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)

1548 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES tbe California Committee on Un-American Activities tliat Herbert K. Sorrell (under tlie name of Herbert K. Stewart) was a member of the Communist Party. One of tlie purposes of tlie CSU was to bring certain American Federation of Labor unions into its orbit and to bring those unions into conformity with the Communist Party line. (d) Mr. McCann. Mr. Chairman, at that point, if you will excuse me, I think that is a tremendously serious charge ; and I hope that we will have positive proof of that fact, rather than a conclusion, because I think that is a most grave charge. Mr. Levy. Which fact do you mean, Mr. Counsel ? Mr. McCann. That from 1937 — whatever the last statement was that you read. I think that is a grave charge, and I hope you are going to be able to sustain it. Mr. Levy. I think, sir, any statement I make I will be able to present — if you will permit me, and I think you will — exhibits in support of my statement. Mr. Kearns. Mr. Coiuisel, if I may restate here, Mr. Levy is under oath. He is testifying and making these charges. I imagine he is over 21 years of age and knows what he is doing. Mr. McCann. I don't doubt that, sir, but a charge of this momentous character is such a sweeping over-all charge, it seems to me we ought to indicate our interest in that charge and a desire to have that point established before our committee. That is my purpose. Mr. Levy. I will endeavor through the witnesses which we will present to substantiate any statement which is questioned in the letter that I wrote to the learned chairman of this committee. Mr. Kearns. Mr. Landis, of Indiana. Mr. Landis. All the witnesses are going to be under oath. Mr. Kearns. That is right. Mr. Landis. I anticipate some serious charges from a great many witnesses here, and I don't think we should take up the time of questioning them on every charge they make. Mr. McCann. I did not have that in mind, sir. I was only trying to cover an over-all picture. Mr. Landis. On all sides there will be some serious charges made. Mr. McCann. I thought it might clarify things, Mr. Landis, and expedite things if we indicated those statements which were of such a grave character. There are a lot of statements being made that we cannot check on, for example, names of persons accused whose addresses are not given. Mr. Owens. I think, Mr. Chairman, as long as a party is testifying we can only err by keeping it out and not by lettiilg it in. We are only going to weigh the testimony that is material to the issue. Mr. McCann. Proceed, sir. Mr. Levy (reading) : (d) One of the lATSE's own local unions, film technicians local No 683 participated in the organization of the CSU — meaning the Conference of Studio Unions — in 1941, and participated in formulation of the policies of the CSU along the patterns of the Communist Party, until the latter part of 1944, when local 683 officially withdrew froux the CSU. It was almost immediately after this withdrawal that the open attack began by the CSU against the lATSE. (e) The 1946-47 strike was only one of a series of strikes, all of which were a part of the pro-Communist agitation to disrupt labor relations in the Hollywood