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MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 427
Mr, McCann". I think that is reasonable, sir.
Father Dunne. I testified in two of the mass trials as a character witness for two witnesses. One of these men, a rank and file member of the union, local 1421, is a man whom I had come to know through my superior, the Father at the university. He had come to see me, not in connection with the strike. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know he was connected with the unions out on strike.
This man had written a scenario. He was a very devout, pious, religious man, a Catholic, and he had written this scenario. He asked the priest of Loyola University if he would submit it to one of the members of the faculty to see if there were any theological or philosophical errors. It was a scenario for a motion picture on the existence of God.
I came to know the man very well. He was very religious, very devout, very pious, a very respectable citizen. He got caught in this thing and he asked me to appear and testify as a character witness, and I did. I testified as to the kind of man I had come to know him as a respectable citizen that got caught as thousands of people have been caught in a situation.
The mere fact they have been arrested does not itself brand them as being bad citizens.
I know these people, hundi'eds of them intimately, and they are as good citizens as I am, fighting for things they believe in. Some of them are confused, perhaps, sometimes.
The fact he had been arrested along with the others was no reflection on the man's basic integrity or on him as an American citizen, and I so testified.
My view of these mass trials is they have been the travesty of justice. I don't think it has anything to do with the issues in this. I regard these mass trials as a travesty of justice.
Mr. McCann. I think you have answered the question sufficiently and had a chance to explain it. Do you know that the CSU News, an official publication of the Conference of Studio Unions, issued on July 12, 1947, quotes excerpts from letters of yours to Mr. Sorrell, telling of the effectiveness of your Commonweal article?
Father Dunne. No, I am not aware of that. I don't see issues of the CSU News. In fact, I have seen very few. Occasionally somebody hands me one. I don't know what the reference is.
Mr. McCann. I think, Mr. Chairman, he has already answered the next question, so it doesn't make any difference. Let's omit that.
Mr. LuDDY. Understand, Mr. Chairman, I prepared the questions before the witness testified.
Mr. McCann. I see no reason to ask a question where he has testified on it. I see no reason for the next one, do you, sir?
Mr. LuDDY. No.
Mr. McCann. Now, do you want the next one, sir ?
Mr. LuDDY. Yes.
Mr. McCann. Are you aware that at that same meeting Mr. Sorrell praised you very highly for the good work you had done for the CSU and commented, I assume jocularly, "We Communists are a happy group of people and ought to invite Father Dunne here to preach to us in return for everything he has done for us" ?
Mr. Sorrell. That is a lie.