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)

268 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES that we liave listened now for all this time to an attack on the chairman and myself. Mr. Chairman, if you rule so, I will be very happy to let him have his say. Mr. Kearns. ]Mr. Counsel, I appreciate your words and all that, • but I do feel that this gentleman should give his statement, and, after all, there may be man}-^ misunderstandings of telegrams and telephone calls, and I believe Mr. Doherty and his colleagues here would feel much better if they could get eveiything off their chest. Mr. McCann. Let him proceed. Mr. Doherty. Thank j^ou again, Mr. Chairman, for your fair play. I have not heard counsel deny any of the allegations that have been included in this statement up until now. Mr. McCann. You haven't heard me deny any? I saw no necessity to deny them. Mr. Doherty. At not time did Vice Presidents Doherty or Birthright "try to get out of testifying," as Chairman Kearns alleges in his statement to the New York Times. INIoreover, neither Doherty^ Knight, nor Birthright contacted Congressman Hartley at St. Louis or any other place. Congressman Kearns' statement to the contrary notwithstanding. If Congressman Kearns has been correctly quoted in the New York Times article, the statement then reflects upon the character and integrity of the AFL committee, which it resents. Vice President Knight is under the care of a physician and for that reason, and only that reason, requested to be excused. He has recently undergone major operations. With no regard whatsoever for Vice President Knight's health or physical well-being, Congressman Kearns arbitrarily refused AFL Committee Chairman Knight's request. It is a well-known and established fact that all of the papers in connection with the report of the AFL committee were on file at AFL headquarters in Washington. The first session of the Eightieth Congress convened in Washington on January 3, 1947, and adjourned on July 26, 1947. At no time during that period did any member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, or its subcommittee, ask to review the papers. Most certainly all of the available AFL committee data would have been turned over upon request and without the necessity of subpena. Additionally, the three AFL vice presidents involved in the committee work would have willingly appeared to give testimony in Washington and thereby eliminate this costly junket to Los Angeles at Government expense. The New York Times article further quotes Congressman Kearns as having said, "if it was necessary he would ask the Federal Bureau of Investigation to take a hand in locating witnesses," and that "over 100 subpenas have been issued and a number of witnesses appeared on informal request." The AFL committee wishes to make it crystal clear that they would have gladly appeared on "informal request." It is entirely possible that a number of the 100 persons thus far issued subpenas are reluctant to be subjected to these unjust smear attacks as demonstrated in the New York Times article of August 15. The AFL committee takes the liberty to suggest to the Federal Bureau of Investigation that they thoroughly explore the wanton