CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25329, 31 October 1947, Page 7

CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

EIGHT FILM WORKERS NOW ACCUSED HOLLYWOOD INQUIRY CONTINUED (Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 29. Four more screen figures were cited for contempt of Congress by the House of Representatives Committee on UnAmerican Activities to-day, during its investigation of alleged Communism in Hollywood. This increased to eight the number of persons now facing this charge for refusal to tell the committee whether they are Communists. All have taken the attitude that the committee has no right to inquire into their affiliations or political beliefs. Those cited to-day were Samuel Ornitz, a screen writer, Herbert Biberman, a producer-director, Adrian Scott, a producer, and a Canadianborn director, Edward Dmytryk. After Oroitz and Biberman were cited this morning the committee's investigator, Mr Louis Russell, produced what he said were photostatic copies of their Communist Party registration cards.

The chairman (Mr J. Parnell Thomas) opened the day’s proceedings with a statement that the inquiry “will not stop until all the Communists in Hollywood are exposed.” He added: “Powerful influences have sought in every manner to divert this committee from its main source of inquiry.” Dore Schary, executive in charge of production for R.K.O. Studios, told the committee that it would be a terrible shock to him if it were proved that Scott or Dmytryk was a Communist. Neither had ever put anything subversive into films. “There are Communists in Hollywood, as everybody knows,” he said, “but their attempts to dominate • the guilds and unions have all been defeated by essentially middle-of-the-road people. I don’t know of any subversive film ever made in Hollywood.” Emmett Lavery, president of the Screen Writers’ Guild, denied strongly that he was connected in any way with the Communist Party. He was a democrat and opposed to Communism, but he did not like the committee’s tactics. Mr M. Vail, a member of the committee, read from a legal manual of the Communist Party advice to persons arrested to give no information about their fellow-workers or the organisation’s membership, and said: “I believe that these members of the party have followed those instructions to the letter, Mr Chairman.” While the hearing was proceeding a further protest statement calling upon the American people “to work against the committee and to preserve themselves from unwarranted persecution” was distributed outside the hearing .room. ' w i