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 HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 3463 Mr. Odets. Yes, sir, I distinctly remember that. Mr. Tavenner. Well, did you make a trip to Cuba as a member of that commission? Mr. Odets. Yes, that was in June of 1935. Mr. Tavenner. According to the information in the files of the committee, this commission was composed of yourself as chairman, representing the League of American Writers. That is correct, is it not? Mr. Odets. I did not have that memory of it until you mentioned it the last time. It is correct. I know thai now. Mr. Tavenner. And that the other members of the Commission of which you were the chairman were Fred L. Gordo, secretary, repre- senting the League of American Writers; also, Manning Johnson of the Food Workers Industrial Union; Herman Reissig, of the American League Against W T ar and Fascism; Mary Gruber, also of the American League Against War and Fascism; Celeste Strack of the National Students League; Elsa Waldman of the National Students League; Paul Crosbie, of the American League of Ex-Serv- icemen; Lucille Perry, of the Provisional Committee for Cuba; Dora Zucker of International Ladies' Garment Workers Union; Conrad Komorowski, of the All American Anti-Imperialist League; Paul Irving of the Unemployed Teachers Association; Jose Santag, repre- senting 13 Latin-American organizations in New York; Mason Shaffer, of the International Workers' Order; and Frank Griffin of the International Labor Defense. Did you know any of these people before you made the trip to Cuba with them ? Mr. Odets. No, sir; not one of them. Mr. Tavenner. Did you know any of them to be members of the Communist Party or did you discover their membership in the Com- munist Party while on your trip to Cuba or in a subsequent period ? Mr. Odets. I would say on the boat I discovered that some of them were members of the Communist Party. Some of the names, I just wrote them down, and you did mention them the last time. I actually right now do not remember but about half of these people. I am hard put to place in my mind who some of these others were. But I would guess that the number of these persons were certain members of the Communist Party. Mr. Tavenner. Can you tell us which of them were members of the Communist Party? Mr. Odets. Well, I am going to guess that Komorowski was. I am going to guess that Manning Johnson was. I am going to guess that Celeste Strack was. And that is where I shall have to stop. Mr. Tavenner. How was this commission chosen? Mr. Wood. Mr. Counsel, I do not think we should leave the record in that condition, unless the witness has some knowledge about it. The fact that he said he would guess at it, the record ought to be clarified on the three names that were mentioned. I do not think the committee would want it to stand in that condition. See if you can clarify that. If not, there is the mere fact that he is guessing. Mr." Kearney. Do you know as a matter of fact that any of the three names that you mentioned were members of the Communist Party and, if so, you can name them.