Former communist Thomas bares all before HUAC: 1950
Henry Thomas, president of 3,000-member Laborers’ Local 74 and the Washington, D.C. Laborers’ District Council, testifies before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) December 6, 1950 where he testified about his communist actitivites and identifying other members of the Communist Party.
Thomas, appearing without an attorney, named five other Laborer’s Union members as members or former members of the Party. He had previously met secretly with committee investigators.
Roy Wood, D.C. Communist Party leader who would later be jailed under the Smith Act, called Thomas a “stool pigeon.”
Thomas also described the Communist Party organization in the District of Columbia identifying a high school branch, branches at Howard, American and George Washington Universities, a white collar branch and a secret branch.
He was in the largest, he testified, Unit No. 1 operating in midtown Washington, D.C. that spent most of its time organizing around issues of concern to black people, including police brutality.
Thomas testified he joined the Communist Party during the winder of 1937-38 and was active in the short-lived Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) United Construction Workers that sought to organize the building trades along industrial lines.
Thomas came back the next day and provided the committee with more information, including the names of other people he said were Communist Party members.
Thomas was prominent in left-wing circles in the District of Columbia for approximately 12 years.
He was active in the campaign against police brutality in 1939-41.
He served 28 months in the U.S. Army during World War II and resumed his activities after his discharge in December 1945.
He worked to form a communist grouping within the AFL laborer’s union with three others. He then teamed up with Thomas Sampler, a rank-and-file activist who was seeking to oust mobsters from the union. Sampler later joined the Communist Party as well.
Thomas first won election as secretary treasurer and in 1948 the group was successful in ousting all of the old regime. The group resigned their Communist Party membership that year in order to sign the Taft-Harley non-communist affidavits. Thomas later testified that the group continued to meet with Communist Party leaders.
Laborers’ Local 74 was often among the sponsors of a number of civil rights and labor rights activities in the District of Columbia, including the Progressive Party and anti-police brutality events.
In June 1949 Thomas won a majority on the Laborer’s District Council to call a strike of all laborers’ locals in the area a day after union carpenters went on strike.
The month-long strike resulted in a wage increase, but set off an internal battle within the Laborer’s District Council between the left and right wings within the laborers that led to the investigations.
Thomas quickly broke with the Communist Party and without an attorney testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about District of Columbia communist activities, naming names and describing party branches and activities. He also met privately with HUAC investigators.
Despite the controversy over his previous Communist Party membership, Thomas survived an attempt by the right-wing to oust him as president of Local 74 by eight votes.
In 1950 and 1952, the employers refused to meet with Thomas to negotiate contracts, but later relented after the laborers’ membership backed Thomas.
Thomas made some gains for the laborers, winning wage increases and establishing a comprehensive health plan.
Sampler, who had broken with Thomas and opposed him was later convicted of embezzlement of laborer’s funds and imprisoned where he died in jail.
Thomas later testified in the 1952 trial of Marie Richardson Harris, another District of Columbia alleged communist, who was convicted, in part, on Thomas’s testimony and sentenced to prison for failing to disclose her alleged communist affiliations on a government job application.
Thomas continued to serve as Local 74 president until 1955 when he was defeated 416-371. He went back to work as a laborer and periodically attempted to regain union office, unsuccessfully teaming up with activists of the 60s and 70s—often denying he had betrayed his left wing friends of the 1930s and 40s.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk72YVXD
The photographer is unknown. The image is courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection © Washington Post.
Former communist Thomas bares all before HUAC: 1950
Henry Thomas, president of 3,000-member Laborers’ Local 74 and the Washington, D.C. Laborers’ District Council, testifies before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) December 6, 1950 where he testified about his communist actitivites and identifying other members of the Communist Party.
Thomas, appearing without an attorney, named five other Laborer’s Union members as members or former members of the Party. He had previously met secretly with committee investigators.
Roy Wood, D.C. Communist Party leader who would later be jailed under the Smith Act, called Thomas a “stool pigeon.”
Thomas also described the Communist Party organization in the District of Columbia identifying a high school branch, branches at Howard, American and George Washington Universities, a white collar branch and a secret branch.
He was in the largest, he testified, Unit No. 1 operating in midtown Washington, D.C. that spent most of its time organizing around issues of concern to black people, including police brutality.
Thomas testified he joined the Communist Party during the winder of 1937-38 and was active in the short-lived Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) United Construction Workers that sought to organize the building trades along industrial lines.
Thomas came back the next day and provided the committee with more information, including the names of other people he said were Communist Party members.
Thomas was prominent in left-wing circles in the District of Columbia for approximately 12 years.
He was active in the campaign against police brutality in 1939-41.
He served 28 months in the U.S. Army during World War II and resumed his activities after his discharge in December 1945.
He worked to form a communist grouping within the AFL laborer’s union with three others. He then teamed up with Thomas Sampler, a rank-and-file activist who was seeking to oust mobsters from the union. Sampler later joined the Communist Party as well.
Thomas first won election as secretary treasurer and in 1948 the group was successful in ousting all of the old regime. The group resigned their Communist Party membership that year in order to sign the Taft-Harley non-communist affidavits. Thomas later testified that the group continued to meet with Communist Party leaders.
Laborers’ Local 74 was often among the sponsors of a number of civil rights and labor rights activities in the District of Columbia, including the Progressive Party and anti-police brutality events.
In June 1949 Thomas won a majority on the Laborer’s District Council to call a strike of all laborers’ locals in the area a day after union carpenters went on strike.
The month-long strike resulted in a wage increase, but set off an internal battle within the Laborer’s District Council between the left and right wings within the laborers that led to the investigations.
Thomas quickly broke with the Communist Party and without an attorney testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee about District of Columbia communist activities, naming names and describing party branches and activities. He also met privately with HUAC investigators.
Despite the controversy over his previous Communist Party membership, Thomas survived an attempt by the right-wing to oust him as president of Local 74 by eight votes.
In 1950 and 1952, the employers refused to meet with Thomas to negotiate contracts, but later relented after the laborers’ membership backed Thomas.
Thomas made some gains for the laborers, winning wage increases and establishing a comprehensive health plan.
Sampler, who had broken with Thomas and opposed him was later convicted of embezzlement of laborer’s funds and imprisoned where he died in jail.
Thomas later testified in the 1952 trial of Marie Richardson Harris, another District of Columbia alleged communist, who was convicted, in part, on Thomas’s testimony and sentenced to prison for failing to disclose her alleged communist affiliations on a government job application.
Thomas continued to serve as Local 74 president until 1955 when he was defeated 416-371. He went back to work as a laborer and periodically attempted to regain union office, unsuccessfully teaming up with activists of the 60s and 70s—often denying he had betrayed his left wing friends of the 1930s and 40s.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk72YVXD
The photographer is unknown. The image is courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection © Washington Post.