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

1628 COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Jackson. I have no further questions. Mr. James. Sir, I feel within myself as loyal an American citizen as you are and as ready to come to the defense of my country. I am sorry that we part in this other respect. Mr. Jackson. I am sorry that we part company, too. I wish that you would show a willingness to cooperate not only with the commit- tee but with the Congress of the United States and the people of the United States who look to this committee to do the job that has been assigned to it. Mr. Wood. Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter. Mr. James, in your testimony you stated that you are not now a member of the Communist Party and you are not in sym- pathy with its objectives. I assume that is what you meant ? Mr. James. That is correct. There is a technicality. I did not say I was not now, I said I am not a member. Mr. Potter. All right, I didn't mean to put any words in your testi- mony. I would like to ask whether it is the policies or the aims or objectives of the Communist Party that you are in disagreement with. Mr. James. I am not familiar with all the policies and aims of the Communist Party at present. I am in disagreement with the Com- munist Party on its stand on the Korean war; I am in disagreement with the Communist Party on its stand on the Soviet Union and the various countries like Czechoslovakia, Poland, and so forth. Mr. Potter. You have been quite concerned, as you stated in your testimony, concerning the fact that this committee might endeavor at some time and some way to establish some type of censorship, which I wish to assure you that it is not the intent of the committee nor is it within the province of the committee to do so even if it should wish to. I am just wondering how you can justify your position of not cooperating with the committee at a time when we are drafting men to fight people in Korea who are a part of the same Communist organi- zation which happens to be in a different country but under the same leadership as when out here. It is difficult to see the consistency that you claim in your answer to the questions that you are not now a mem- ber of the Communist Party, but you fail to aid the committee in endeavoring to find out the actions of the party here in this country when at the same time we are drafting men, in your own home town, men about our age, to fight this very ideology that you are now en- deavoring to protect. Mr. James. Sir, if I felt that the revealing of names, and so forth, would help this committee, I mean would help our Government in its war in Korea, and so forth, my answer would perhaps be different. I do not feel that to be the case. Mr. Potter. If during World War II we had, and I assume that we did have at that time through the German Bund here in this country, an organization who was taking their advice and directives from our enemy, from Germany at that time, would you have then been reluctant to name names as you are today ? Mr. James (conferring with counsel). I think that is a speculative question. I would like to leave it there. Mr. Potter. No questions. Mr. Wood. Ordinarily, Mr. James, I do not undertake to question witnesses, certainly to any great extent, but your testimony here has left me in a muddled position and I feel I must delve a little bit fur-