Subversive Influences




House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

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Congress. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1968. Pt. 3-A: Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning (Los Angeles – Watts) (June 28, 1968).

SuDoc No.: Y4.Un1/2:R47/pt.3a
Date(s) of Hearings: June 28, 1968
Congress and Session: 90th - 2nd




EXCERPTS


SYNOPSIS


Detective James C. Harris of the Los Angeles district attorney's office, who had testified before the committee in November 1967 during its hearings on the 1965 racial disturbances in the Watts area of Los Angeles, appeared again as a witness before the Committee on Un-American Activities on June 28, 1968. His testimony concerned matters pertaining to the Black Congress and a rally it had sponsored on February 18, 1968, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Mr. Harris stated that although spontaneous incidents have sparked riots and racial disturbances, it is also true that dissident groups have caused hard feelings between the races by deliberately planned actions. One such action, he said, was this Black Congress rally.

Mr. Harris testified that the Black Congress is a "coordinating organization composed of about 28 groups" which "encourage membership on the part of any black group of 10 or more members who are involved in social change." Its director is Walter Bremond. The rally which is sponsored at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on February 18, 1968, was, according to Detective Harris, an "action which clearly shows the intent of the sponsoring group to foster... ill will between the races."

The witness testified that in early February 1968, Irving Sarnoff, an identified member of the Communist Party, who is also the chairman of the PEace Action Council in Los Angeles, "was in contact with Stokely Carmichael, and Carmichael agreed to appear in Los Angeles." Sarnoff was working in conjunction with the Black Congress, according to Detective Harris.

The purpose of the rally was to raise funds for the Huey P. Newton Defense Fund. Newton is a member of the Black Panthers in Oakland, Calif., who was then under indictment, and has since been convicted, of murdering a policeman. His defense attorney, Charles R. Garry, has been identified as a member of the Communist Party.

Mr. Harris presented as an exhibit a flyer which advertised the rally and named such noted militants as Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Maulana Karenga, Reies Tijerina, and Betty Shabazz, the wife of the late Malcolm X, as speakers. Miss Shabazz, however, did not appear at the rally, according to Detective Harris. He pointed out that Walter Bremond served as master of ceremonies.

Detective Harris then quoted brief excerpts from the speeches made by several rally speakers, including:

James Forman, then a national director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the first speaker. He told of the existence of a "mutual defense pact" and warned of "instant and protractive retribution" if any black leaders were assassinated.

Bobby Seale, chairman of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, declared that "Every black man here must have a shotgun in his home to defend himself and his family against the racist Gestapo police..."

Reies Tijerina, the leader of the militant Mexican-American Federal Alliance of Free City-States, declared that "The white man is an enemy of justice, and enemy of mankind..."

Ron Karenga, leader of US, called on the audience "to get white people fighting each other... Let them shoot each other..."

H. Rap Brown, a national leader of SNCC, stated that "Black people, if they are going to be free, must begin to seize power. You better get your gun, brother... You've got to arm yourselves... The only politics we can be concerned with is the politics of revolution... We not only talking about destroying a power structure – we're talking about ruination of a system."

Stokely Carmichael told the audience: "If this country burns down to the ground, we rejoice and dance... In order to educate our people, it means that we must take over the schools – nothing less – take them over by any means necessary..."

Regarding Black Panther member Huey P. Newton and his forthcoming trial for murder, Carmichael stated, "If you oft brother Huey, we oft fifteen honkie cops." "Oft," Mr. Harris explained, means "to kill."

The white news media, Detective Harris said, did not cover the rally because they would have been required to pay $1,000 in order to be admitted to the arena. The rally was, however, covered by the West Coast Communist Party newspaper, the People's World. The February 24, 1968, issue of that publication carried a page-one report of the proceedings written by Gene Dennis. The article was entered as an exhibit for the record. Dennis estimated that approximately 4,000 persons had attended the rally. Detective Harris testified that 3,000 would be a more accurate figure.

The request for the use of the Los Angeles Sport Arena for the Black Congress rally was made on February 8, 1968, by Mrs. Bobbie Hodges, local chairman of SNCC. Mr. Harris testified that she had presented a letter requesting the arena for February 18, 1968, and a check in the amount of $1,000 signed by Ayuko Babu.

According to Mr. Harris:

Babu is Anthony C. Ashley, an officer of the Black Student Union, a member of the National Conference for New Politics, on the national executive board of this group, a guest speaker before the New Left School in Los Angeles, a central committeeman of the Black Panther Political Party, and a participant in many demonstrations in Los Angeles, particularly in anti-Dow Chemical Company agitation at Cal-State, L.A.

