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)

2030 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES further, in appreciation of your valuable services in the past, has voted you 1 year's salary. With best wishes to you in whatever your future endeavors may be, we remain, Sincerely and fraternally yours, George E. Browne, International President ; John P. Nick, First Vice President ; William P. Covert, Second Vice President ; Harlaud Holmden, Third Vice President ; Richard F. Walsh, Fourth Vice President ; Floyd M. Billingsley, Fifth Vice President ; James J. Brennan, Sixth Vice President ; Roger M. Kennedy, Seventh Vice President ; Louis Krouse, General Secretary-Treasurer. Then the following from the president's opening statement : William BiofC has done the most remarkable job any man has ever done for labor against terrific odds, but what a price he and his family have had to pay for that our members and their families might enjoy a better livelihood in their own pursuit of happiness. And then to indicate the manner in which attention was attempted to be distracted from the racketeering activities of Bioff, we find the following in the opening statement : If someone were to ask what is the most imminent and dangerous force standing in the path of our continued success, without hesitation and with bitter venom my answer would be "communism." It is not my intention to create the impression that our international is singularly vulnerable in this respect for its debilitating effects are universal. * * * I am much concerned over what might happen to the locals who refuse to treat these continued warnings seriously, being deeply conscious of what will be its eventual disintegrating effect on our international as a whole. We have seen the havoc they can cause as attested by the incessant strife that has ranged in this country throughout various industries and particularly the dissension created and kept atlame in the west coast studios. Only recently did the international succeed in suppressing the communistic element that was threatening the existence of our west coast locals through the spread of insidious propaganda. Mr. SoRREi.L. Now that the attorney has read some of his stuff — and believe me we are jumping a lot and cutting a lot, for we want to get over it — I will again talk from memory. As is plain here, what we have tried to show up to this time is the line followed by Bioff and Browne. We will try to show from there on that it has not changed any, that it is being followed even now by Walsh and Brewer. In 1942, we had a little rest. When Bioff went to jail I was quite relieved. I was relieved in many respects because I had not taken the job as business agent of the union with the intention of staying at it. I announced when I took it that it was only to get an agreement, and I had been forced to stay on because I had been picked on and hammered at and if I quit everybody would take credit for running me out. Now, I am that kind of an American that is not going to be run out of anything. I don't know why, but if people ask me to do something nicely I am inclined to do it, but if people tell me I am going to have to do something, I back up. Maybe that is the mule in me from Missouri. I don't know what it is, but it was sheer onery stubbornness that kept me on the job for as many years as I put in. I was attacked by this thief Bazell and by this other thief Bioff and by many other cheap, chiseling racketeer.s. In 1941, everything seemed to be peaceful — and I do not know whether I testified to this before or not — but Bioff Avas in the "can." We had gotten rid of Bazell. The sign painters' union, who had linked up with my opposition to Bioff — I think the leader of that