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s c f//r///j ea&^z^t'/vrrM COMMUNIST INFILTRATION OF HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY— PART 7 HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JANUARY 24, 28, FEBRUARY 5, MARCH 20, AND APRIL 10, 30, 1952 Printed for the use of the Committee on Un-American Activities UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 95829 WASHINGTON : 1952 COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES United States House of Representatives JOHN S. WOOD, Georgia, Chairman FRANCIS E. WALTER, Pennsylvania HAROLD H. VELDE, Illinois MORGAN M. MOULDER, Missouri BERNARD W. KEARNEY, New York CLYDE DOYLE, California DONALD L. JACKSON, California JAMES B. FRAZIER, Jr., Tennessee CHARLES E. POTTER, Michigan Frank S. Tavenner, Jr., Counsel Louis J. Rdssell, Senior Investigator John W. Carrington, Clerk of Committee Raphael L, Nixon, Director of Research n CONTENTS Page January 24, 1952, appearance of M. William Pomerance ^__ 2307 January 28, 1952 : Testimony of— Melvin Levy 2309 Michael Seymour Blankfort 2328 Oeorgo Passman 2306 February 5, 1952, testimony of M. William Pomerance 2373 March 20, 1952, testimony of Hyman ("Hy") Solomon Kraft 2397 April 10, 1952, testimony of Elia Kazan 2409 April 30, 1952, testimony of Edward G. Kobinson 2417 in COMMUNIST INFILTRATION OF HOLLYWOOD MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY—PART 7 THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1952 United States House of Representatives, Committee on Un-American Activities, Washington, D. C. PUBLIC HEADING The Committee on Un-American Activities met pursuant to ad- journment, at 2 : 28 p. m., in room 226, Old House Office Building, Hon. John S. Wood (chairman) presiding. Committee members present: Representatives John S. Wood, Clyde Doyle, Bernard W. Kearney, Donald L. Jackson, and Charles E. Potter. Staff members : Frank S. counsel present Tavenner, Jr., ; Thomas W. Beale, Sr., assistant counsel; John W. Carrington, clerk; Raphael I. director of research E. Nixon, ; Courtney Owens and William A. Wheeler, investigators; and A. S. Poore, editor. Mr. Wood. Let the committee be in order. For the purposes of the hearing this afternoon, acting under the authority and resolution establishing this committee, I as chairman set up the subcommittee composed of the following members: Messrs. and all Doyle, Kearney, Potter, Wood ; and they are present. Who do you have for the first witness, Mr. Counsel? Mr. Tavenner. I will call Mr. William Pomerance. Mr. Wood. Mr. Pomerance, will you hold up your right hand and be sworn ? Do you solemnly swear that the evidence you will give this sub- committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God ? Mr. Pomerance. I do. Mr. Wood. Have a seat, please. TESTIMONY OF M. WILLIAM POMERANCE, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS COUNSEL, DAVID REIN Mr. Tavenner. Mr. Chairman, my purpose in calling the witness was merely to have him respond to the subpena and to have the com- mittee set a date for his appearance, as it is quite evident with the work we have planned here for today and tomorrow that we are not likely to reach him. However, I will ask him one or two questions. Mr. Pomerance, you were served with a subpena to appear here today, the 24th day of January ? 2307 2308 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Pomerance. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. When was the subpena served on you ? Mr. Pomerance. Tuesday morning. Mr. Wood. Mr. Pomerance, owing to the schedule that we have had this week, and its taking more time than the committee contemplated, I regret very much that we are not going to be able to hear your testi- mony, and I am going to excuse you until Tuesday, the 5th of February. (Whereupon the witness was excused and the committee proceeded with the witness, A. Marburg Yerkes, whose testimony is printed in a separate publication entitled "Communist Infiltration Into Profes- sional Groups.") COMMUNIST INFILTKATION OF HOLLYWOOD MOTION- PICTURE INDUSTRY—PART 7 MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 1952 United States House of Representatives, Committee on Un-American Activities, Washington, D. C. PUBLIC HEARING The Committee on Un-American Activities met, pursuant to ad- journment, at 10 : 10 a. m., in room 226, Old House Office Building, Hon. Francis E. Walter presiding. Committee members present : Representatives Francis E. Walter, Morgan M. Moulder, Clyde Doyle, James B. Frazier, Jr., (appearance as noted in Harold H. as noted in record) , Velde, (appearance record) , Bernard W. Kearney, Donald L. Jackson, and Charles E. Potter. Staff members : Frank S. counsel present Tavenner, Jr., ; Thomas W. assistant counsel John clerk I. Beale, Sr., ; W. Carrington, ; Raphael Nixon, director of research; William A. Wheeler and Courtney E. A. editor. Owens, investigators ; and S. Poore, Mr. Walter. The committee will come to order, please. Let the record show that there are present Messrs. Moulder, Doyle, Frazier, Velde, Kearney, Jackson, Potter, and Walter. Who is your next witness, Mr. Tavenner? Mr. Tavenner. I will call Mr. Melvin Levy. What is your name, please, sir? Mr. Levy. Melvin Levy. Mr. Walter. Just a moment. Will you rise please, and hold up your right hand ? Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. Levy. I do. TESTIMONY OF MELVIN LEVY Mr. Tavenner. What is your name, please, sir ? Mr. Levy. Melvin Levy. Mr. Tavenner. When and where were you born, Mr. Levy ? Mr. Levy. In Salt Lake City, on May 11, 1902. Mr. Tavenner. Will you raise your voice just a little bit ? Mr. Levy. Yes. Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee, please, briefly, what your educational training has been ? 2309 2310 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Levy. I am a graduate with a master's degree of the University of Washington. (Representative Francis E. Walter left the hearing room at this point.) Mr. Tavenner. It is rather difficult to hear you. Mr. Levy. I am sorry. I will try to raise it. Mr. Tavenner. You stated you were a graduate of the University of Washington ? Mr. Levy. The University of Washington, and I have a master's degree. Sir. Tavenner. A master's degree ? Mr. Levy. Yes. Mr. Tavenner. What is your profession? Mr. Levy. Writer. Mr. Tavenner. You are a writer ? Mr. Levy. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. Are you a writer of screen plays ? Mr. Levy. Yes, I am a writer of anything. Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee briefly what your record of employment or achievement has been in the field of writing? Mr. Levy. Well, my first novel was published when I was 21, called Matrix, M-a-t-r-i-x. Mr. Tavenner. Matrix? Mr. Levy. Matrix. And I published four novels. My first play was Gold Eagle Guv. Mr. Tavenner. We are having difficulty hearing you. Mr. Levy. I am terribly sorry. My first play was Gold Eagle Guy. It was done in New York in 1931:. And I have done, I suppose, a dozen or 15 or 20 pictures, I don't know; Bandit of Sherwood Forest; Sun- day Dinner for a Soldier; Renegades; She's a Soldier, Too. Mr. Tavenner. What were the names of the last two ? Mr. Levy. The last two that I said. Let's see, did I say "Bandit of Sherwood Forest" ? Mr. Tavenner. Bandit of Sherwood Forest? Mr. Levy. Yes. Sunday Dinner for a Soldier. Mr. Tavenner. Sunday Dinner for a Soldier? Mr. Levy. Hitler's Hangman. Mr. Tavenner. Hitler's Hangman? Mr. Levy. She's a Soldier, Too. Mr. Tavenner. She's a Soldier, Too? Mr. Levy. That is right. Renegades. Mr. Tavenner. Renegades? Mr. Levy. Yes. It covers a Mr. Tavenner. That is sufficient. Mr. Levy, during the course of the hearings conducted by this com- mittee in Los Angeles in September of 1951, Mr. Martin Berkeley appeared as a witness, and identified you as having been at one time a member of the Communist Party. (Addressing news photographers:) May I ask that you get your pictures now? Mr. Levy. You can have a lot of them. COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 2311 Mr. Tavenner. Now that is over with. Mr. Levy. I am very happy. Mr. Tavenner. I stated that Mr. Martin Berkeley had identified you as having been at one time a member of the Communist Party. Did you then voluntarily get in touch with the committee and ask the privilege of appearing before the committee? Mr. Levy. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. To make such statement or explanation of your membership as you desired? Mr. Levy. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. The committee did announce in Hollywood, as it has frequently announced, whenever a person has been named as a member of the Communist Party, or any testimony is given relating to him or his organization, that either he or his organization is invited to appear here for such explanation as the individual or the association desires to present. Mr. Levy. That is what I understand. M r. Tavenner. And it is in response to that that you have appeared ? Mr. Levy. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. Well, what is it that you desire to state to the com- mittee about it? Mr. Levy. Well, Mr. Berkeley's testimony was true. I was twice in m}' life. I was once a member of the Communist Party, and once a member of the Communist Political Association at various times. Mr. Tavenner. That is correct. Mr. Levy. I think that it is, at different times, and with no connec- tion between, no connection between the two things. I became a member of the Communist Party in 1933 at the request of Mr. Earl Browder. Mr.