Ashley is a male Negro, born 16 July 1943 in Amarillo, Texas.
Committee counsel then asked Mr. Harris if he could name the individuals who had "furnished the money" for the appearance of the speakers.

The witness testified that Mr. John Pratt had given a check in the amount of $1,000 to Walter Bremond; Helen Travis, an identified member of the Communist Party, had remitted a cashier's check in the amount of $2,000; and Kenneth W. Rottger had made payable to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum Commission a check for $10,000. Copies of the checks were entered as exhibits for the record. Mr. Harris also testified in reference to the Rottger check:

I also have a letter dated the 21st of February 1968, wherein the receipt of this money is signed for by Kenneth Rottger, and a copy of a letter directed to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, where the rally was held, which instructs them to return the $10,000 check to Kenneth Rottger.
Detective Harris provided additional information pertaining to the background and activities of Mr. Pratt, Mr. Rottger, and Mrs. Travis.

He concluded his testimony by naming 22 of the persons known to have attended the Black Congress rally. Seventeen of the 22 were known Communist Party members. Background information on these individuals extracted from the committee's files was entered as an exhibit in the hearing record.




Mr. Smith. Do you have a summary of what was said by the featured speakers at this rally?

Mr. Harris. I do, sir. The first speaker was James Forman, who was a national director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. His statements included the following:

We want to say publicly that we have a mutual defense pact and if you assassinate any of these black leaders, you must be prepared for instant and protractive retribution. We are talking about selective, directive, protractive retributions on police stations, on fire stations, on power plants, on war factories... all over this country.
Forman then indicated that a merger of SNCC and the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense had taken effect and that he was attempting to establish "operational unity" leading to a brotherhood of black people.

He admitted that he was the minister of foreign affairs and that Rap Brown was the minister of justice of this new operational unity group.

The next speaker was Bobby Seale who was the chairman of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland. He stated:

Every black man here must have a shotgun in his house to defend himself and his family against the racist Gestapo police who occupy our community like a foreign troop.
The next speaker was Reies Lopez Tijerina. Tijerina is a leader in a militant Mexican-American group. He stated:

The white man is an enemy of justice, an enemy of mankind, and he is also poisoning the minds of the public.
Tijerina leads the Federal Alliance of Free City-States (Formerly known as Federal Alliance of Land Grants; since known variously as Federation of Free City States, Confederation of Free City States, and Political Confederation of Free City States), an organization that has laid claim to 100 million acres of the Southwest. The group alleges that the U.S. stole this land after the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican War of 1848.

Mr. Roudebush. Is that the same Tijerina who was here with the Poor People's March?

Mr. Harris. Yes, sir, the same individual. This group has threatened guerrilla warfare in New Mexico. He has been accused of assaulting United States officers in New Mexico.

The next speaker was Ron Karenga, also known as Ronald McKinley Everett. He is the militant leader of US, a black organization. He stated that "black power emanates from political office, community organization, coalition and alliance, and disruption." He advocated the power of disruption and stated, "Bring up controversial issues like the war in Viet Nam..., and like all them other things they are doing." He said, "These things have to be brought up to undermine the white man as a very corrupt and vile thing."

Karenga further stated:

Let's talk about how to get white people fighting each other... Let them shoot each other; let them march and picket and confront each other, and after it's all finished, we will have a better world.
He stated, "Yeah, we're against violence, right, uh huh, right, but after sundown anything might happen."

Mr. Smith. For the record, Mr. Chairman, Ronald McKinley Everett, also known as Ron Karenga, of the organization US was the subject of testimony before this committee on November 30, 1967.

Mr. Harris. The next speaker was Rap Brown, who was a national leader of SNCC. He stated:

Black people, if they are going to be free, must begin to seize power. You better get your gun, brother. I don't care if it ain't nothing but a BB gun with poisoned BB's. America has shown us that she don't respect anything but counter force. You've got to arm yourselves. There is no political structure in this country that's relevant to black people. The only politics we can be concerned with is the politics of revolution. This is our country. It was built on our backs by our labor. We've built the country up; we'll burn it down if they don't hurry up and come around. You got to get beyond the racist pig cop, you see, because he is a tool of the man who really controls this system. We not only talking about destroying a power structure – we're talking about ruination of a system. Black people cannot afford to become capitalists.
The next speaker was Stokely Carmichael. He stated generally:

We go to China. We go to Cuba. We go to Africa. We'll go wherever we want to go and if the honkie don't like it, he can go to hell... So that day when we talk about our survival, we do not talk about this country, which is America, which is white people; we talk about our people – nothing else. That's all we care about. If this country burns down to the ground, we rejoice and dance... It's foolish to assume that the vote is going to do anything for black people... In order to educate our people, it means that we must take over the schools – nothing less – take them over by any means necessary... We need an ideology for us that deals with the problem of racism, which is above exploitation.
In relation to Huey P. Newton, a member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, Carmichael stated, "If you oft brother Huey, we oft fifteen honkie cops."

