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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4252 COMMUNISM IN HOLLYWOOD MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Tavenner. Prior to the time of your becoming a member of the party, or the Communist Political Association, had you united with organizations which you later found out were Communist-front organizations ? Mr. Schoenfeld. Yes, sir. Two organizations. When I arrived in Washington, I became a member of the Screen Writers' Guild automatically, and almost the entire membership of the guild at that time, in the "war years, almost the entire membership, with other guilds and unions, belonged to what was called the Holly- wood Mobilization. This was the joining of these unions and guilds to work for the war effort. I joined, and I believe I wrote probably a half dozen Red Cross radio messages and a few skits for the USO. That was my participa- tion there. Mr. Tavenner. In referring to the Hollywood Mobilization, did you mean the Hollywood Writers' Mobilization ? Mr. Schoenfeld. Yes; the Hollywood Writers' Mobilization, sir. And at that time thousands of writers, directors, and technicians belonged. The Writers' Mobilization was part of the larger Holly- wood Mobilization, I believe. And with hindsight it now becomes clear, when you read the names of the leaders of the guild at that time and the leaders of the mobili- zation, Lawson, Maltz, that it was a front group. Mr, Tavenner. Were you a member of the League of American Writers ? Mr. Schoenfeld. Yes, sir; I was a member of the League of Amer- ican Writers for approximately 6 months. I believe it was the fall of 1938, or perhaps the beginning of 1939. Somewhere in 1939, when I was still here in Washington, I sent a letter of resignation and re- signed from the League of American Writers because I was incensed by the attack of the U. S. S. R. on Finland. At that time, the League of American Writers sent me some kind of document standing by the position that it was not an invasion, and I sent such a letter of resig- nation to the league in, I think, 1939. Mr. Tavenner. Do you recall who was the national president at that time ? Mr. Schoenfeld. I do not. Mr, Tavenner. Do you recall the name of any official of the League of American Writers to whom you addressed your letter of resig- nation? Mr. Schoenfeld. No, sir. I am positive that all I did was send the letter to the League of American Writers. Mr. Tavenner. Did you receive an acknowledgment of your resig- nation ? Mr. Schoenfeld. No; I do not remember having received one. Mr. Tavenner. Were you a member of the Writers' Congress of 1943 ? Mr. Schoenfeld. I was, sir. That was the second front organiza- tion, or I believe it to have been a front organization. It wasn't an organization that you joined. It was merely, if I remember, a week of seminars on the University of Southern California, at which tech- nicians in all media of communication gave lectures. And I was as k e( l—I cannot remember by whom, but I was asked—if I would one afternoon give a lecture with Norman Corwin and Arch Oboler