(Testimony of George William Fehrenbach)
Mr. Fehrenbach.
Oh, we mostly talked about the jewelry, if I remember, and, of course, at that time also something came up about this Mr. Levinson and it was my impression that he knew this Mr. Levinson, and he was talking about, he said, when I got there he said, why if I didn't have a place to go, a hotel or anything to let him know and he could find me a real cheap apartment and a real nice one.
Mr. Griffin.
Did you talk about any political topics?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
No; it was never mentioned that I know of. The Cornmunist Party was never mentioned in any way.
Mr. Griffin.
Did you ever hear Jack Rubenstein talk about political topics?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
Not to me personally, and I couldn't, I wouldn't want to say for sure that he ever did but I know there was one time when him and Seymour, Lawson Jaffe, and there was one or two others there, and they was in an argument about something, they was arguing about something about what Roosevelt was doing.
Anyway, they referred to him as everything but a President of the United States.
Mr. Griffin.
What was Jack Rubenstein's attitude about it?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
He agreed with them.
Mr. Griffin.
He was hostile to President Roosevelt?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
Yes; he was--well, I don't know if it was Mr. Roosevelt or not but it was the way the U.S. Government was doing in the war. What they was doing.
Mr. Griffin.
How soon--was this on the first meeting or the second meeting?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
I am not sure. I know there were several of them there on the second meeting, the second meeting I had with him when we went to dinner. When we came back, I believe it could have been on the second meeting because this is the meeting that there were so many of them came in the shop there and they was all arguing and talking about it and then they commenced to jump on Sam Jaffe and Sam carried, had a large map on the wall, and he used to keep pins in it. All the moves, every move the Russians made and every move the United States made. He had a red pin for the Russians and I don't know, a green or blue for the United States, and then I think he had another, the black pins he was using for the German Army where they were at, and every time there was news he would always jump up and go ahead and change his pins so he would know where they was at. And they came in and looked at his pins and they was saying he had it all wrong, and so forth, and so on, and they was going to change it and Sam wouldn't let them.
This was actually, if I remember correctly, this is what really brought on the argument because they got to arguing about the United States wasn't doing what they were supposed to do, and that they was lagging behind, and if they had a President of the United States that knew what he was doing that they could get this thing over with, go in there and completely wipe Germany out and take over.
Mr. Griffin.
They were criticizing Roosevelt because they didn't think he knew how effectively to conduct the war, is that correct?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
I think this was mainly the drift of it. This is mainly what they was arguing about. But after they went into the other office while they was talking in there there were certainly things that came up about how the administration was being run, and there was, I remember something about some law that they had passed or a resolution or something, that they was all very concerned about, that they was all quite upset about but I can't recall what it was they was talking about now.
It was something I don't know now, what it was something Congress passed or what it was, and I don't know if Jack Rubenstein entered into that conversation or not.
It seemed like I heard his voice once or twice, then like I say I am not sure. There were so many in there I couldn't know who was talking.
Mr. Griffin.
Was Mr. Shuster ever associated with Jack Rubenstein?
Mr. Fehrenbach.
Not that I know of. I mean he could have known him and he could have been up there sometime when he was there, I don't know. There was usually so many in and out that I never really--I couldn't really say.
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