Mr. Smith. What does "oft" mean?

Mr. Harris. This means "to kill."

Carmichael continued:

And if anybody in the black community says anything about it, we oft him too... We must organize groups. We must organize groups which will, when they come down against us, have the maximum damage against them and the minimum risk to us. That means we organize little groups. When they oft us, that group ofts a number of them. If they get caught, it's a small group... Our major enemy is the honkie... We have people today who are willing to oft (kill). We do not want to oft our own people... But if any black man talks to any honkie about what we do in our own community, we are going to kill him... We must be concerned with our people. The hell with this ------- country. Let's be concerned with our people.
Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris, were the news media admitted to this rally?

Mr. Harris. Not exactly, Mr. Smith. The white news media were offered an opportunity to attend for a fee of $1,000.

Mr. Smith. Did anyone pay such a fee?

Mr. Harris. No, sir.

Mr. Smith. Was the rally covered by any other press organization?

Mr. Harris. Yes, sir, the People's World, the West Coast Communist newspaper, carried an article written by Gene Dennis on Saturday, February 24, 1968, on the front page.

Mr. Smith. Mr. Chairman, I request this document be received for the record.

Mr. Roudebush. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(Document marked "Harris Exhibit No. 67" follows:)




HARRIS EXHIBIT NO. 67

Source: Congress. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1967, 1968.  Part 3-A: Los Angeles - Watts (June 28, 1968).

STOKELY, RAP CHART 'STRATEGY OF SURVIVAL'

BY GENE DENNIS


OAKLAND – a "strategy for black survival" based on a "Black United Front" was the line laid down by militant leaders of the recently merged Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense before a cheering, chanting, largely black crowd of 6,000 in the Oakland Auditorium last Saturday (Feb. 17).

The program outlined by Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, James Forman, and Bobby Seale in the Oakland meeting – and again Sunday afternoon before 4,000 people in Los Angeles – calls for:

  • Development of all-class racial unity in the black community, and alliance with Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and American Indians.

  • International solidarity with the national liberation movements and colored peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

  • Recognition of the white power structure and its racist institutions as the main enemy.

  • Rejection of socialist and communist ideologies in favor of militant black nationalism grounded in "a communal way of life."

  • Armed protection of black communities and maximum retaliation when the ghettos and its leaders are attacked.

  • Rejection of electoral action except as an organizing tool.
Source: Congress. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1967, 1968.  Part 3-A: Los Angeles - Watts (June 28, 1968).

ALL-OUT DRIVE


The tenor of both meetings and the content of the program reflects a political shift arising out of the growing conviction in the ghettos that the white power structure is about to launch an all-out drive to exterminate the black community – perhaps beginning this summer.

"The survival of black people," said Carmichael at the meeting, billed as a "Birthday Benefit" for jailed Panther leader Huey P. Newton, "is our aim – nothing else. We built this country and we're here because we were needed. But when we're no longer needed our people are going to 'disappear' just like the red man who was wiped out by the white man. Look how they are sending our brothers off to die in Vietnam.

"For 413 years our people have resisted. They have resisted so this generation could carry out what must be done."

Brown, who came to California despite a court order confining him to New York City, charged the nation's police with preparing for genocidal attacks on the ghetto.

"Last summer in Watts," he said, "they took 1,000 kids and sent them to a military camp in the country. Next time they may not come back. What are you gonna do then?"

NEW TACTICS


"We will meet the repression," said Forman, "with a new strategy, new tactics. We will build a brotherhood of black people to withstand the repression. We need a mass political party. Us field niggers are getting together.

"We, as a people, are not frightened by the attempts to assassinate our leaders. There will be retribution. We will destroy war factories, blow up police stations, destroy power plants, and take retribution against governors, mayors, and the white pig cops that occupy our community – and if Huey Newton is not set free, the sky's the limit!"

And the crowd roared its approval.

