Evening star., 1951-04-26
Un-American Inquiry
Recessed Until May
To Digest Testimony
By |. Edgar Primo

Dy L. Eu9or rrlnu
The House Committee on Un-
American Activities today Is
digesting testimony in its Reds
Iin-H Hollywood inquiry after hear
ing Screen Director Edward Dmy-
|tryk give a detailed account ot
Communist attempts to control
the film industry.
Chairman Wood announced q
Temporary recess and other men,
bers indicated it would be the
second week in May before public
hearings are resumed.
MFR. Dmytryk. the Goth witness
in the current hearings, yesterday
broke openly from the ranks Of
the Hollywood TO-" a group of
writer's. directors and producers
who went to jail rather than say
whether they were Communists
in 1947.
The 42-year-old Canadian-born
director Of such hits as Murder
My Sweet" and "Crossflre" named
five others of the 40" as fellow
Reds-John Howard Lawson,
Herbert Biberman, Lester Cole,
Albert Maltz, writer's. and Adrian
Scott. a producer.
Member for q Year.
In addition. he testified that
Alvah Bessie, another Of the jailed
group, addressed a Communist
meeting at which he was recruited
Mr.. Dmytryk said he was not q
Communist when he refused to
testify before the committee -four
years ago. He had joined the
party in 1914, he asserted, but had
quit the next year. His attitude
was that the issue was one Of con-
stitutional rights under the First
Amendment and that he was will
ing to take the chance of going to
jail.
The bronzed and handsome di-
rector said the Communist party
had three main objectives in Hol-
lywood: To tap a lucrative source
for funds; to gain prestige through
the use Of 'big names" in front
groups, and to direct the content
OF films through control Of both
talent and craft unions.
Considerable success was at
tanned by the Reds on the first
two items. but, as to the latter
they failed almost completely, he
testified. And this despite the
fact Communists dominated the
Screen Writers Guild and the
Conference Of Studio Unions for
many years.
Mr.. Dmytryk was one of seven
Communists in the Screen Di-
Irectors Guild. Others were Frank
Tuttle. Biberman (who also was
a writer), Jack Berry, Jules Das-
sin, Bernard Vorhaus and Michael
Gordon, he told the committee.
The witness. who altogether
named 26 Hollywood figures as
Reds, described how the Commu-
mist Party took charge of the
Hollywood Ten" group and ex-
plotted 1t as one of their top fronts
Pepper Addressed Meeting.
He told of meetings at the
Shoreham Hotel here in 1947, at
which Lee Pressman, self-admitted
former Red, and Harry Bridges
West Coast labor leader, appeared
He also told of a strategy meeting
held in the home of Actor Edward
G. Robinson and at which the for
mer Senator Pepper, Democrat, o1
Florida, spoke Of the Washington
attitude toward the case. He
added that he emphatically die
not want to imply that either Mr.
Robinson or Senator Pepper were
Communists.
Mr.. Dmytryk said he came for.
ward with his story because the
Korean invasion showed Russia 's
insincerity in talking of peace,
because of the revelations of the
Hiss. Coplon and atomic spy
trials, and because some person.
had made statements-includine
Paul Robeson-that they woulc
not bear arms against the Soviet
Union in event of war with the
United States.
The director drew a unanimous
compliment from the committee
members after his four hours on
the stand. Several expressed the
hope that Hollywood would take
back the man who started as q
I$6-a-week messenger boy at Para
mount Studios and wound ur
earning $125,000 a year as one o1
the top directors.