Communist infiltration of Hollywood motion-picture industry : hearing before the Committee on Un-American activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-second Congress, first session (1951)

COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 149 Mr. Tavenner. Was a reply received from the Director of the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation ( Mr. Hatden. Yes. I have that here. Mr. Tavenner. Will you read it into the record ? Mr. Hatden (reading) : August 15, 1950. Mr. Martin Gang : 401 Taft Building, Los Angeles 28, Calif. Dear Sir : Your letter of July 31, 1950, has been received and I want to thank you for making these facts available to ine. I have given your letter careful consideration and I am fully cognizant of the problem which confronts you and your client. I regret to inform you, however, that it has been a long-standing policy of this Bureau not to grant a clearance to any person and I am, therefore, unable to assist you in the manner which you suggest. May I suggest, however, that inasmuch as this Bureau has primary investiga- tive jurisdiction of matters concerning the internal security of our country, it is considered advisable that your client furnish our Los Angeles office with details concerning his membership in the Communist Party together with the nature of the party activities during that period. In order to comply with this request may I suggest that you contact Mr. R. B. Hood, special agent in charge of our Lop Angeles office, 900 Security Building, Los Angeles 13, Calif., in order to arrange for an interview of your client. Very truly yours, (S) J. E. Hoover, John Edgar Hoover, Director. Mr. Tavenner. Did you report as requested in that letter ? Mr. Hayden. Yes, I did. I don't remember just how soon after we received this letter from Mr. Hoover. I believe it was early in Au- gust. And subsequently I met with them on two other occasions and discussed the thing in complete detail as I have today. Mr. Tavenner. Have you anything further you desire to add ? Mr. Hayden. I think we have covered the ground pretty well. I would like to say that I appreciate very much, very, very much, the opportunity to appear here today. I think that there is a tremendous service to be rendered, not only to the country at large but to the mo- tion-picture industry and also to those individuals who find them- selves in a similar position to mine. I have heard that there are many, many thousands—I have heard there are hundreds of thousands—of ex-Communists who don't know 7 wdiat to do about it. I would like, if it is not presumptuous, to sug- gest in all humility that perhaps some provision could be made by law to permit people who had had a similar experience to make their position known and clear, so that they could get this thing off their chest, because, believe me, it is a load to carry around with you. Mr. Tavenner. I might say, in that connection, that the chairman of this committee, in a broadcast not along ago, invited those who were in this category to make that fact known to this committee, and they would keep it in confidence if that was desired, but to make known their participation so that it would be a matter of record now as to just what their participation had been, and there has been a very fine re- sponse to that. Mr. Hayden. I didn't realize that. Mr. Tavenner. I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Wood. Mr. Walter. Mr. Walter. I would like to ask a question about this Committee for the First Amendment, What representations were made to you