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 1457 I am merely trying to tell them how to do it, in the hope that they, too, will come forward within a year or two after they have been able to make their adjustments and make their contributions. I know I had a very trying period before I was completely free. Mr. Doyle. Thank you very much. That's all, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Wood. It will give me pleasure to recognize the appearance in the committee room of a distinguished State senator from Los Angeles County, Mr. Jack Tenney. Mr. Jackson, do you have some questions ? Mr. Jackson. I should like to recognize, Mr. Chairman, the presence in the committee room of our distinguished Lieutenant Governor of the State of California, Goodwin J. Knight, and also Senator Nelson Dilworth, who has also been associated with the activities of the State un-American activities committee in Sacramento. Mr. Wood. It is a pleasure to have you gentlemen here, I am sure. Mr. Jackson. Mr. Ashe, during the course of your testimony you mentioned a man by the name of Will Geer, who has previously ap- peared before this committee. You were unable to state as a certainty whether or not the man who appeared was the same individual whom you had known during your period of time in the party. Mr. Ashe. No; I couldn't state with certainty that the man who appeared a year or so ago before your committee was the man I knew in 1934. Mr. Jackson. Would you be able to give the committee a physical description of the individual who was known to you as Will Geer? Mr. Ashe. I am not too sure. When I knew him he was probably about my age, which would make him about, say, 32 to 34, maybe a little younger. Tall, lanky, loose-boned person. In those days he was quite thin—I don't think he was eating too well—rather an engaging personality, I would say. Under purely social conditions, a person that one would enjoy visiting with, shooting the breeze. Mr. Jackson. Mr. Geer made a very interesting witness before the committee. He didn't say much but he was extremely interesting. Mr. Ashe. I understand. Mr. Jackson. It has also been testified, or it has been stated in tes- timony taken before the committee that the Communist Party has been so organized in this country as to provide for successive echelons of command, to take care of such situations as the FBI round-up in New York and in San Francisco. Out of your personal knowledge of the operations of the Communist Party would you care to comment on what provisions have been made against possible removal of effec- tive leadership at the district or State levels? Mr. Ashe). I wouldn't be able to speak now. In '34 or '35, '36, I had some knowledge of this procedure. In fact, my then wife, I believe, was one of those in charge of what they called "reserve com- mittee." I know that there was at all times, especially during periods when the party was semi-legal, or semi-illegal, if you please, there was always provision made so that if the functioning bureau or lead- ership of the party in any area was taken that there were others im- mediately to rise to the surface. I think on this point I would like to make an observation that somebody somewhere has made the statement that in the event the party was rounded up that there would be 10 percent, or something