Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-13
Film Inquiry
Boomerang
To Schemers
Divided Into Two Phases
Both Startling
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

oy "Gci DAsOoh LoLLH
THE scrap in Washington over
l. the inquiry into the movie
industry can be divided into two
phases.
First, does the sly and dis
honest procedure by which this
inquiry moves into action, dis
guised as a preliminary inquiry
10 determine whether a formal,
full-dress investigation should be
made. parallel New Deal morals
and custom?
You bet your sweet life II
does. 1t is rotten. Hitlerian
Subterfuge but. unfortunately
for the administration. and for
all Of US, IL is solidly based on
a recent precedent set by the
administration itself in the pre-
liminary investigation of the re-
lationship between newspapers
and radio stations under COM
mon ownership.
That clever little scheme has
now turned on the cunning
tricksters who thought il up and
fanged them good. In the radio
case the government high-bind-
ers weren't going to investigate
the main proposition. No, they
were only going 10 do little
preliminary questioning, inslnu-
ating and smearing and get over
the effect of full inquiry any
way. just in case there should
be no full inquiry
NOW the so-cslled isolation
~ lists who may not be pro-
Hitler but couldn't help Hitler
half as much If they admitted
they were, have adopted the
same unprincipled method OF APP
proach. Although il is still a
nasty and depressing example 10
beset the people by an agency
of their government. the govern
ment is in no position to de-
nounce the trick because its own
hands aren't clean.
Second, should the movie IN
dustry be investigated. al all
Well. there is no rule on that.
Congress just investigates on lis
own authority and any person
or institution which goes Under
investigation by hostile conf
mittee. gets a fairly good pre-
view Of hell
These investigations arc not
anything like court inquiries,
for the defendant has no rights
and can't defend himself Never
iheleSs. they are an established
custom and there i no more
reason 10 protect the movie in
dustry than there was 10 protect
those individuals who were dis
gracefully prosecuted by presi-
Dental order in the income tax
inquiry as punishment for their
political opposition TO the New
Deal.
Every one who has ever had
any relations wath the movie
industry knows that in spots IT
is unimaginably foul. Some or
its business ethics would shame
dope peddler and It reeks or
nepotis m. discrimination ana
favoritlsm.
A FEW stray hints OF its re-
"A lationShip 10 the underworld
came CIT IN recent income
fax trial in New York. as Wit
ness those on the employers
side OF the bargaining table who
bought out the unspeakabie
Willie Bioff. the union racketeer.
incidentally. he newspaper
reporting which has come out or
Hollywood in the last 20 years.
under the names OF shabby
sycophants. party moochers and
outright grafters, has been SAD
reproach to Journalism.
With the exception OF me
scandalous sex stun whicn
welled UP out OF Los Angeles
and broke over the country in a
slimy wave after the Fatty Ar
buckle. Desmond Taylor and
Wallic Reid incidents. the real
news Of the moving picture
trade has been Smothered IN
cheap publicity served IN the
guise of gossip, mostly under
subsidy in one guiSe or another.
The Communists have bur-
rowed into all departments ex-
cept the finance management.
and the retention of Jimmy
Roosevelt at $4,000 year, oS-
tensibly by Sam Goldwyn but
actually by God knows whom,
when the heat was rising was
typical Of the braSSy nerve OF
those who think they can buy
anything and haven't been far
wrong many times.
THERE is plenty Of reason 10
Il investigate the whole indus
try and plenty 10 be learned by
investigation, but Wendell Will
kie certainly was right when he
made the point that nobody
need apologize for opposing
Hitler.
But the investigation should
look for crookednesS and for the
spoor of the Communist and
Nazi and the chiseling politician,
and not for the hidden mean
ings in films which speak for
themselves 10 npOnle who are