Mr. Rankin. Did you have any contacts with the——
Mr. Johnson. That's so flagrantly against anything about the Communist viewpoint that it's——
Mr. Rankin. Will you explain that, Mr. Johnson?
Mr. Johnson. Communists just do not believe in assassination as a method of social change, and——
Mr. Rankin. You mean that as far as the Communist Party of the United States is concerned?
Mr. Johnson. Definitely.
Mr. Rankin. Or generally?
Mr. Johnson. Definitely and generally. I mean that very specifically. It has nothing to do with it. We would say that anybody who harbors such a thought is not only not a Communist but an anti-Communist basically.
Mr. Rankin. Would you extend that to cover the activities of various groups in the Soviet Union?
Mr. Johnson. As far as assassination is concerned, yes.