Jurisdictional disputes in the motion-picture Industry : hearings before a special subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Eightieth Congress, first-session, pursuant to H. Res. 111 (1948)

104 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES to only one person to make the decision as such and not involve a lot of otlier jieople, that I miijht take a course of action that was different from the one that was finally decided upon. I realize that in the position that I occupy it is very easy for me to say what I would do if I were alone and it was my own money and my own property involved, whereas, as a representative of thousands of stockholders throughout the country. I have to subordinate my personal feelings as to what might be to their best interest. Mr. McCann. I think you have almost answered my query. In otliei' words, there are times in the negotiations with the labor unions that you feel, if it was a matter of your own capital and a matter solely of your own judgment, that you would act differently than you do act where you are the local representative of the board of directors in New York, who have world-wide interests; is that correct? Mr. Freeman. I don't want to say that the board of directors have world-wide interests. I want to say that they represent 40,000 or 50,000 stockholders in our company whose interests I must consider above what I might personally feel in the matter. Mr. McCanx. Isn't it a fact, Mr. Freeman, as the executive head of a great production company, that your industry has acted with a great deal of cowardice throughout this whole problem ? Mr. Freeman. Well, I would not want to say that they have acted with cowardice, because I might not at some point have agreed from a personal angle that the decisions that were made were right, I could not attribute to myself the characteristic of bravery and to the fellow who might not agree with me the characteristic of cowardice. Mr. McCann. You are from Georgia, aren't you ? Mr. Freeman. I am from Greenville, Ga., Meriwether County; a strict Democrat. Mr. ]\IcCann. Did you ever know anybody born south of the Mason and Dixon's line that was a coward? Mr. Freeman. Yes, sir. Mr. McCann. That is just off the record. I am trying to bring home to you, sir, those that have been Mr. Freeman. I think that the problem of maintaining a business from day to day, their carrying on the operation in view of all the problems that existed, was the controlling factor in decisions reached, i-ather than the penalty you might pay or that you would suffer by forcing the closing down of your business in order to win out in a long-range problem. Mr. McCann. I think you have answered the question fully in the statement. Mr. Freeman. That is a personal opinion. Mr. McCann. Yes. In other words, the decisions have been based upon considerations of fear and considerations of economic disaster rather than upon principles of justice and fair play? Mr. Freeman. Well, I didn't say all the things that you said. I didn't say fear. I think there are many elements that entered into the decisions. I believe the one that was the controlling part in it was that this industry is one that does not have tremendous reserves in dollars to carry on in a long labor fight. It needs the money that is taken in at the theaters from day to day to come to Hollywood to make the pictures, which remains invested for a long period of time before it