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)

1764 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES Mr. Owens. Just read the pertinent parts, and then we will take it in as a reference. Mr. Brewer. All right, here are the points: In the first place, we began looking back at this local union. These three officers that I mentioned came into power in that local union in 1940. Mr. McCanx. Mr. Chairman, do you have tlie date of the letter? Mr. Owens. That was in March of 1945 ; was it not? Mr. Brewer. The date of this letter was later, but it sets forth the acts which they carried on, Mr. (JWENS. What date shows on that? Mr. Brewer. May 10, 1946. We found that the official publication of this union had followed the Communist Party line in the violent turn which that line took at the time of the attack upon Russia by Hitler. Mr. Owens. Of course, back in that time, talking about 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940, when you are talking about the lA being cut from the union, and so forth, from some of the other things that were happening, they probably had some right to feel that way, did they not? Mr. Brewer. Yes ; as a matter of fact, they did. I would like to say in connection with that, that this local union, ever since these officers had been elected, had been known in our organization as at least antagonistic to the officials of the lATSE. They made themselves quite prominent in the various conventions. There was a feeling at that time that they were antagonistic, but after this matter came out and Brown was convicted, and Biolf was convicted, there was a feeling on the part of President Walsh and myself that perhaps there was some justification, and that these people were honest people. President Walsh told me that he had sincerely tried to go in and work with this group of people, because they seemed to be qualified leaders. On the surface they seemed to have the interests of their organization at heart. So I know that President Walsh and myself under his instructions approached this situation with this local union with the idea that we were going to assume that they meant well, and that if the things they had objected to were corrected, that they would become the same as any other union of the lATSE. Unfortunately, when we got in a right critical period, and when there were none of those things to which they could object, they found other things to object to. And they raised false issues, and they misled our membership, and they did everything they could in times of crises, not only at this time, but at a later time, to help those who were trying to destroy us. Here is a list of the things which I pointed out. They were against war. Here is a brief paragraph from an editorial in Flashes, which was their official publication, edited by the president, Mr. McKnight. Mr. Owens. The film technicians ? Mr. Brewer. Yes; our own local union. He said in March of 1941, during the time of the pact : Does lend-lease mean warV Although senatorial debate on the lend-lease bin * * * if g official and somewhat ironic title, is now drawing to a close, American labor is still wondering whether bill's passage will make for democracy or dictatorship ; national strength or national weakness ; peace or war * * * even the bill's proponents do not deny that the measure gives more unrestrained power, actual dictatorial power, to the Pi-esident than has ever been dreamed of in American history * * *. Once the bill becomes law, America can only