Mr. O’Connell. I think we actually made grants from, if I remember correctly, 1940 until 1950. I am not sure whether we made any grants in 1950 or not. We have not met in the last 5 years, I know that. If I remember correctly, there is approximately $41,000 left in the fund of which I am a trustee and there have been no meetings of the trustees in at least the last 4 or 5 years.
Mr. Tavenner. The committee has information that grants were made in 1941 and 1942 by the Robert Marshall Foundation to the American Youth Congress for the total of $10,250. Do you know who solicited those grants?
Mr. O’Connell. No. An actual application would be made to Mr. George Marshall as manager of the trust by the organization that was involved—by the American Youth Congress. I can’t recall the reason for the grant. My offhand guess would be that the American Youth Congress was proposing to establish some kind of a labor secretary or labor division of the Youth Congress or something, and they would tie it in actually to the provision of the will as far as the trade union, development of trade unions were concerned, organization of unemployed youth, I imagine.
Mr. Tavenner. Did you, as a trustee, do anything to ascertain how the money was being used after the grants were made?
Mr. O’Connell. No; I never did actually as a trustee. We had the organization report to us from time to time how they were expending the funds and what they were doing, but I couldn’t personally take any one of those grants and tell you actually what the report was.
Mr. Tavenner. The American Youth Congress has been cited as a subversive and Communist organization by Attorney General Tom Clark on December 4, 1947, and September 21, 1948, under a citation by Attorney General Francis Biddle September 24, 1942, and also, May 28, 1942, it was stated in the citation that—
It originated in 1934 and has been controlled by the Communists and manipulated by them to influence the thought of American youth.
It was cited by the Special Committee on Un-American Activities June 29, 1942, January 3, 1939, January 3, 1941, and again on March 29, 1944, in which it was stated that it was one of the principal fronts of the Communist Party and prominently identified with the White House picket line under the immediate auspices of the American Peace Mobilization.
Do you know whether Jack R. McMichael was the national chairman of the American Youth Congress?
Mr. O’Connell. I couldn’t recall—the name doesn’t mean anything to me.