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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3544 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Tavenner. In August. And you left from Hollywood to en- gage on your trip abroad ? Miss Hellman. No. I had an apartment in New York. I have always had a residence in New York. I came back, as I remember, for 2 or 3 weeks, 4 weeks perhaps, and then went to Europe. Mr. Tavenner. But you may have been back in New York for 3 or 4 weeks prior to your leaving in August ? Miss Hellman. Yes, I think so. Mr. Tavenner. Miss Hellman, during the course of the hearings in California in September 1951, Mr. Martin Berkeley testified regarding the holding of a meeting of members of the Communist Party in June of 1937 at his home. This appeared, according to his testimony, to have # been one of the early organizational meetings of the Communist Party in Hollywood. I want to read you his testimony regarding that meeting: Mr. Tavenner. You have spoken of the aims and objectives of the Communist Party generally in this area. I would like you now to tell the committee when and where the Hollywood section of the Communist Party was first organized. Mr. Berkeley. Well, sir, by a very strange coincidence the section was organ- ized in my house. From the time I got out here in January, the party grew pretty rapidly. Jerome was working hard, Mike Pell was working hard, Lou Harris was working hard, and all of us were working pretty hard to recruit members. And we felt—you see, at that time there was no real organization, you were a party member but you had no place to go and meet. There were no real groups, there were a few study groups but that is about all. It was felt that numerically we were strong enough to have our own organiza- tion which was called the Hollywood section. In June of 1937, the middle of June, the meeting was held in my house. My house was picked because I had a large living room and ample parking facilities, it was out on Beverly Glen, which was out in the country, at least in those days, and my lease was up in 2 days. So we had the meeting at my house. And it was a pretty good meeting. We were honored by the presence of many functionaries from downtown, and the spirit was swell. Mr. Tavenner. Will you give us the names of those who were in attendance at that meeting, who were members of the Communist Party? Mr. Berkeley. Well, in addition to Jerome and the others I have mentioned before, and there is no sense in me going over the list again and again. I would like to get to the newer people, if I may. Eva Shafran, who was then, I believe, the educational director of the county, downtown, and who is now dead. Mr. Tavenner. Will you spell the name, please? Mr. Berkeley. I think it is spelled, the first name is Eva, I think it is spelled S-h-a-f-r-a-n. I am not sure, but I think that is how you spell her name. Also present was Harry Carlisle, who is now in the process of being deported, for which I am very grateful. He was an English subject. After Stanley Law- rence had stolen what funds there were from the party out here, and to make amends had gone to Spain and gotten himself killed, they sent Harry Carlisle here to conduct Marxist classes. He was at the meeting. Also at the meeting was Donald Ogden Stewart. His name is spelled Donald Ogden S-t-e-w-a-r-t. Dorothy Parker, also a writer. Her husband Allen Campbell, C-a-m-p-b-e-1-1; my old friend Dashiell Hammett, who is now in jail in New York for his activities; that very excellent playwright, Lillian Hellman And he goes on to name others. Miss Hellman, in light of that testimony, I want to ask you whether or not you agree that that is a correct statement, and if it is not, where- in it is in error and, if you did attend this meeting as represented and as sworn to by Mr. Berkeley, I would then want to ask you regard- ing the activities of any other persons who were there. First of all, I will ask you the question, is that statement true ?