Hearings regarding the communist infiltration of the motion picture industry. Hearings before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Eightieth Congress, first session. Public law 601 (section 121, subsection Q (1947)

16 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY two or three thousand dollars a week aren't rich men. I don't know what you would call them. Both of those fellows work together. They are never separated. The rest of them are a lot of comedies : Yankee Doodle Dandy, the Man Who Came to Dinner, Arsenic and Old Lace, Strawberry Blonde, Four Mothers — all of those pictures are comedies and there is no taint of communism in them. Mr. Stripling. Mr. Chairman, do you desire me to proceed in this manner, that is, reading the testimony in directly, or do j'oii wish me to proceed in question-and-answer form ? The Chairman. We would like to know from Mr. Warner at this point whether he still believes as he did when he testified in California on May 15, 1 think it was, the testimony of which was just read ? Mr. Warner. Yes, I do, with one exception, and that is referring to the Curtis Publishing Co. I didn't elaborate too much as I have formed sort of a habit of being very curt in my speech, having to talk all day in my particular business, so I didn't go into too much detail about that. I meant this : That the Curtis Publishing Co. by refusing — at least to iinybody from our company — to publish this Gordon Kahn's article, good or bad, whatever it was, I don't know, proves decisively that the American way of life, free speech and free press, is very, very important to retain and to never let it go. If anyone could influence Curtis Publishing Co. they could influence anybodv. Tlierefore, I believe — I pay my deep respects to the Curtis Publishing Co. for their American stand on free press and free speech. Tlie Chairman. On all those other names you would make the same statement in relation to them today as you did on May 15 ? Mr. Warner. I would with the exception that I have looked up one or two of the men ; it has been so far back. I was naturally carried away at the time with this testimony being taken. I was rather emotional, being 111 a very emotional business, to a degree. There are several names here, one or two that I mentioned that I haven't any recollection of at this time, after careful investigation, having written any subversive elements. The Chairman. You better name them. Mr. Warner. Gu> Endore — it has been so long ago. The Chairman. Then you would take him off the list? The Witness. Yes, sir. Sheridan Gibney. As I stated, I hope fully here, I have referred to Julius and Philip Epstein in this one particular picture. The rest of the time they were always on very good American films and there is very little can be said about them. As I said, they do it in a joking way. The rich man is alwaysj the villain, which is as old as the world itself. Ever since one man had $1 and the other fellow had another dollar there has always been that envy between man and man. Outside of that, I would say these people whom I have mentioned have not written Communist cloctrines, or endeavored to put in Communist stories. As I explained at our meeting in Los Angeles, my understanding of the Communists or their doctrines is that they are a nation or a country or a party or a sect, who endeavor to overthrow a country or a government by violence and force. That I have never seen in an American motion picture, not only ours, but anybody else's. The Chairman. They would not be that foolish, would they? I