We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
COMMUNISM EST MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 83 Mr. Parks. Yes. Mr. Tavenner (continuing). Confine ourselves to the question of commun ism Mr. Parks. Yes. Well, I'm drawing an allegory. Mr. Tavenner (continuing). Rather than speaking in terms of al- legory. Mr. Parks. Well, I felt that it was necessary so that you could see that this is not a subtle difference, you see. Mr. Tavenner. No; I think the committee can understand by speaking plainly Mr. Parks. Yes. Mr. Tavenner (continuing). And to the point Mr. Parks. I'm trying to. Mr. Tavenner (continuing). On communism. Mr. Parks. I'm trying to. As I say, I am not a Communist. I was a member of the Communist Party when I was a much younger man, 10 years ago. I was a member of the Communist Party. Mr. Tavenner. I wish you would tell the committee the circum- stances under which you became a member of the Communist Party; that is, when and where and, if you left the Communist Party as you have indicated, when you did it and why you did it. Mr. Parks. Well, I will do this if I may. I missed one point that I mentioned—that there is also a difference I feel in being a member of the Communist Party in 1941 and being a Communist in 1951. In 1941—all right? Mr. Tavenner. Go ahead. Mr. Parks (continuing). Being a member of the Communist Party fulfilled certain needs of a voung man that was liberal in thought, idealistic, who was for the underprivileged, the underdog. I felt that it fulfilled these particular needs. I think that being a Com- munist in 1951 in this particular situation is an entirely different kettle of fish when this is a great power that is trying to take over the world. This is the difference. I became a Communist Mr. Tavenner. Now, just a moment. In other words, you didn't realize that the purpose and object of the Communist Party was to take over other segments of the world in 1941, but you do realize that that is true in 1951 ? Is that the point you are making ? Mr. Parks. Well, I would like to say this: That this is in no way an apology for anything that I have done, you see, because I feel I have done nothing wrong ever. Question of judgment? This is debatable. I feel that as far as I am concerned that in 1941, as far as I knew it, the purposes as I knew them fulfilled simply—at least I thought they would fulfill as I said before—certain idealism, certain being for the underdog, which I am today this very minute. This did not work out particularly this way. I wasn't particu- larly interested in it after I did become a member. I attended very few meetings, and I drifted away from it the same way that—I petered out the same way I drifted into it. To the best of my recol- lection, as I recall—the dates are not exact because at that particu- lar time it wasn't an important step one way or the other; I feel as I say that the dates are approximate—it was in 1941, and to the best of my recollection I petered out about the latter part of 1944 or 1945. 81595—51—pt. 1 3