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

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482 COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY The letter is dated February 9. The year is not stated, but the year- has been established as 1938. He starts out: Bob Reed, 136 West Thirteenth Street, New York City. My Dear Bon : Well, one thing about Reds—they seldom write except on business. And he goes on to describe the program in Hollywood which I have outlined. A very significant point appears in this letter, and that is, he attempts to stimulate some interest on the part of the national officers of the Communist Party toward setting up a national faction in the IATSE. He points out that, in their effort to capture Holly- wood, the threat of a strike if they attempt to grab control in HolW wood is a very serious thing. At that time the theaters throughout the Nation were owned by the same companies that owned the studios, so the almost complete control which our union had in the theaters throughout the Nation was a very potent threat to the efforts of the Communists to get control of Hollywood. So he was trying to get a national faction so that if a strike occurred in Hollywood they could neutralize this action by having key local unions throughout the United States that would protect their people. He mentions in this letter that Bob Reed should see Jack Stachel. He says: In the meantime, I wish you would discuss matter if IA action with Jack Stachel, necessity of my getting in touch With contacts in the various cities, and so forth. I've taken it up with Paul Kline— Paul Kline was a State official of the Communist Party in Holly- wood— but he feels personal appeal by you or V. J., rather than communication through official channels, would get quicker results. At that point V. J. had not been identified when this letter was made public, but since that time it has been established without doubt that V. J. meant V. J. Jerome. I have a photostatic copy of this letter with me, with the signature of Kibre on it, signed "Jeff." It is only signed in his first name, but we have it as he typed it. He typed it, apparently, on his own type- writer, because there are places crossed out. He closed this letter by saying, "Comradely, Jeff." Another pertinent report in these reports involving Mr. Kibre was a report regarding an individual that appeared during the 1945 strike in Hollywood by the name of Irving Henschel. (Representative Harold H. Velde returned.) Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the last name ? Mr. Brewer. H-e-n-s-c-h-e-1. Irving Henschel was leader of the Communist faction in 1944 and was a member of the Rank and File Committee which attempted to set up a revolt in our organization during the 1945 strike in Hollyw T ood. It appears that Mr. Henschel went to the 1938 convention of our International Alliance in Cleveland, and he went there as an appointed delegate, and one of the things he had to do was to present a resolution in an effort to present the views of the so-called IA Progressives in Hollywood.