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

COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 3547 Mr. Tavenneb. Did you later obtain information that some of these individuals were made members of the Communist Party at large? Mr. Berkeley. I did, sir. Mr. Tavenner. Which of these persons whom you have named became members at large of the Communist Party? Mr. Berkeley. Well, I have to put it this way, sir. After this meeting I never saw Stewart or Parker or Campbell or Hammett or Hellman at a party meeting. They were at that meeting at my house and I spoke to Jerome and Lawson at a subsequent date and I asked them where Stewart and Dash were—I was very fond of Dash Hammett—and he said that they had been assigned to a group known as party members at large. They were no longer assigned to any particular group in the Hollywood section and that I had seen the last of them as far as organizational matters were concerned. I imagine right now they wish they hadn't come in the first place. There are throughout the country those who are members at large of the Communist Party. Mr. Tavenner. Will you repeat that, please. Mr. Berkeley. I said throughout the country, in addition to these I have already mentioned, there are many other people who are members at large of the Communist Party. That is very important to the party to have these mem- bers at large. Mr. Tavenner. Will you tell the committee what you mean by member at large, or what the Communist Party meant by the expression or by the designation "Member at large"? Mr. Berkeley. Well, if you are pretty important and you don't want to be exposed—Well, suppose Congressman Jackson here decided to become a Com- munist, God forbid. Mr. Jackson. Would you pick somebody else, please? Mr. Berkeley. It would be pretty important that no one knew that such was the case, and the party would probably not issue a formal book. You would take your oath to the Communist Party, you would pay your dues to the Com- munist Party, you would take your directives from the Communist Party, and you would function as you were told to function, but you would not go to meetings with other Congressmen or— that is the way it is written— or other writers, or other members of the top echelon in the trade unions or the arts. From time to time you might meet with a man like—I am sure these five writers I have mentioned as members at large, they undoubtedly met out here in secret with John Howard Lawson or in New York with V. J. Jerome or a gentleman called Brown, who is a member, or who was then a member of the Politburo of the party. You would meet with these people and get your direc- tions and instructions from the party and function, but you would have no contact with anybody else in the party for your protection and for the protec- tion of the party and the collection of dues. Were you at any time a member at large of the Communist Party ? Miss Hellman. I refuse to answer, Mr. Tavenner, on the same grounds. Mr. Tavenner. Were you acquainted with V. J. Jerome? Miss Hellman. I refuse to answer on the same grounds. Mr. Tavenner. John Howard Lawson? Miss Hellman. I refuse to answer on the same grounds. Mr. Tavenner. Are you now a member of the Communist Party? Miss Hellman. No, sir. Mr. Tavenner. Were you ever a member of the Communist Party ? Miss Hellman. I refuse to answer, Mr. Tavenner, on the same grounds. Mr. Wood. See if we can be of mutual assistance to each other. You testified that you are not now a member of the Communist Party. On the grounds of possible self-incrimination you have declined to an- swer whether you were ever a member. Miss Hellman. Yes, sir.