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)

COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY 85 admitted b}^ the Soviet (ioveninieiit as the fionie of people who died of starvation, phuined bv the fjoverniuent in order to drive people into collective farms. That is a recorded historical fact. Now, here is the life in the Soviet village as presented in Song of Russia. You see the happy peasants. You see they are meeting the hero at the station with bands, with beautiful blouses and shoes, such as they never wore anywhere. You see children with operetta costumes on them and with a brass band which they could never atford. You see the manicured stai'lets driving tractors and the happy M'Omen wlio come fi'om work sin.ging. You see a peasant at home with a close-up of food for which anyone there w^ould have been murdered. If anybody had such food in Russia in that time he couldn't remain alive, because he would have been torn apart by neighbors trying to get food. But here is a close-up of it and a line where Robert Taylor comments on the food and the peasant answers, "This is just a simple country table and the food we eat ourselves." Then the peasant proceeds to show Taylor how they live. He shows him his wonderful tractor. It is parked somewhere in his private garage. He shows him the grain in his bin, and Taylor says, "That is wonderful grain.'" Now, it is never said that the peasant does not own this tractor or this grain because it is a collective farm. He couldn't have it. It is not his. But the impression he gives to Americans, who wouldn't know any differently, is that certainly it is this peasant's private property, and that is how he lives, he has has has owni tractor and his own grain. Then it shows miles and miles of plowed fields. The Chairman. We will have more order, please. Miss Raxd. Am I speaking too fast ? The Chairman. Go ahead. Miss Rand. Then Mr. Stru'lino. Miss Rand, may I bring up one point there? Miss Rand. Surely. Mr. Stripling. I saw the picture. At this peasant's village or home, was there a priest or several priests in evidence? Miss Rand. Oh, yes ; I am coming to that, too. The priest w^as from the beginning in the village scenes, having a position as sort of a constant comjianion and friend of the peasants, as if religion was a natural accejited ])art of that life. AVell. now. as a matter of fact, the situation about religion in Russia in my time was, and I understand it still is, that for a Communist Party member to have anything to do with religion means expulsion from the party. He is not allowed to enter a church or take part in any religioiis ceremony. For a private citizen, that is a nonparty member, it was permitted, but it was so frowned upon that ])eople had to keep it secret, if they went to church. If they wanted a church wedding they usually had it privately in their homes, with only a few friends present, in order not to let it be known at their place of employment because, even though it was not forbidden, the chances were that they would be thrown out of a job for being known as practicing any kind of religion. Now, then, to continue with the story, Robert Taylor ])roposes to the heroine. She acce])ts him. They have a wedding, which, of course, is a church wedding. It takes place .with all the religious pomp which they show. They have a banquet. They have dancers, in something like satin skirts and performing ballets such as you never could possibly see in any village and certaiulv not in Russia. Later they show