The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-05-08

John Garfield, the motion picture actor, went to the House Commit tee on un-American Activities ac- companied by his lawyer Louis Nizer, and by public relations coun- sel and his testimony was glibly and cleverly told, but there was in it something that I do not under stand. Here it is:
 John Garfield said that he went out to Hollywood in 1938 So he was asked by Congressman Velde:
 When did you first come to this realization that there was a Con- munist party in Hollywood? MT Garfield As I said before, when I quit the Wallace thing I felt he was being captured by a group of Communists :.
 MT Velde. You didn't know be- fore that time that there was a Communist party organization in Hollywood?
 MT. Garfield. I did not.
 MT. Velde. That was approxi- mately what date that you decided there was a Communist movement in Hollywood?
 MT. Garfield. Late 1947 or 1948."
 How could any man be in Holly wood, be situated there, live there, lead the newspapers and not know that there was a Communist move ment in Hollywood between 1888 and 1948? I should like to know now the whole history o1 those 10 years could be missed by John Garfield or by anyone else who can read
 MT. Velde was also surprised. He asked:
 Do you want to go on record as saying you had n9 knowledge whatsoever of any Communist move ment in Hollywood until the rime you broke with the Wallace party?
 MT. Garfield. Absolutely ana positively"
 So Congressman Jackson got into it and this colloquy occurred:
 MT. Jackson. Mr. Garfield, am still afraid that I am not entirely convinced of the accuracy of your testimony or the measure of coop eration you are giving this com- mittee. You have stated your con- tention that you did not know, during the period of time you were in New York and affiliated with the group theater, which for all of its artistry was pretty well shot through with the philosophy of Communism
 MT. Garfield That is not true
 MT. Jackson. That is a matter of opinion. You contend that dur ing all of that time in New York you did not know Communist?
 MT. Garfield. That is right.
 MT. Jackson. And you contend that during the seven and one-half years or more that you were in Hollywood and in close contact with situation in which number of Communist cells were operating on a week to-Week basis, with cleo tricians, actors, and every class represented. that during the entire period of time you were i;i Holly wood you did not know Of your own personal knowledge a member of the Communist party?
 Mir. Garfield That is absolutely correct, because I was not a party member or associated in any shape, way or form.
 MT. Jackson. During that per- iod it might interest you to know attempts were made to recruit me into the Communist party, and I was making S3250 a week.
 MT. Garfield. They certainly stayed away from me, sir"
 I do not say that MT. Garfield is or is not a Communist. I do not know and I am not called to sit in judgment. Nor dc I question the veracity of his statements. Nor can he assuage my doubts that any man who lives in cities like New York or Hollywood, who moves in circles, who gives evil dence of being literate and intell- igent, could possibly live between the years 1888 and 1948 and not know anything at all about Communist movement in Holly wood. Maybe it is possible, but as