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)

MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 345 Mr. McCann. Mr. Somerset, have you any clarification to add ? Mr. Somerset. Substantially what 1 understood is what Mr. Eeagan has said. Mr. McCann. Mr. Reagan, there has been testimony by your group which has been categorically denied hy the three members of the committee, with a slight diversity of opinion expressed by Mr. Knight, the chairman, as I recall, that at the time of this conference, in substance, the following words were used : That Mi', Hutcheson insisted upon this clarification because he needed a basketful of words to confuse the issue and make possible an interpretation favorable to his men. Now, that is not meant as a quotation, and I want you to state whether any such statement was made to your group. Mr. Reagan. There are two parts of that statement which I am positive I remember as the exact wording. One is the term "basket of words" and the second is "haggle over." It was explained that he wanted a basket of words over which he could haggle. It was further stated to us by the three men — or by at least one of the three men — -in a meeting of that kind with six on our side and three on theirs, I would not state which man had each time said which remarks — it was said that if 50 men read the Bible, 50 men could interpret it 50 different ways, and Jie wanted something there where he thought there could be doubt cast as to the meaning and he could argue over the meaning of this basket of words. Mr. McCann. Mr. Arnold, do you corroborate the statement made by Mr. Reagan ? Mr. Arnold. Yes, sir. Mr. McCann. Mr. Somerset? Mr. Somerset. Yes, sir; and only a matter of weeks after that convention was over — it was less than 3 weeks — in our report, that very same expression was used and has been taken down by court reporters. That expression is one that, as I say, stuck in my mind, because it must have been repeated at least a dozen times since the Chicago convention. Mr. McCann. Mr. Reagan, there was testimony offered by you gentlemen day before yesterday to the effect that the committee appointed by the American Federation of Labor, when you were conferring with them, stated in substance as follows : That there has been so much pressure brought to bear upon us by the council, or b;v Mr. Hutcheson — and I want you to clarify from which source — that we have all prepared our resignations as vice presidents, or as members of the council, or as members of the committee — whichever they said — and that we have them in our pockets. Now, will you please explain exactly what was said ? Mr. Reagan. That to my recollection and to my best knowledge was what was said by the three men. I can say this, that the gist of their remarks, however, were to the effect — I am positive that they were prepared to resign from the executive council, because they had already informed us that they no longer existed as a committee or board, if the executive council of the American Federation of Labor reversed their December decision. I testified, I think, the other day that I assumed they meant then, at that session of the bofird. I cannot say that they said that it was then or that it had been at a previous session. They so informed us that they had informed Mr. Meany, secretary of the A. F. of L.