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3508 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of May 12, 1950, at page 12, a petition was filed with the United Nations to investigate contempt citations, and I use the term, by way of quotation, by the "House Un-American Committee," which is the term by which the committee is usually called when used by a Communist organization. Mr. Odets. You brought this up before, and I can only say that I not only have no memory of it, but it is impossible that I signed it, because the whole conception of appealing to the U. N. is just a nutty idea. I couldn't possibly have signed it. I couldn't agree with such nonsense. Mr. Tavenner. Your name appears on it, and we are asking the explanation of why your name appears. Mr. Odets. On this one, I deny my name on it. The idea is just nutty. Mr. Tavenner. What is your explanation of the way in which your signature was obtained ? Mr. Odets. I don't know. Mr. Walter. Do you feel it was nutty because Russia was a part of it? Mr. Odets. No, to appeal; the citizens of the United States, to ap- peal to the U. N. for something happening in the United States is just foolish, in my opinion. Mr. Tavenner. According to the Daily Worker of June 22, 1950, page 10, the National Council of Arts, Sciences, and Professions con- ducted a town rally to free Hollywood writers convicted of contempt of Congress. You are listed as having wired the organization as follows: I believe that yours is truly the American way and salute you all in the name of your convictions and courage. Do you remember sending that telegram ? Mr. Odets. My best guess would be that I did send this telegram. Mr. Tavenner. Did you send the telegram because you believed that the Hollywood 10 were not in contempt of Congress ? Mr. Odets. No, I felt that they—I, by the way, did not agree with their stand. But I felt that it was very American to fight, to fight for what you conceived to be your constitutional rights, and I felt impelled and moved to send this wire, and I did not agree with their stand. Mr. Tavenner. Then why did you send this telegram praising them so highly for the stand they were taking? Mr. Odets. I thought they were making a good fight and by the way, I must tell you frankly that at that I did not believe that a number of them were Communists. I, for instance, must tell you that in Holly- wood I was very frequently with one of the finest human beings I had ever met. That is Adrian Scott. I could not believe that some of these were members of the Communist Party. I thought some of these people were being prosecuted for what they were not, and I later was surprised to learn that apparently all of them were Communists. I did not have many who were friends of Hollywood, but Adrian cer- tainly astounded me. Mr. Tavenner. I show you a photostatic copy of page 7 of the Daily Worker of August 23, 1987. Apparently this was on the occasion of your return to New York from Hollywood, and considerable space was given to you and your plays in that article. The article evidently