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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COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 1439 the organizations of the union organizations within the movie industry? Mr. Ashe. Well, as I say, this was part of an over-all plan of the Communist Party to infiltrate all of the orthodox A. F. or L. or in- dependent unions, wherever they might be. About this time, during a period of mass unemployment, a very large number of dues-paying Communist Party members were them- selves unemployed. I distinctly remember some word about 1934 or 1935, when I was section organizer, directives came down to us to go to any length to get Communist Party members into labor unions, even to the extent of helping them or actually paying their initiation fees and dues in unions. In other words, we were not going to let anything stand in the way of infiltration, least of all a few dollars initiation dues. I recall that period that the downtown section of the party raised, through a series of benefit parties, and by other means, several hundred dollars and we did place a considerable number of downtown members of the Communist Party in A. F. of L. trade unions. One of them later became the business agent of, I believe, the waiters' union. I under- stand during the war that he was a commissioned officer in the United States Army. I can't at the moment recall his name. We had considerable success in penetrating the painters' union locals due in part to the fact that we already had some forces in there. In one local on the east side, I believe it was a paperhangers' local, and also in a painters' local on the east side, that would be Boyle Heights. I recall Mr. Tavenner. What was that name ? Mr. Ashe. Boyle Heights. Mr. Tavenner. How do you spell it? Mr. Ashe. B-o-y-l-e H-e-i-g-h-t-s. This is a section, or one of the old sections, of Los Angeles and a section in which the Communist Party has always been strong, even in the old days of its sectarianism. I recall distinctly that one Communist Party member even went so far as to get a charter for a new local and did set up a new local of the painters' union, which automatically put him on the painters' district council. The name of this person is Don Healy, formerly the husband of Dorothy Healy. Mr. Tavenner. The person to whom you referred as Dorothy Healy is now under indictment, I believe. Mr. Ashe. That's correct. Mr. Tavenner. What was the designation of the union to which you referred? Mr. Ashe. The local ? Mr. Tavenner. The new local of the painters' union? Mr. Ashe. I do not recall. I do remember that for a period of time—it was a small local. For a period of time it met out in the general vicinity of Echo Park. That is not too far from the down- town area. I believe at one time there was talk of my going into the local, but I wasn't able to find any time to participate in the work and it was finally decided that I better stay out of it. Mr. Tavenner. In the •ver-all plans of the Communist Party, what was the ultimate objective in being able to control these various unions within the industry through infiltration ?