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)

2360 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIO XAL DISPUTES (The document was filed with tlie committee.) Mr. Levy. Sorrell apparently' considers himself a proponent of civil liberties because some of the explanations which he made were on that basis. In my judt^ment when we examine the civil-rights cases in which he is involved they always turn out to be in behalf of persons who areCommunists or who are approved by the Communist Party. I respectfully submit that we know from the recent tragic experiences throughout the world that when the Communists seize or achieve powers the civil liberties of all but the pro-Stalinist bureaucracy are dead, and the Communists prate about civil rights in our democracy, in my judgment only the better to destroy our very democraticway of life. Mr. Landis is not here at the moment, sir. but I asked^-I think at a time when Mr. Landis was presiding — that he ask for — and I think perhaps, Congressman Kearns, you did — obtain from the files of the Committee on L^n-American Activities its dossier on the Communist affiliations of Herbert K. Sorrell. I suppose that ought to be presented in full to the committee so that that entire record will be available to every member of the committee when that is to be studied. If you wish for me to go into that now. sir, I can. Mr. Kearxs. You may, or you may submit it for evidence. Mr. Levt. I think, sir, it ought to be presented not merely as a reference exhibit, but ought to be presented and I will undertake to doi that. ]\Tr. Kearns. No objection. Mr. McCann. You mean you have the dossier of the Un-American Activities ? Mr. Levt. I have a copy of it. I do not have the original. Mr. McCann. That is odd; we have never gotten anj', and I did not know anything about it. Mr. Le\t (reading) : Information From the Files of the Committf.e on Un-Amebtcan Activities. United States Hot^se of Represes^tatives. on the CoMMt'Tfisr AFFrLi^TiONS of Herbert K. Sorreel Herbert K. Sorrell is business representative for the Motion Piotiire Painters Local 644, Brotberhoorl of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhanjjers of American Federation of Labor, and he is also president of the Conference of Studio Unions. He is reported to have joined the Brotherhood of Painters in 1915 and begran the organization of the Conference of Studio Unions, which he heads, in 1941.. He led two recent strikes in the motion-pictnre industry. The files, records, and publications of the Committee on Un-American Activities contain the following information concerning the Communist-front affiliations of Herbert K. Sorrell. 1. Her))ert K. Sorrell never to our knovpledge publicly admitted membership in the Communist Party. However, the California Committee on LTn-American Activities lias a photostatic copy of Herbert K. Sorrell's application to join the Communist Party under the name of Herbert Stewart. Handwriting experts have identified the writing on the application as that of HerV)ert K. Sorrell. May I interrupt to say, sir. that this dossier wa";; iirenared prior tothe report of the FBI, which has been presented b}' the honorable chairman of this committee some day last week. Sorrell admitted to the California Committee on Un-American Activities that his mother's maiden name was Daisy Frances Stewai't (194.S rei)ort, p. 9.5). Rena M. Vale, former member of the Communist Party, testified to the California