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3468 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY admit I was—let me admit I was politically extremely naive, and I remember distinctly the night before the boat docked, which was a festive occasion on an excursion boat, we were called together and told, I believe by Komorowski, that this is what was going to happen. Mr. Tavenner. You found that you were not in command of your own commission but that Komorowski was? Mr. Odets. Yes, sir. • Mr. Tavenner. And that it was known that you were to be arrested before you reached Cuba, and that was part of the plan!" Mr. Odets. I will say this, sir. Evidently a lot of these people had far more background than I did in political scuffling, and they knew that that was going to happen. I didn't know. It was particularly in that sense that I meant I was politically naive. Mr. Tavenner. Then if it was planned that your group should be arrested, I mean part of the plans of your commission, then this was nothing more than a propaganda stunt, isn't that true ? Mr. Odets. It finally turned out that way. It finally turned out the way you say. Mr. Kearney. In the parlance of everyday language, you were known as the fall guy, is that it ? Mr. Odets. A little bit, A little bit. Mr. Velde. Do you know whether Komorowski had definite knowl- edge that you were going to be arrested ? Mr. Odets. He simply seemed to have sufficient political background to know that that was what was going to happen. And he had that much grace to say the night before the boat lands to be prepared for this. Mr. Velde. Did he tell you that? Is that the way you learned about it? Mr. Odets. That would be the substance of what he said, and that was certainly the way I learned about it. Mr. Tavenner. Now, you have spoken several times of being rather naive in political matters yourself, and others such as Komo- rowski being experienced. You are actually referring there to expe- rience in Communist Party tactics, aren't you ? You are not speaking of experience in the broad field of politics, but you are speaking of Komorowski's Communist Party tactics and experience ? Mr. Odets. I am actually speaking of both, of both. There are Communist Party tactics which are exclusively their own and my knowledge would be that there are Communist Party tactics which are shared typically by many politicians, because they are also politicians. They would also be versed in the tactics of solidifying trade-unionism, which is again shared by many non-Communist trade-unionists. There is simply professional know-how in all of those things. Mr. Tavenner. You have told us about your experience when you returned, and you met a person who you judged to be a functionary of the Communist Party who told you that the plan originally was to send someone else as chairman of the commission. Was that the same person who placed you on this commission to begin with, or sug- gested to you that you accept such a position? Mr. Odets. It is possible, but I can't remember. It is possible, but I actually can't remember. (At this point Kepresentative Harold H, Velde left the hearing room.)