Evening star., 1940-02-15
Dies Hears
Has
Secret Report
Soys Film Producers
Even Know Names
Of Inquiry Witnesses
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
For almost t,0o years. Dies
Committee has been Investigating
un-American activities. Critics
haze accused it OF being unfair
ana OF blackening regulations;
defenders haze asserted 1t per-
formed indispensable function of
bringing to light activities Which
could be exposed In no other uav.
BY the Associated Press.
Chairman Dies of the House
Committee Investigating Un-Amer-
icanism declared today he was look
ing into a report that 1.-The Holly
wood film industry" had obtained
mysteriously a confidential commit
tee report on "subversive activities"
In the movie colony.
The chairman, just returned to
the Capital after a two-month ILL
ness in Texas, said the report was
made to the committee by one of
its investigators last year and was
submitted privately to each of the
committees members. He said he
knew of no other copies.
I'm not prepared fully to say 1t
is there" Representative Dies told
newsmen, but I understand the
producers have copies of it and have
mimeographed it and even know
who the witnesses are going to be. :"
The report laid the groundwork
for committee investigation on
the Pacific Coast. which Mr.. Dies
said he hoped would be started
soon with mo pussyfooting. no back
tracking, no crawling"
Can't Speak for Committee.
Il can't speak for the committee" :"
Mr.. Dies said. 1T has been charged
that I have been speaking for the
committee. But the Bill of Rights
doesn't prohibit me from saying that
I will recommend to the committee
that We go to the West Coast and
expose Hollywood thoroughly. in
vestigate consumer organizations
further and investigate Communists
IN Government.
Emphasizing repeatedly that he
was speaking only for himself and
not for the committee. he asserted
that his first recommendation
would be that hearings be started
within 30 days so that most of the
committees work could be cleared
up before this years presidential
nominating conventions.
II will recommend that when the
campaign gets under way" he said,
that there will be no public hear
ings.
1T would be dificult to avoid the
charge. that We are trying to infiu-
ence the presidential election,
whether there was any truth to 1t
or not.
MY plan is to start hearings right
away and try to conclude them be-
fore the presidential saviors get into
the field
Has Legislative Program.
he asserted that II there were any
committee meetings during the cam
paign he would urge that they be
confined to the committees legisla.
tive recommendations. He said that
personally he had a nine-point legis-
lative program which he thought
would do much to rid this country
of subversive influences. MIR. Dies
added that he would make public the
program later.
In 1888, the committee was crit
icized for investigations bearing on
political campaigns Frank Murphy,
present Supreme Court justice, was
defeated for Governor OF Michigan
after testimony adverse to him be-
fore the committee.
Clipper and in good humor, Mr..
Dies touched on many subjects. He
said that, among other things he
wished to expose British and
French lecturers offering their serv-
ices free to American lecture bu-
(See DIES. page A-41