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)

34 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Stripling. Would yon release the film now, in other words? Mr. Warner. No ; we would not release the film now. Mr. Thomas. Why not release the film now? Mr. W^\RNE2i. Because of the way Russia is handling international affairs since the cessation of the war. I consider, in my opinion as an American, that they are advocating communism throughout the world and I am not in any shape, manner, or form in favor of anything like that. In fact, I despise and detest the very word. Mr. Thomas. You say Mr. Davies got in touch with you. He was the first one to get in touch with you about the idea of producing this film ; is that correct? Mr. Warner. At the time I can't remember if he contacted us, or my brother who was in New York contacted Mr. Davies. I can't say who contacted whom, but I know that we went ahead with it. Mr. Thomas. Did any other person in the Government contact either you or your brother in connection with producing Mission to Moscow? ]\Ir. AVarner. Not to my knowledge ; no. Mr. Stiupling. What about the State Department? Mr. Warnek. You mean anyone in the State Department that asked us to make it? Mr. Stripling. Were they consulted in any way in this film, or did they consult with you? Mr. Warner. I am trying to think hard who Mr. Stripling. I am being very frank, Mr. Warner. Mr. Warner. If you will give me a couple of minutes. Mr. Stripling. I will be very frank with you. The charge is often made and many statements have been made to the committee to the effect that Mission to Moscow was made at the request of our Government as a so-called appeasement or pap to the Russians ; in other words, it was produced at the request of the Government. Now, is such a statement without foundation? Mr. Warner. I^ee what you mean. No ; it is not without foundation. That is why I am very happy you put it that way. In order to answer that question correctly, I would say there were rumors and many stories to the effect that if Stalingrad fell, Stalin would again join up with Hitler because, naturally, the way the stories were that far back, during the hardest days of the war, fi-om what I could get out of it, is that the authorities in Washington who were conducting tlie war were afraid if Stalin would make up with Hitler they would destroy the world, not only continental Europe and Russia, but Japan and everything else. And we know what the scheme of things was, that the Japs and Germans were to meet in India or Egypt, I forget just which. IMr. Thomas. Do you mean to say some of the Government officials in Washington informed you that they were fearful that Stalin might hook up with Hitler? Mr. Warner. No ; but that was the tenor of things. It would be pretty hard for me to say that someone told me that, but that was just the general feeling in Washington. Every time I would go there that would be it. Mr. Thomas. Mr. Stripling asked a question that I don't think we have had an answer to yet. Mr. Stripling. Let me state further, Mr. Chairman, it has also been charged that this film had the tacit approval, if not the request, of the White House. Mr. Warner, was there anything that occurred prior to the production of this film which led you to believe that the Government, the Federal Government, desired that this film be made as a contribution to the war effort? In other words, what I want to make clear, there is no desire on the part of the subcommittee to put you or your company on the spot for making Mission to ^Moscow but if it was nuide, as in other films, at the request of the Government as a so-called patriotic duty, you would have no other course to follow and you would naturally be expected to do so. Mr. Warner. The general feeling as I found it in Washington was a tremendous fear that Stalin might go back with Hitler because he had done it before. Mr. Thomas. No. What we want to get at is the reason, not the general feelings. IMr. Warner. Yes ; but I am just going to come back to that. Mr. Thomas. All right. Mr. Warner. The Russians were very discouraged and they figured that the United States was not going to back them up with lend-lease and so on and so forth in sufficient quantities to beat Hitler, wliich was very, very important) to civilization, and the feeling was if a film could be made — and I imagine other things were being done — to assure the Russians and Stalin