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)

392 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY Los Angeles, Calif. Approximately 530 people attended Instant meeting. Alvah Bessie spoke. Tlie People's World newspaper for March 17, 194.5, reports that Alvah Bessie would speak on the last line in the Axis chain on Monday, March 19, 1945, at the Screen Cartoonist Guild, 6272 Yucca, Hollywood. According to the announcement, admission would he free and refreshments would be served under the auspices of lodge 469 of the International Workers Order. 23. The Daily People's World for November 13, 1945, in a write-up on a meeting sponsored by the American Committee for Spanish Freedom, relative to a "Break relations with Spain rally" to be held at the Slirine Auditorium in Los Angeles, November 16, 1945, stated that a number of Hollywood personages would participate in the evening event with the script for the skit being provided by Alvah Bessie. Alvah Bessie's name appears on the letterhead of the American Committee for Spanish Freedom as a sponsor. This organization was part of the Conununist campaign in behalf of Soviet policy in the Spanish Civil War. 25. On December 16, 1945, a "welcome home, Joe" dinner was given as a "tribute to America's young fighting men and women on the occasion of the second anniversary of American Youth for Democracy." This organization was formerly known as the Young Communist League. This information appeared on a copy of the program of the dinner. Alvah Bessie's name appeared on the program along with the names of John Howard Lawson and Paul Kobeson. 26. The Chicago Herald-Tribune for June 9, 1941, reflects that Alvah Bessie was elected a member of the national executive board of the Fourth American Writers Congress. Sender Garlin, in the Daily Worker for June 11, 1941, in commenting on the Fourth American Writers Congress stated that : "Alvah Bessie, veteran of the Spanish War, spoke on the writers and the struggle of fascism in Spain. He told not only of the men who fought for Spain but of those literary mercenaries who betrayed Spain's cause and the cause of mankind when Spain was temporarily defeated * * *." On November 12, 1943, the forum of the League of American Writers pi'esented the subject "This Is Treason," a forum on Hitler's secret weapon. The proceeds of this forum were to go to an organization known as Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee, an afiiliate of the International Labor Defense cited by Attorney General Biddle as the "legal arm of the Communist Party." At this forum Alvah Bessie read a paper by Dr. Harry Hoijer, reviewing Allen Cha.se's book Falange. Prior to the reading of the paper Bessie stated that the .Fascists of Germany and Italy really instigated the so-called Spanish Civil War and were aided by the United States through its nexitrality laws as well as the appeasement policy of Great Britain and France. He said the appeasement policy gave the Japs time to prepai-e and also permitted them to buy more scrap to wage war ultimately against the Allies. In 1944 Alvah Bessie was listed as being on the national board of the League of American Writers. 27. The magazine New Currents in its December 1944 and January 1945 issue lists Alvah Bessie as a member of the advisory board. This magazine is a publication of the American Committee of -Jewish Writers, Artists, and Scientists, Inc. The writers for this magazine have included those who have contributed to the Communist and Soviet press. 28. The Independent Citizens Committee of the Artists, Scientists, and Professions, Inc., publishes a monthly joiirnal of opinion, the Independent, which is sent to all members and to more than 100 daily and weekly newspapers throughout the country. Alvah Bessie is listed as one of the contributing editors to this publication. This organization has been repudiated by Harold L. Ickes and other liberals as Communist-dominated. 29. The Daily Worker for September 22, 1946. published photographs of Alvah Bessie and others who were to he connected with a new magazine. Mainstream. Bessie was indicated to be on the editorial bonrd. Mainstream was described as a Marxist literary magazine, aiiuing to advance a people's working-class literature in America. It was stated that the magazine would strive "to stimulate and guide Marxist thinking in literature." A brochure advertising this magazine states "the fundamental character of this magazine is determined by its allegiance to tiie Marxist science of history, culture, and human progress. * * *" The brochure states: "We call upon writei's to fight anti-Communist influences in writing today, we fight the literary anti-Sovieteers who constitute an auxiliary legion of the war makers." 30. The Daily Worker for April 13. 1940, carried an article captioned "Philadelphia anti-Dies rally to hear noted authoi's." The article states that noted