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)

46 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Mr. Thomas. Now, it is 1947. Do .vou believe it is pro-Communist? Mr. Sntii'LiNG. Would you release the film now, in other words? Mr. Wakner. No, we would not release the film now. Mr. Thomas. Why not release the film now? Mr. Warneb. Because of the way Russia is handling their international affairs since the ces.sation of the war. I consider in my opinion as an American that the.y are advocating communism throughout tlie world and I am not in any shape, manner, or form in favor of anything like that. In fact, I de.spise and detest the ver.v word. Mr. Thomas. You say Mr. Da vies 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? Mr. Warner. Not to my knowledge, no. Mr. Stripling. What about the State Department? Mr. Warner. You mean anyone in the State Department that asked us to make it? Mr. STRiPLrNG. 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 trank, 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 appea.sement or pap to the Russians ; in other words, it was produced at the request of tlie Government. Now, is such a statement without foundation? Mr. Warner. I see what you mean. No, it is not without foundation. That is why I am very liappy you put it that wa,v. In order to answer tliat question correctly, I would say there were rumors and many stories to tlie cffc'ct 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, from wiiat I could get out of it, is that the authorities in Washington who were conducting the war were afraid if Stalin would take up with Hitler they would destroy ihe world, not only continental Europe and Russia, but Japan and everything else. And we know what the scheme of things was, that the Jayis and Germans were to meet in India or Egypt, I forget just which. Mr. Thomas. Do you mean to say some of the Government officials in Washingti>n 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. I>et me state further, Mr. Chairman, it lias 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 (Tovernment, the Federal Government, desired that this film be made as a contribution to the war effort. In other words, what 1 want to make clear, there is no desire on the part of the sul>committee to put you or your company on the spot for making Mission to ^Moscow, but if it was made, as in other films, at the request of the Government as aso-called jiatriotic duty, you would have no other course to follow and you would naturall.v he expected to do so. Mr. Warner. The general feeling as I found it in Washington was a tremendous fear tiuit Stalin might go back with Hitler because he had done it before. Mr. Thomas. No. Wliat we want to get at is the reason, not the general feelings. Mr. Warner. Yes, but I am just going to come back to that. Mr. Thomas. All right. Mr. Warner. The Russians \^'ere very discouraged and they figured that the United States was not going to back them up with lend-lease and so on and so