Jurisdictional disputes in the motion-picture Industry : hearings before a special subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Eightieth Congress, first-session, pursuant to H. Res. 111 (1948)

MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 1557 Speakers were : Albee Slade, CIO Council ; William J. Hill, Carpenters Local 634 ; Rex Ingram, Negro actor ; Barney Ross, former lightweight champion ; Rev. J. Raymond Henderson, pastor, Second Baptist Church (colored) ; Daiton Trumbo, screen writer. People's Wokld Press Conference The People's World is the Communist publication on the Pacific west coast and is published in San Francisco at 590 Folsom Street. On August 4, 1943, a "press conference" was held for the benefit of this publication at the First Unitarian Church, 2936 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles, Calif. (Rev. Ernest Caldecott, pastor.) Now supporting the Communist strike in the studios ; see elsewhere herein. The People's World lays down the Communist Party line and is the political guide for all Communists on the west coast. Herbert K. Sorrell was one of the six)nsors of this conference. Not only was Sorrell a sponsor in this case, but he has consistently vipheld this publication over a period of years as a subscriber and by public statement. In the People's World dated July 24, 1944, the following statements appear : "The Daily People's World leads the daily newspaper field in understanding the contribution of labor in Hollywood to America's effort." "That's the statement of two prominent Hollywood leaders — Screen Writer John Howard Lawson and Herbert Sorrell, president of the Conference of Studio Unions. "Both Sorrell and Lawson are supporting the current $75,000 victory expansion drive of the Daily People's World." Others sponsoring this "conference" mentioned above and who are now actively supporting the present Communist-inspired strike in the Hollywood studios were Augustus Hawkins, assemblyman; John Howard Lawson, screen writer; Leon Gallagher (Katz, Gallagher & Margolis) ; Kev. Clayton Kussell ; Carey Mc Williams ; Charlotta Bass ; Ernest Dawson ; Al Waxman ; Theodore Dreiser ; R. Lai Singh. Third Annuat. Convention Los Angeles County Communist Party april 29, 30 and may 1, 1938 — held at 121 west eighteenth street, los angeles, CALIF. Herbert K. Sorrell has denied that he was ever a member of the Communist Party. A photostatic copy of the minutes of the above Communist convention shows the following names written on the back page : William Schneiderman, State secretary of Communist Party, district 13 ; Don Healy ; Hugh Wilkins ; Herb Sorrell ; Urchel Daniels. When shown this document at a hearing of the Joint Fact-Finding Committee of the State of California on August 31, 1941, Mr. Sorrell denied, under oath, that he had been a delegate to this Communist convention. He stated that he had given someone permission, he couldn't remember who, to put his name on some committee and that he thought this might account for his name being on this copy of the minutes of this Communist convention. Sorrell stated that he had never attended any Communist Party convention, "not knowingly * * * j i^^jght have, and not known what it was * * *" The above fact-finding committee has in its possession a sworn aifidavit made by a former Communist Party functionary and a delegate to this Communist convention in which the following appears : "I recall that Herb Sorrell was doorman at the session I attended, and accepted my credentials: that the membership of the Communist Party was estimated at around 3.000 at that time; that plans were discussed for developing a more efficient political pressure machine, on which subject Paul Cline spoke." He admitted he had conferred with Jack Moore and Paul Cline, officers of the Communist Party, in the offices of his union, local 644, painters. (Report of the Joint Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities, 1943, page 167.)