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)

1088 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES Mr. Kearns. We will take a 5-miniite recess. (A short recess.) Mr. Kearns. Mr. Zorn, I believe you have a statement you wish to make. Mr. ZoKN. Yes, Mr. Chairman; with your permission, I should like to make a brief statement. Mr. Kearns. Do you want to make it as a witness ? Mr. ZoRN. I will make it either as a witness or counsel; it is entirely immaterial. It is just a statement of fact. Mr. Kearns. You had better make it as a witness. (Mr, Zorn was duly sw^orn as a witness.) TESTIMONY OF BURTON A. ZORN, NEW YORK, N. Y., COUNSEL FOR MOTION PICTURE PRODUCERS Mr. Zorn. My name is Burton A. Zorn, member of the firm of Pros- kauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendelsohn, New York City. I am counsel for the motion-picture companies appearing in these hearings. I am here now in protest against one of the most extraordinary statements ever made by a chairman of a congressional committee. At the outset of the hearing today the chairman said it was his intention to make a finding of conspiracy and collusion between the producers and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Em- ployees. The chairman's exact words were these : A careful analysis of the testimony heretofore received indicates that the jurisdictional strife in September of 1946, which has continued to the present time in the Hollywood studios, is probably the result of collusion between the producers and the lATSE. Therefore, gentlemen, unless you have evidence to the contrary to present to my subcommittee, it is my intention to make a finding of fact that the present labor dispute in HolIyAvood is the result of a lock-out by the employers, after having conspired with certain ofhcials of the lATSE to create incidents which would make it impossible for the members of these unions affiliated with the Conference of Studio Unions to continue work in the studios. That is the end of the quote. As part of his statement this morning, the chairman said that the hearings were not completed, that they would not be completed until the evidence of certain key witnesses, including Mr. Hutcheson, Mr. Schenck, and others was brought into the hearing. Though this tes- timony is important, as stated by the chairman, he has already, at least in my opinion and reading the language I have just quoted, made a predetermined decision. While he is still seeking the facts the chairman has found the pro- ducers guilty. He then goes further in violation of fundamental American principles of justice. He says it is up to the accused to prove that they are not guilty. It is a sacred and inviolable Amer- ican principle that all Americans are innocent until proved guilty. I say to you, Mr. Chairman, that there has been no proof of guilt of the producers; there is no proof because there is no guilt, and I say to you that these charges and these findings are unfair, and that they cannot be supported by any unbiased examination of this record. Finally, I wish to make it clear to the committee that the state- ment is made by me after the most serious consideration and with a full realization of the implications which this statement contains. Thank you for the opportunity.