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COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY 57
Mr. Wood, would you name some of the other individuals in Hollywood who were associated with you in the formation of this organization ?
Mr. Wood. Maurice Kiskin, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Bob Taylor, Jim McGuinness, Howard Emmett Rogers, Ralph Clair, Ben Martinez, Joe Touhy. Those last three men are labor leaders. When we first incorporated, I think we had 50 to 100 people together to talk this over, and then we decided to organize. It is difficult to remember all the names. I don't know whether that is enough. Oh, there is Ginger Rogers.
Mr. Stripling. Victor Fleming? Mr. Wood. Victor Fleming. Clarence Brown. Mr. Stripling. Rupert Hughes? Mr. Wood. Rupert Hughes.
Mr. Stripling. They were people who were very prominent in the industry?
Mr. Wood. Yes ; very prominent.
Mr. Stripling. The reason for forming this organization was to combat the inroads that the Communists were making or attempting to make within the industry ?
Mr. Wood. Both the Communists and the Fascists. Mr. Stripling. Did your organization meet with any opposition? Mr. Wood. Yes ; great deal of it.
Mr. Stripling. Would you describe for the committee the attack that was made u]5on the organization and upon the individuals who were instrumental in founding it?
Mr. Wood. Well, an organization was gotten together called the Emergency Council of Hollywood Guilds and Unions over which Emmett Lavery presided and back of the scenes was Herbert Sorrell. Then there was an organization which jumped up called the Free Word. Walter Wanger dug it up some place. I think it has quite a background, if you want to look it up. Wanger's first attack was on the basis of "We don't want any home-front Communists here." He didn't mention any home-front Fascists. He called it "home-front Fascists," but said nothing about "home-front Communists." The other attacks were individual. We know of a number of people that called up other people. It just depended on which method they though would be the most effective. And they referred to us as antiSemitic, anti-labor, anti-Negro. Of course, always anti-labor when they couldn't think of anything else.
Mr. Stripling. Isn't that the usual tactics of the Communist ? Mr. Wood. To smear, yes. Smear and hide.
Mr. Stripling. Mr. Wood, is it your opinion that the Communists do exercise some degree of influence in the making and production of motion pictures in Hollywood at the present time, or have in the past ? Mr. Wood. Well, at the present time — of course, they are always trying — but I think at the present time Hollywood is pretty well aware of them and I think the thing is watched pretty closely. It has really caused everyone to be a watch dog. They know pretty well. I think it was inexperience that any material crept through. Now that they are aware of it they kept a pretty good eye on them.
It isn't only what they get in the films, it is what they keep out. If a story has a good point, that sells the American way of living, that