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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1534 COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Townsend. Because the guild is an important guild in the picture industry. If they gained control of one, they might have a better chance of gaining control of another, I would think. Mr. Doyle. The members of the guild were all screen writers? Mr. Townsend. Yes. Mr. Doyle. Assuming that all members of the board of directors in control of the Screen Writers' Guild were all Communists, at least in that indirect manner there would be control—in that manner—of the screen writers? Mr. Townsend. Of the writer, himself, yes. They would still have no direct control over the content of film. Mr. Doyle. But they would have direct control over every member of the board of directors of the Screen Writers' Guild ? Mr. Townsend. Yes; that is true. Mr. Doyle. That goes to your thinking as well as your opinion, doesn't it ? Mr. Townsend. Yes. Mr. Doyle. You stated that in 1947 they destroyed entirely the Com- munist influence completely in the Screen Writers' Guild. How was that destroyed ? Mr. Townsend. As I recall it, a group of the majority of the guild membership formed an organization which met often, campaigned, set up a slate of candidates to oppose the slate on which there may have been Communists. They electioneered, they campaigned. Their slate won in 1947 and, to my knowledge, there may have been one or two Communists on the board since then, not elected, but brought up by virtue of absence of elected members. There may have been no Communists on the board since then. Mr. Doyle. What, in your judgment, is the motivating factor for men and women, men like yourself with intelligence and training, to unite with the Communist Party when you learn to know that you are instructed to follow the Soviet Communist line instead of continuing your allegiance to the Constitution of the United States? What is the motivating factor ? What makes you do it ? Mr. Townsend. I found, in my case, I didn't know or realize that the party was following the Soviet line until I had been in it a while. Mr. Doyle. I know, but your printed constitution and bylaws as produced yesterday show T ed very clearly that there was no pledge of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. Did you get a chance to read that ? Mr. Townsend. These were not generally distributed to the party membership at the time I went in. Mr. Doyle. Do you know of any pledge or any commitment in any of the printed literature of the Communist Party of the United States which permits the Communist to uphold the Constitution of the United States? Mr. Townsend. That permits a Mr. Doyle. That commits, that pledges the Communist to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Townsend. I don't know of such. Mr. Doyle. Do you know where I might find one, if such exists? I haven't been able to find one yet. Mr. Townsend. No; I do not.