Mr. Weissman.

Well, I will be very blunt.

Representative Boots.

That is what I would like for you to be.

Mr. Weissman.

We were, you might say--at least I personally--this is my reason--I was sick and tired of seeing America as a weak sister all the time. And this is especially in the field of foreign affairs, where it seemed that our administration, whether it is the Eisenhower or the Kennedy administration, both of them, had no set, stable foreign policy. We were constantly losing ground all over the world. We were going to conference tables with everything to lose and nothing to gain, and coming away by losing.
And we hoped by developing a powerful political organization we could exert some influence on the government and eventually even put, you might say, our man in the White House, let's say, in order to obtain a stable policy--because we felt that the Communists were gaining ground all over the place, we were doing nothing but losing.

Representative Boggs.

Did you have a candidate for the Presidency?

Mr. Weissman.

Excuse me?

Representative Boggs.

Did you have a candidate you said your man.

Mr. Weissman.

I wouldn't say we had a candidate. We had looked to Barry Goldwater as personifying Mr. Conservative. And we had stated in writing, though, that we would support him for the Presidency, but we were not obligated to support him or any other individual.

Representative Boggs.

Are you still in this business?

Mr. Weissman.

No.

Representative Boggs.

What are you doing now?

Mr. Weissman.

I am a salesman, I sell carpets.

Representative Boggs.

You have given up this goal?

Mr. Weissman.

Well, if I had money I didn't know what to do with, I would get back into it--only I would do it myself, because I found that in order to accomplish these aims--I mentioned before I considered myself an idealist. I found in order to accomplish these goals I had to against my will prostitute my ideals in order to further the general cause of the organization.

Representative Boggs.

What ideals did you find you had to prostitute?

Mr. Weissman.

I personally didn't want to associate with the John Birch Society.

Representative Boggs.

You did not want to?

Mr. Weissman.

No; I did not.

Representative Boggs.

Why didn't you?

Mr. Weissman.

Well; they are rather extreme, I thought. I didn't like some of the things they were doing. For example, I didn't want to spend my days and nights sneaking into bathrooms around the country, pasting up "impeach Earl Warren" stickers.

Representative Boggs.

Is that what they do?

Mr. Weissman.

This is part of their program. And I can't see any use in it, frankly. In other words, it is just little things like this. Plus the fact that after I got to Dallas, I found that most of the people who are professing anti-communism, they were, they were definitely anti-Communists. But, at the same time, it seemed to me to be nothing but a conglomeration of racists, and bigots and so forth.

Representative Boggs.

What do you mean by that--bigots?

Mr. Weissman.

They are anti-everything, it seems.

Representative Boggs.

Are you Jewish?

Mr. Weissman.

Yes; I am.

Representative Boggs.

Were they anti-Jewish?

Mr. Weissman.

Too many of them, yes. It was requested at one time that I change my name.

Representative Boggs.

Is that right?

Mr. Weissman.

That is right.

Representative Boggs.

What did you tell them?

Mr. Weissman.

Excuse me?

Representative Boggs.

What did you tell them? Did you change your name?

Mr. Weissman.

No, sir.

Representative Boggs.

Well, did you find this request unusual?