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)

510 COMMUNISM IN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY different contribution to nuilce, wliether yon are a writer, a tilm artist, a radio performer. We need Ihis no matter how valuable you are to the party on the picket line, and If in your turn you do not contribute, you would not i*eally be valuable to us. Tliis is important to register. And we must also register the fact that the party is not satisfied with anything save the best in terms of quality and caliber and talent that the comrades can produce. Our motto is: Nothing is too good for the working class — and not, as some say, and possibly by their inferior work, not ))ecause they are unable to do better, but a sort of sloppy arrangement, that anything is good enough for the working class. We want quality. We want good leaflets, splendid posters, such as tlie Communist Party of Germany used to put out when artists such as Kathe KoUwitz gave of their best to poster production. And, of course, murals, and everything that is good. We want our basic agitational work to reflect that we have talented professionals in our midst — good sketches, good plays. In fact unless the form is there the content is not there. I came across something recently — a translation of a poem — Rossett's translation of Francois Villon — "Where are the snows of yesteryear?" An American paper carried in translation of that same line : "What's become of last year's snow?" Is it really the same? The form is not there. And as Marxists, as dialecticians, we believe in the daily unity and interpenetration of form and content. I was present last night at a cabaret — TAG. I want to say that I think the comrades of TAG deserve a cheer for this innovation that they have brought into our movemnt ; it opens an avenue for very fine achievements. Speaking in terms of medium as to its possibiliites, it possibilities are great. There was some fine singing, good schnitzelbank, and yet at the end we had something tacked on the end of the program about Mayor Hague in the form of a round. The form, the words particularly, and music, were nothing to write home about. And I feel that, although tlie content was intended with the form, especially I was a little ashamed of the thing, because these comrades can do so much better. The content wasn't there because there wasn't that medium of presenting the thing effectively. I say that as party comrades we must be the first to demonstrate that it is not true what the Eastmans say, "Artists in uniform, crashing art out of creation." On the contrary, we have to demonstrate by our creations that we are the ones that are the guardians of art. Quality. Stimulate; criticize. And we demand the best that the comrades can offer. We have Iiad another tendency, comrades. A tendency — part of the same thing — of utilizing certain names of notables for public statements. Very good, and we need more of such names. But I think, comrades, that if we get these signatures and let it go at that we are not really doing the right thing by these people : for who will deny the fact that if they are prepared to give their signatures for a progressive cause, even for a direct Communist cause, they are also prep'ired in one way or another to vitalize those signatures into action? Don't we shy off? Just leave them and then call upon them again? We don't want to use these people for window trimming. These are people who demonstrate by that t'^at tliey want to do something. We are the stimulators. We should draw them. Do we? You will find that very often we neglect these people. To draw them means to draw them to do something. Why can't we draw some of these people and asl^ them to become pamphleteers for our cause. Have we a great overage? Certainly not. We can ask them to become poster artists, mural makers. They can embellish onr shop papers and do various performances in our day-to-day work and struggle. Thev are waiting for their invitations. Let's give them a ring. I think we Itave neglected some very important and useful people in America. We need and we can get cultural workers to temper the press with protests, with letters, to write to Congressmen in behalf of various causes that we promulgate. These are important activities, and these are the beginnings to bring these people closer, and this has to become a systematic activity. Units should put this on the agenda — how to draw these people and for what occasion. This will help to Americanize our work. It will help to bring our message to greater numbers; and not only will the party gain but we will thereby make use of the special tnlents which are remaining idle in our midst, and we shall be making happier and more devoted party comrades of these professionals. Let us remember that the enemy class bludgeons the masses with every form of clubbing — the radio, press, and so forth. Let us bear in mind the demagogic use to which they are put. Let us not abandon a single cultural field to reaction. The Communist