This statement was issued after a meeting in November of 1947 by the three top motion picture employers (the Association of Motion Picture Producers, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers) at at the New York Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in response to the accusation by the House Un-American Activities Committee of many of the Screen Actors Guild,Screen Writers Guild and Screen Directors Guild as being Communist. This is what they issued just for the record:

The Waldorf Satement

"Members of the Association of Motion Picture Producers deplore the action of the 10 Hollywood men who have been cited for contempt. We do not desire to prejudge their legal rights, but their actions have been a disservice to their employers and have impaired their usefulness to the industry.

We will forthwith discharge or suspend without compensation those in our employ and we will not re-employ any of the 10 until such time as he is acquitted or has purged himself of contempt and declares under oath that he is not a Communist.

On the broader issues of alleged subversive and disloyal elements in Hollywood, our members are likewise prepared to take positive action.

We will not knowingly employ a Communist or a member of any party or group which advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States by force or by illegal or unconstitutional methods. In pursuing this policy, we are not going to be swayed by hysteria or intimidation from any source. We are frank to recognize that such a policy involves dangers and risks. There is the danger of hurting innocent people. There is the risk of creating an atmosphere of fear. Creative work at its best cannot be carried on in an atmosphere of fear. To this end we will invite the Hollywood talent guilds to work with us to eliminate any subversives, to protect the innocent, and to safeguard free speech and a free screen wherever threatened."

The List of Ten

  • Alvah Bessie
  • Herbert J. Biberman
  • Lester Cole
  • Edward Dmytrk
  • Ring Lardner, Jr.
  • John Howard Lawson
  • Albert Maltz
  • Samuel Ornitz
  • Adrian Scott
  • Dalton Tumbo
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