From: Mal Considine
Ellis–
My first memo as Chief DA’s Investigator–if it wasn’t confidential you could frame it.
First off, Upshaw made a successful approach yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to tell you on the phone, but he was terrific. I observed, and saw the UAES member screener approach him. I left Upshaw a note instructing him to meet me late tonight at the Dining Car for a report, and I’m betting he’ll have made contact with Claire De Haven by then. I’ll call you tomorrow morning with a verbal report on what he has to say.
Two days ago, Dudley and I approached Nathan Eisler and Leonard Rolff, screenwriters not subpoenaed by HUAC. Both men corroborated UAES members Minear and Loftis as planning to subvert motion picture content with Communist doctrine and both have agreed to testify as friendly witnesses. Eisler yielded a diary which further confirms Claire De Haven as promiscuous–good news for Upshaw.
Eisler stated that De Haven recruited initial UAES members by sexual means–good to have for open court should she have the audacity to seek to testify. Rolff informed on a total of 4 non-UAES leftists. Dudley questioned 2 of them yesterday and phoned me last night with the results: they agreed to appear as friendly witnesses, time-, date- and place-corroborated Ziffkin, De Haven, Side 124
Ellroy, James – Big Nowhere, The Loftis, Minear and the 3 Mexicans as making inflammatory statements supporting the overthrow of the U.S.A. by the U.S. Party and informed on a total of 19
other fellow travelers. I’m working on a detailed questionnaire to be submitted to all friendly witnesses, facts for you to use in your opening presentation, and I want low-key City Marshals to oversee the delivery and pickup of the paperwork. The reason for this is that Dudley is too frightening a presence–sooner or later his intimidation tactics will have to backfire. The chance for a successful grand jury depends on the UAES being kept in the dark.
We’ve lulled them to sleep, so let’s keep Dudley on a tight leash. If one of our friendlies balks and squeals on us to the brain trust, we’re screwed.
Here’s some random thoughts:
1. – This thing is becoming an avalanche and soon it’s going to be an avalanche of paper. Get those clerks out to your house: I’ll be submitting reports, questionnaires, and interview abstracts constructed from details in Eisler’s diary. Dudley, Meeks and Upshaw will be filing reports. I want all this info cross-filed for clarity’s sake.
2. – You were worried on the Upshaw secrecy angle. Don’t be. We checked and rechecked. “Ted Krugman” was not directly known to any UAES members, he’s secondhand known at best, but _known of_. Upshaw is a very smart officer, he knows how to run with the ball and I suspect he’s enjoying his role-playing.
3. – Where’s Dr. Lesnick? I need to talk to him, to run psych overview questions by him and to get his opinion on certain parts of Eisler’s diary.
Also, all his files end in Summer ’49. Why? There’s a gap (’42–’44) in the Loftis file, key to the time he was rabidly mouthing Commie sentiment and portraying cops as evil on screen to “undermine the American system of jurisprudence.” I hope he didn’t die on us–he looked almost dead ten days ago.
Have Sgt. Bowman locate him and make sure he calls me, will you?
4. – When we’ve got our evidence together and collated, we’ll need to spend a goodly amount of time deciding which of our friendlies to call to the stand. Some will be shaky and angry, thanks to Dudley and his browbeatings. As I said before, his methods have to backfire. Once we’re satisfied with the number of witnesses we’ve turned, I want to take over the questionings and go solo on them, kid gloves–more for the sake of the investigation’s security than anything else.
5. – Dudley has a bee in his bonnet over the Sleepy Lagoon case, and he keeps bringing it up in our questionings. By all accounts, the defendants were innocent, and I think we should gag testimony pertaining to the SLDC in court–unless it tangents us to viable testimony. The case made the LA left look good, and we can’t afford to make the UAES members (many) who also belonged to SLDC out as martyrs. I outrank Dudley now, and I’m going to dress him down on this and generally have him play it softer with witnesses. In light of the above and in keeping with my new rank and promotion, I’m asking you to promote me to commanding officer of this investigation.