"We are not outnumbered," said Bobby Seale, Panther chairman, "we are outorganized. Now we are going to get down to the nits and the grits. The Black Panther party for Self-Defense is a revolutionary party. Racism must be stopped!"

Seale outlined the Panther's 10-point program for full employment, draft resistance, self-defense, decent housing, meaningful and relevant education, and trial by peers.

"We hate the oppression we live in," he said. "We're tired of the cops beating us over the head... Now is the time to put a shotgun in your home."

In both meetings, the black speakers minimized or rejected alliances with whites and addressed themselves to the black section of the audience.

"I will not deny," said Carmichael, "that whites are oppressed. The difference is: they are exploited, we are colonized... communism and socialism is not an ideology suited to black people, period. It speaks to the class structure, we're not. We're facing racism. No matter how much money you make you're still a nigger...

"We must organize our own people – organize our sweat, our blood, our life for national liberation – and black nationalism is our ideology. We are a beautiful race, our people can do anything!"

Both Carmichael and Brown put down electoral action. Carmichael called the vote "a honky's trick" whose only value was as "an organizing tool to bring our people together."

"The only politics relevant to us," said Brown, "is the politics of revolution... the only difference between Lynch'em Johnson and George Wallace is one's wife got cancer.

"There's no such thing as a second class citizen. Either you're free or you're slave...

"Chairman Mao says the power is in the barrel of a gun. (Alliance with whites) is a luxury we cannot afford. The man will kill you because you're black.

"There must be a revolution of the dispossessed – the Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and black people. We are the vanguard of that revolution because we are the most dispossessed."

Source: Congress. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1967, 1968.  Part 3-A: Los Angeles - Watts (June 28, 1968).

UNITED FRONT


Carmichael called for formation of a Black United Front – "Every Negro is a potential black man... we must have an undying love for our people... there will be no in-fighting in the black community" – which will "hook up with our 900 million black brothers across the world – in Africa, Asia, and Latin America."

In building black unity and fighting for black liberation, he said, "we must get ready for the marines... there will be maximum damage to them and minimum damage to us."

At the Los Angeles meeting in the Sports Arena. Carmichael lashed out against the U.S. State Department's use of passport control to prevent black people from talking with their brothers elsewhere, and insisted no one is going "to stop us from going to China, Cuba, Africa, or any place in South America."

As in Oakland, he scored U.S. aggression in Vietnam and called for the victory of the Vietnamese people.

Sharing the L.A. platform with Carmichael, Brown, Forman, and Seale, were: Reies Tijerina, leader of the Alliance land grant movement; Mociesuma Esparza, United Mexican American Students; Maulana Karenga, US – a black nationalist group; and Walter Bremond, Black Congress.

Karenga repeated the call for black unity on the grounds all blacks are part of the "class of the dispossessed," and urged the Natl. Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, the Urban League, and others to build black unity congresses across the nation.

THE DISPOSSESSED


Tijerina won the support of the overwhelmingly black audience as he spoke of "a deep communication between your faces and my heart."

He called the U.S. pretense of fighting for democracy in Vietnam "a rotten lie," and called on "all good whites" to join the blacks, Indians and Mexicans to reshape American society.

In Oakland, Peace and Freedom party leader Bob Avakian told the crowd, "Black people have forced us to face the reality of what America is all about. Black people are the vanguard and our inspiration. Watch us with a suspicious eye and see if we don't deliver."

Charles Garry, Newton's attorney, predicted the Panther would be found "not guilty" if tried by "an impartial jury of his peers."

Ron Dellums, black member of the Berkeley city council, told the Oakland meeting, "Not only are Huey's rights and his life at stake – but so are those of every black man, woman and child. Every black politician must now stand up and say where he is."

RESOLUTION DUE


Dellums said he was introducing a resolution before the city council Tuesday (Feb. 20) demanding Newton "be freed immediately."

Eldridge Cleaver, Panther minister of information and chairman of the Oakland meeting, announced Newton definitely would be a candidate for Congress in the Seventh Congressional District in the June primary – Whether he runs as a Panther write-in or as a Peace and Freedom candidate remains to be decided, but he will be a candidate.

And it was Cleaver who also made official the SNCC-BPSD merger. Rap Brown, national SNCC chairman, is now the Panther's minister of justice; James Forman, SNCC director of international affairs, is now Panther minister of foreign affairs. And Carmichael, by voice vote of only black participants at the meeting, was proclaimed Prime Minister of Afro-America.

"The merger has taken place," said Forman, "but it will take several months before it is final. The reason for it is unity to withstand the repression."




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