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140 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY
Metro-Goldwvn-Mayer decided that aiiytliiii<>; which might create any kind of disturbance within our covnitry at that time was inadvisable, and not a contribution to the war effort, so they made no exploitation campaign based on this agitation and mei'ely released the picture in a routine form.
Mr. Smith. When did the Conununists start penetrating the motionI)icture industry, to your knowledge?
Mr. Mc'Cjuinnkss. I would say the Conununists began to penetrate the motion-picture industry in the early thirties; that with the growth of the threat of Hitler and nazism they rose and were able to enlist the support of many fine people who naturally wanted to fight fascism.
During the Si)anish civil war there was great sympathy in many quarters in Hollywood for the cause of the Loyalists. This influence waned during the Hitler-Stalin pact, which revolted against many fair-minded people, and it rose to its greatest height under tlie very favorable climate provided when Russia and ourselves were allies during the war.
The CiiAiKMAX. Mr. McGuinness, in regard to that penetration, the Communists have not only penetrated the motion-picture industry, they have penetrated labor, education, and Government; so when we investigate communism in the motion-picture industry we are not taking any rights away from the industry; we are not in any way trying to censor the movies. What we are doing is just investigating communism in another field.
Therefore, 1 think it is a mistake for anyone to think that the motion-picture industry has a special privilege of innnunity.
Isn't that also your belief?
Mr. McGuinness. Mr. Chairman, I am very happy to hear the Chair state that. I would like to state my own personal and deep conviction that the very vast majority of the men and women who work in the motion-picture industry are as fine and patriotic Americans as will be found anywhere else oh earth.
But I think with an ideological conflict tearing the world to pieces there is no reason why Hollywood should be the one white spot that escaped this plague.
T,he Chairman. That is right. These 79 j^ersons that I named before are not just the run-of-the-mill; they are very prominent persons, i^rominent in the industry, and those are the people that we have the records on; those are people whose records are going to be brought out before this hearing is over. Do you not think they should be ?
Mr. McGuinness. I think that the greatest fight that can be made against comnninism is to identify the Communists and to force them to take the responsibility that every other American takes, to a])pear publicly, state, advocate, and siii)port his own beliefs, and be judged by the American jjeople as to whether those beliefs are worth while, or not.
The Chairman. Go ahead.
Mr. Smith. Mr. McGuinness, has there been any concerted effort on the p'dvt of any studio to eliminate this group of people ?
INIr. McGuinness. Well, as Mr. Jack Wai'uer testified, he made an effort — I think a successful one. I think great caution has been exercised bv the management of the Paramount Studios. I think a