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 107 liavo me in a ])iclui'e Avilli them. 1 think tliis has oone too far in Hollywood. The Jine of cleava<>e is very strai<>lit. It isn't like a good Kepublican or a good Democrat. This is a foul philosophy and it has embittered many many people. I think Mr. Vishinsky and Mr. Molotov have done a most magnihcent job of awakening the American people. The more information the American people get the moi-e they will realize it and the more they will turn against it. It is completely against the American philosophy. I would move to the State of Texas if it ever came here because I think the Texans would kill them on sight. The Chairman. Have you heard or do you know of any efforts made on the part of anyone to intimidate witnesses that might come before this committee? Mr. Menjou. Xo; I have not. When I went out to campaign for Ml-. Dewey and Mr. Bricker in 1944 I was told by various people it w^ould injure my career. I don't think it has and I think I had a right to do it. There is no way of proving that. In Hollywood when your name comes up for a picture 3'ou are one of seven or eight actors. I believe a person who was friendly toward communism, a pro-Communist, and who liked the Communist government better than ours, if I came up for a job he would choose another man in preference to nie, everything else being equal. I do not consider that a loss of a job, because we lose jobs m many other ways and we get them in many other ways. Many times we never know when the good part is coming up. Good parts make good actors. The better the part the better the actor. The Chairman. You believe, then, it is the patriotic duty of a witness to speak very frankly and freely and he should be pleased to come before the committee and testify ? Mr. Menjou. Definitely. I believe that any man who is a decent American, who believes in the Constitution of the United States and the free enterprise system which has made this country what it is and which has given its people the highest standard of living of any country on the face of the earth, I believe he should be proud to stand up for it and not be afraid to speak. The Chairman. Do any other members of the committee have any questions ? Mr, McDowell. I would like to tell Mr. Menjou something to add to his already great knowledge of communism. Recently I have been examining the borders of the United States. I would like to tell you. Mr. Menjou, that within weeks, not months but w^eeks, bus loads of Communists have crossed the American border. Mr. Menjou. That is right. We have no air border patrol, not a sufficient one, and we haven't enough guards. The frontier is very long which we are guarding and it is very easy for people to infiltrate from Mexico over the border. There was a great, profitable industry in smuggling Chinese over the border. One of my good friends made a great deal of money doing it. I believe America should arm to tlip teeth. I believe in universal military training. I attended Culver Military Academy during t)ie last war and enlisted as a private. Due to my military training I was soon made an officer and it taught me a great many things. I believe