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

1588 COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY K-r-a-m-e-r, he was a screen writer; and the son of Victor Killian, Mike or Michael Killian, K-i-1-l-i-a-n; and that is all I can remember of the original formal group with which I functioned. Mr. Tavennee. During this period of time was V. J. Jerome still in California? Mr. Berkeley. I think—I would have to consult my notes to check on that. I think V. J. was still here, or he left or was about to leave. There was—he was—he either had left or he was about to leave at this particular time, Mr. Tavenner. If you will give me a moment I will—I would say that he had left or was so close to leaving you can say so. Mr. Tavenner. Prior to his leaving did he give you any further directions as to Communist Party activities? Mr. Berkeley. Oh, yes; you are quite right. He was still here, because it was while I was a member of this group that Jerome assigned me to work in the IATSE. At that time the IA was—they felt that they had no autonomy as a union, that their union leaders were corrupt—and they were—and the party went out using the just grievance of the union members to do a lot of recruiting and it was felt that I could be of some service to the members of the IA if I worked with a group of them therein. Actually, the work consisted of editing a throw-away newspaper. I believe we printed 10,000 of them at a clip or, rather, mimeographed them. I am not quite sure about it. We mimeographed some, we had some printed. It was called the Studio Voice, and the good comrades stood at the doors of the studios and distributed them. My job was to take whatever information I received from my comrades in the IA and the other unions and trans- late it into a pamphlet. It was a matter of editing. I had no knowl- edge of the situation, actually, myself, outside of what I had been told, not being a member of the IA. It was a matter of rewriting, mostly. There was the job of the Studio Voice, which, at the time, was primarily one of attacking the leadership of the IA. It was headed by Browne and Bioff, who both went to jail. It stirred up a great deal of controversy and, as a side light it is interesting to know that there was a great struggle going on in our little newspaper. The newspaper was about this big [indicating], sometimes four pages, if we were flush, and it was issued under the name of the Com- munist Party. I mean, this was not a front, this was the name of the party, and there was quite a struggle going on to see whether West- brook Pegler printed the news first about Browne and Bioif being the crooks and panderers and racketeers that they were or whether our little newspaper got the news first. Sometimes we beat Pegler and sometimes Pegler beat us, but the average was pretty good, and, be- tween us, we got rid of the gangsters. That was about the job I did there. Mr. Tavenner. Now, you stated you were assigned to work in the IATSE by V. J. Jerome ? Mr. Berkeley. Yes, sir. Mr. Tavenner. What other members of the Communist Party worked with you on that assignment? That is, persons known to you to be members of the Communist Party ? Mr. Berkeley. I worked with a very small group. The group was headed by Jeff Kibre, K-i-b-r-e, I believe it is spelled. He was a