CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26638, 8 December 1947, Page 6

CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORS AND WRITERS INDICTED BY GRAND JURY WASHINGTON, Dec. 5. A Federal grand jury to-day indicted for contempt of Congress 10 Hollywood writers and directors, who refused to say whether they were Communists. Those indicted were Albert Maltz, Dalton Trumbo, Samuel Ornitz, John Howard Lawson, Ring Lardner, jun., Herbert Blieberman, Robert Adrian Scott, Lester Cole, Alvah Bessie and Edward Dmytryk. Conviction on the charge carries a Yn'aximum penalty of one year’s imprisonment and a 1000-dollar fine. »■ The case arose from hearings before the House Committee on Un-American Activities last month ,on the alleged Communist influences in the motion picture industry. Four of the gropp have been fired from their Hollywood jobs and a fifth suspended. The others were not under contract. There were two counts in the indictments against eight of the group, and only one against Lawson and Dmytryk, who had refused to say whether they were Communists, but conceded that their membership in Hollywood Labour organisations was a matter of pfiblic record. The other eight were indicted on two counts because they refused to say. whether they were Communists or whether they were members of the Screen Writers’ Guild. The Assistant United States Attorney, Mr William Hitz, said--the 10 defendants would be arraigned in Washington either on December 19 or January 2. . . _ . It- is believed that the Government will try to start the formal court trials next month.