Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

26 MOTION PICTURE HERALD July 2 5, 19 3 6 DIPLOMATS VIEW "TIME" REEL AS HULL ANSWERS DOMINICANS Virginia Garden Is Gathering Place of Diplomatic Audience to See Sequence Concerning the Dominican President Cooling drinks and "warm" pictures were served together to Washington's diplomatic corps in the Colonial gardens of the estate of Mr. and Mrs. W. Royce Powell at Alexandria, Va., Friday night following an expression of regret by Cordell Hull, secretary of state, to the Dominican Minister over the sequence in the current March of Time release, to which the Dominican Government had taken exception. The sequence had been deleted from the showing last week at the Music Hall in Radio City. Secretary Hull had informed Minister Pastoriza that there was nothing he could do to punish the offenders or prevent a further occurrence of such an incident in his note to the Dominican Ministry, which had charged that the film was "devoted exclusively to attacking the personality of President Trujillo Molina in a disrespectful and unjust manner and to giving a completely false impression of the Dominican nation and the political situation prevailing therein." Deprecating the exhibition of any film which causes offense to any foreign government, Secretary Hull pointed out that "such actions sometimes occur, however, for the reason that in this country, unlike many other countries, freedom of speech and of the press is deeply imbedded in our tradition; is cherished by every citizen as part of the national heritage, and is guaranteed under our Constitution." Following the secretary's reply to the Dominican government and through the efforts of Harold Horan, Washington correspondent of Time Magazine, some 200 members of the diplomatic corps assembled in reply to telegraphic invitation on the estate of Mr. Powell, formerly associated with the Van Sweringens of railroad note and now in a public relations capacity with a Virginia utility company, to see the disputed reel along with other films provided for the occasion. Taken Out of District of Columbia It had been thought advisable to take the showing into Virginia out of the District of Columbia to relieve State Department officials of any responsibility which might be placed upon them had the film been exhibited to the diplomatic group within the confines of the national capital. Among the guests were Ambassador Patterson of Cuba, Minister Finot of Bolivia, Ambassador Aranha of Brazil, and members of the secretariats and staffs of the embassies and legations of Chile, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Spain ; Mme. Sacasa, wife of the recently deposed president of Nicaraugua; John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America; William C. Bullitt, American Am WH1TE-COLLAR WPA AIDES GET HOLIDAY Orders authorizing vacations with pay for several thousand Works Progress Administration employees were issued this week in Washington by Aubrey Williams, deputy administrator. The order applied to WPA supervisory and white-collar employees who previously had been barred from vacations because they are paid from the same pay roll as the rank and file relief workers. Theatre units are included in the order and vacations will be granted to administrative and supervisory employees of Federal Project 1, which includes the writing, theatre, art and music units. bassador to Russia, and officials of various government departments as well as society leaders. Following the picture a buffet supper was served, the principal subject of discussion was the Trujillo sequence. Several commented that there were many other "interesting" incidents in the career of the man who rules what the picture calls "the tightest little dictatorship in the Caribbean," that might have been included in the film. No statement on the deletion from the release was issued by the March of Time offices in New York. It was reported that the Music Hall in Radio City, under the control of the Rockefellers, who have considerable oil markets in the Dominican Republic, was the only theatre which had eliminated the Trujillo sequence. Secretary Hull's Note The Dominican Government also, apparently, decided to let the matter rest the while, as it ponders the full portent of the note from Secretary Hull, which follows : July 15, 1936. "The Honorable Senor don Andres Pastoriza, Minister of the Dominican Republic. "Sir: "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your recent note by which you state that a film of 'The March of Time' is now being exhibited 'devoted exclusively to attacking the personality of President Trujillo Molina in a disrespectful and unjust manner and to giving a completely false impression of the Dominican nation and the political situation prevailing therein.' You express your profound displeasure over the 'improper manner in which certain American journalists, in a strange alliance with Dominican revolutionaries residing here, are devoting themselves to the task of defaming with impunity a friendly ruler and a country which has always striven to maintain relations of sincere cordiality with the United States and to perform, despite business depressions and unjustifiable hostilities, the duties of friendship imposed by the actuali Secretary of State Regrets Reel But Freedom of Press Prevents His Taking Action to Suppress Its Showing Here ties of geographic vicinity and the spirit of true internationalism.' "In conclusion you state that 'it is the wish of this legation that the Department of State, basing itself so much on your cordial formulas and spirit of conciliation, can find a way to keep the attacks from being repeated which are being made systematically and in a community of petty interests against President Trujillo and the Dominican people.' "There is no one more than I who deprecates the publication of any article or the exhibition of any film which causes offense to any foreign government. It is the policy of this government to strengthen friendly ties between this and other countries and to that end this government is conducting its foreign relations on a basis of complete respect for the rights and sensibilities of other nations. "My government, therefore, deplores any action of private citizens that are in discord with this policy and that cause offense to the peoples of other countries. Such actions sometimes occur, however, for the reason that in this country, unlike many other countries, freedom of speech and of the press is deeply imbedded in our tradition ; is cherished by every citizen as part of the national heritage, and is guaranteed under our Constitution. "Although appreciating your desire to prevent any occurrences which might reflect upon your country's name. I am sure you understand that for the reasons just explained, this government is not in a position to prevent the matters complained of by you. I can only repeat that I shall deeply regret any such occurrences that might reflect upon the cordial ties of friendship that unite the people of our two countries, particularly since it is likely that representatives of the republics of this hemisphere will soon be meeting in a common effort to promote the maintenance of peace and of friendly relations on this hemisphere. "Accept, sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration. "Cordell Hull." Lye Thrown in Theatre Police in Middletown, Ohio, are holding a 16-year-old youth for investigation following a report from the management of the Sorg theatre that several patrons were slightly injured when lye was thrown in the auditorium. New Magazine Scheduled Publication of Cinema Arts, a new monthly in the motion picture field, has been scheduled for January, 1937, by A. Griffith Grey, president of Cinema Magazine, Inc.