has been cited by this committee as a Communist-front organization?
Mr. O’Connell. No; I am not aware of that even now.