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 133 The writers are clever. It has been abnost impossible for years to get a word said a<raiiist the CoiniDiuusts. You coiddirt get out a play or book against them. Tlie i)ublishers were afraid of it. Di'amatic criticism, art criticism, theatrical criticism, book criticism, the Communists have had very powerful domination for 25 years. That is very important, too, in the artistic history of this country. You have had to write like a Russian to get a good notice. You have had to have a rough slice of life. Coming out for plain American ideals was cheap hokum and that has affected the motion-picture production. I pei'sonally know people I have ])leaded with to do sonietliing against connnunism who have been afraid to because the exhibitors are afraid to show such a picture. I don't think you could em])hasize strongly enough the Connnunist propaganda that they are weak, poor little things being poorly treated. They appeal to the Bill of Rights for protection. For 15 years they have tried to be as tyrannical here as Stalin has been in Russia. They have frightened writers, producers, actors, actresses, and everyone to death. They boycott everything. Mr. Striplixo. Are you referring specifically to the Communist cli(iue in the writers' fields Mr. Hughes. AVhen seven men voted against the American Authors' Authority they were hissed and booed. The Communists would not write with them, would not work on the same picture with them. Mr. Striplino. Mr. Hughes, what steps do you think should be taken to coml)at the Connnunist influence in the motion-picture industry? Mr. Hughes. I think somebody should have the courage and the common sense to do it. "We are on the point of a war. AVe have everything but a shooting war with Russia now. Every Communist or every man who tolerates communism is tolerating an enemy agent. If these Communists are not directly jiaid by Russia they are being cheated, because they are doing the work for nothing. I think they should be silenced, deported, or treated as the spies and agents they are. ' I am the utmost believer in tolerance there ever was, but it is not tolerance to permit ])eople to do things to destroy tolerance. They claim freedom of s])eech but would destroy it when they got the power. On the radio I made a criticism of American Communists. They said. "Get that so-and-so off the air and keep him off.'' They drove off five or six prominent radio commentators because they were antiCommunist. Their terrorizing power is just as complete as Congress will allow it to be. Mr. Striplix(;. Do you think the Comnninist Party should be outlawed ? Mr. Hughes. I do. I reached that decision with great hesitation. I don't see why we should allow Russian spies and agents to be busy in ',mr c(nmtry. The writers ai-e doing all they can to defend our enemies, enemies of humanity. "Why should we tolerate it ? You arrest a man for putting a couj)le of indecent words in a book and then let him destroy the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and evervthing else. Mr. Stripeix(;. Those are all the questions I have, Mr. Chairman. The CiiAiRMAx. Mr. Vail? Mr. Vail. Xo questions.