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COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY 179
magazine section. Sam made the contact and Trumbo sent the article in, which was approved and published in the Smiday Worker magazine section.
In addition we had a Hollywood correspondent at that time by the name of Gordon Casson. I was told to write to Cnsson and tell him to get full page interviews and profiles of various Hollywood personalities who were either in the party or very friendly to the party. That was stressed, that they had to be friendly to the party, and perhaps such an article would help them over into actual membership. We had articles, which were published at the time, on James Wong Howe, the photographer, on Jolm Bright, screen writer, Phillip Dunn, and a number of others.
Mr. Stripliistg. Did Donald Ogden Stewart ever write any articles for the Daily Worker ?
Mr. RusHzsioRE. Not while I was there. However, I remember at a faction meeting, that is, at a meeting of the Communist Party members, the League of American Writers, Stewart was discussed as a president, coming president for the organization, and he was referred to by one of the members present as Comrade Stewart.
Mr. Stripling. Do you know Charlie Chaplin?
Mr. RusHMORE. I never met Mr. Chaplin.
Mv. Striplixg. Did lie ever submit any articles to the Daily Worker ?
IVIr. RusHJMORE. No, he did not ; not to my knowledge.
Mr. Stripling. Did the Daily worker have any policy regarding Charlie Chaplin?
Mr. RusH]\roRE. He was what we call in the newspaper business a "sacred cow."
Mr. Stripling. What do you mean by that ?
Mr. RusHMORE. That is a newspaper phrase which — well, loosely, would mean someone that you always give favorable publicity to and a lot of it.
]Mr. Stripling. Were there any other sacred cows in the movie industry ?
Mr. RusHMORE. I might in this connection make it "sacred red cows."
Edward G. Robinson would fall in that category. We had a number of very complimentary articles on Robinson. I think we had one fulllength magazine piece, as I remember it.
Jerome once told me to always defend Robinson, even if he was in a bad picture, with a bad performance. I didn't question Jerome's orders so .1 went ahead and did that. But I don't know whether or not Robinson is a Communist. I have no knowledge of that. But 10 years ago. or more, he started joining one Communist front after another, perhaps innocently, but after 10 years he is still doing it.
I noticed that last week in Cleveland there was a meeting for the American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born. That was labeled on page 1 of practically every newspaper of 1948 as a Communist front by Attorney General Biddle.
]\Ir. Stripling. Is it a Communist front ?
]\Ir. RusHMORE. Certainly.
INIr. Strlpling. You should know, having been a member of the party.
Is the League of American Writers a Communist front ?