Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-05-18
Movies Hit
For Political
Propaganda
Partisan Action Laid
to Hollywood
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

COW, DdSed on the dldlN, notes
and more or less confidential
papers of Joseph +. Davies,
Hollywood goes boldly into partl-
san political propaganda.
OF course. Warner Brothers is
not the entire movie industry.
but this is strong firm and
representative Of the methods.
ethics and political bias Of Holly
wood.
AS a propaganda agency, the
movies are even more powerful
than the radio and much less
clean. courage and indie
pendent.
The movie industry has CON
nived and conSpired with low
union rackcteerS and played ball
with the prevailing political
power IN an obvious and sue
CcSSful effort 10 hush its record
of stock manipulation, bonuses,
nepotism and general frcc-Style
rapaCity al the expense of the
Stoc k h o derS, and OF labor
raCketecrinG.
Timidly al first bat persist
emily, il has played over 10 the
left with propaganda films IN
dIsParagement Of this nation :
ability to survive under the
established form Of government
and now. under psychological
conditions amounting 10 a po-
litieal subsidy. il has the Ct
frontery to present for popular
consumption IN the GuiSe of en-
tertainment justification Of the
Russian form of government.
HAVE not seen the film but
Il | have read Davies hook
several times and | never have
been able to understand how
on e-galluS American lawyer.
and one grown rich IN the law
and politics and by marriage
could have written approvingly
OF the Moscow trials.
All Of these trials, purgeS and
liquidatiOnS. which seemed so
violent at the time and shocked
the world. are now quite clearly
a part of a vigorous and de-
-tcTmined effort on the part Of
the Stain government 10 pro-
tcct itself not only from rcvo-
luton within but from attack
without
They went TO work thoroughly
IN clean up and clean out all
reasonable elements within tho
country.
All doubts were resolved in
favor of the government.
There were no fifth ColumniSts
in Russia in 1871.
They had shot them.
THE purge had cleansed the
country and rid IL of treason"
That excerpt from the refeC-
tions Of a man Schooled and
practiced in the American law.
a system which strives at least
10 give the defendant a chance
and which rejects uncorrobo-
rated confessions and pleas Of
guilty in capital cases. always
has seemed 10 me TO express
satisfaction with-the eeHdHe-eff
these trials.
THAT impression is strength
Il ened by another statement
by Davies in communication
to Mr.. Hull. the secretary Of
state.
Notwithstanding a pre- judice
arising from the confession evil
dence. and a prejudice against a
Judicial system which affords
practically no protection for the
accused, after observation Of
the witnesses, their manner OF
testifying, the unconscious cor
roboratiOns which developed, and
other facts In the course Of the
trial, together with Others of
which a judicial notice could he
taken, II Is my opinion as far as
the political defendants were
concerned, sufficient cri mes
under Soviet law were estab-
lished by the proof and beyond a
reasonable doubt TO justify the
verdict of guilty and the adjudi-
cation Of the punishment pro-
vided by the Soviet criminal
statutes"
Note that Davies. an Ameri-
can lawyer who had had expert
ence for the defense in our
courts, here admits that the Rus
sian system affords practically
no protection for the accused
but gives his opinion that capital
crimes were proved. under
Soviet law" and indicates no per-
Sonal adherence of a legal SyS-
TEN that is abhorrent 10 ours
and indlStinguishsble from that
Of Hitler.
I THINK notice should be
Il taken OF this venture of
Warner Brothers into political
propaganda, not merely because
it is what it is, but because it
is impossible TO get out Of
Hollywood any film depicting
the treachery Of the Communist
fifth column in the United
States or the violence and other
perfidy of the union rackets.
One reason is that the movie
industry has been an accom-
pllce OF both groups.
Although these conditions are
notorious and corruption in the