Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Is it, in your opinion, a proper use of appropriated funds to attempt to influence Congress through public opinion before a policy is in fact determined upon? Mr. DAVIS. There are two questions there. One is a question of a regular campaign on a program conducted by this office or any other; the other is our duty, as the coordinating agency for relations between the Federal Departments and the radio industry. If an official of a department wants to speak on something related to his own department alone, our general counsel is of the opinion that when material is provided by a department itself exclusively on one of those topics, the responsibility for determining whether it is a legitimate Government utterance lies with the department concerned. Accordingly, our responsibility would seem to be, in that case, under the Executive order, to serve as the contact point between the Government and the radio industry. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. And your function, as you interpret it, extends to nonwar activities as well as war activities? Mr. DAVIS. The definition in the Executive order is the status and progress of the war effort and the war policies, activities, and aims of the Government. Unquestionably one of the war aims of the Government is some international organization which it is hoped may lead to a durable peace. So I think that is clearly within our commission. Furthermore, it has been called to my attention that section 4 (d) of the Executive order directs us to review, clear, and approve all proposed radio and motion-picture programs sponsored by the Federal departments and agencies. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. You have in mind, I assume, the law which makes it an offense punishable by removal from office, fine, and imprisonment for any employee of the Federal Government to use appropriated funds through advertisement, printed or written matter, directly or indirectly to influence a Member of Congress to favor or oppose, by vote or otherwise, directly or indirectly, any legislation or appropriation whether before or after introduction of any bill or resolution? Mr. DAVIS. I am familiar with that, sir. MOTION PICTURE BUREAU Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. What is your function under the Motion Picture Bureau? Mr. HERRICK. I do not need to quote that part of Executive Order No. 9182 again, but it applies to motion pictures produced by Federal departments and agencies, as well as to the radio. The Motion Picture Bureau of the Domestic Branch acts as a channel of distribution and point of contact with the motion-picture industry for the Government. Through the War Activities Committee of the motion-picture industry, the Government is offered two short subjects. one or two reels in length, and two news-reel subjects of 75 feet in length every month. These pictures illustrate some important Government information program. The Bureau also handles the distribution of 16-millimeter films produced by Government departments and agencies. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. You do not produce any film? Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Does your stamp of approval go on the picture when it appears on the screen? Mr. HERRICK. We have seen the picture in script form and in finished form. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I mean when it appears on the screen, does it say "Approved by O. W. I."? Mr. MILLS. No, sir; it carries in the title the phrase: "Released through the facilities of the Office of War Information." Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. That is probably the explanation. I had a letter the other day from an angry gentleman who says: I wandered into a news-reel theater today and was surprised to note the type of thing that Office of War Information is putting out as a "public service." This film dealt with (a) a business carried on by a woman training canaries, (b) a collector of finger rings and some of his unique specimens, and (c) pictures dealing with a Texas gentleman, aged 103. I wish someone would tell me what these have to do with the war effort, information on which, I had supposed, is the province and duty of the Office of War Information. Even if they made a profit on the film isn't this a matter for private enterprise and not the United States Government? Surely we have better ways of spending our money these days. Mr. MILLS. It is possible that gentleman went into a news-reel theater as a Government picture was ending, and he may have associated the words "Office of War Information" on that film with the following commercial news reel which included those special items he mentioned. I am positive this Office has never put out any such information, or sponsored it in any way. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. And the only reels you pass upon are war reels? Mr. MILLS. That is right. Mr. DAVIS. War information. On the matter of pictures which your constituent inquired about, we would be very glad to inform him of the facts, unless you would prefer to do so yourself. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I will write him. I have already written him, but I will pass the good word on to him. SUMMARY OF ESTIMATES FOR O. W. I. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I am not sure whether we have here a comprehensive table of your "Other obligations." If we have not got it, I wish you would give us for the record an over-all break-down, by customary budget category, for fiscal years 1945 and 1946, first for the Overseas Branch and, second, for the Domestic Branch. Mr. HERRICK. All right, sir. Mr. HULTEN. The over-all by branch? Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. No; just the two categories, one overseas and the other domestic, broken down by travel, transportation of things, communications, and so forth. Mr. HULTEN. We will supply a table giving that information. NUMBER OF ALIENS ON OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION ROLLS Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How many aliens do you have on the rolls now? Mr. HERRICK. That O. W. I. has? Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Yes. Mr. HULTEN. Four hundred and thirteen. Mr. DAVIS. That is exclusive of the locals overseas. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Exclusive of the locals overseas? Mr. HULTEN. That is right. USE OF ITALIAN PRISONERS OF WAR IN NEW YORK OFFICE Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Are you now or have you in the past made use of Italian prisoners of war? Mr. BARNARD. Yes, sir; we have used Italian prisoners of war in our Italian radio department of the New York office. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How many? Mr. BARNARD. I am sorry; I do not know the exact number. My recollection is 8 or 10. These are specially selected prisoners who have been brought over daily from Governors Island and have been approved by the military intelligence division of the Provost Marshal's office. Mr. LUDLOW. What kind of work do they do? Mr. BARNARD. They do translating very largely. They are college professors, many of them, and in some cases are even more highly educated people that we were able to lay our hands on here. Mr. LUDLOW. They do no broadcasting themselves, but just work there in the office? Mr. BARNARD. They do not actually go on the air, themselves. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Were they treated as prisoners of war while they were with you? Mr. BARNARD. I do not know the answer to that, because I do not know how prisoners of war are treated. I see them in the building; they are authenticated, and the Army knows their whereabouts at all times. Mr. CANNON. They receive the standard pay at the Geneva rate for all prisoners of war? Mr. BARNARD. I assume so. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Is there any identification? Mr. BARNARD. They are in uniform and have a green shield on their arms. PERSONNEL TRANSFERRED TO OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION FROM SHORT WAVE RESEARCH, INC. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I wish you would bring the information up to date which we have discussed once or twice before, to show how many of those persons you received through the Short Wave Research, Inc., are still with you at this time, if any. (The information requested is as follows:) Persons transferred to Office of War Information from the former Short Wave Research, Inc., who have been terminated since 1945 appropriation hearings. Berry, John Blumenthal, Stella Clay, Edwin (Dassori) Crocetti, Mary C. Deseife, Marguerite Kouindjy, Leon Lyon, Peter C. Malgor, Mario M. Mercie, Helene Monteforte, Toledo Mario Maron, Margarita R. Marrow, Macklin McGrath, Byron Navarra, Louis Pitoeff, Georges Rasooli-Sa'eed, Joseph Saucier, Celestine Seiffert, Peter Singer, Diana Werich, Jan Wale, May (Mamorek) Zlotowski, Mira The following persons previously reported as terminated have been reemployed since the 1945 hearings: Broder, Jane INVESTIGATION OF OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION PERSONNEL Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Now, the Civil Service Commission told us in January, I think, that of 1,670 of your personnel overseas, who have gone overseas from this country, 1,290 had been investigated for loyalty, and that out of 7,111 investigations conducted, 145 had not been cleared; that there were, as of that date, 2,981 investigations which had not been completed. I wish you would bring those figures up to date, if they are not now correct, and also indicate by fiscal year how many persons have been denied employment by O. W. I. because of lack of loyalty established by the Civil Service Commission or otherwise. Mr. HULTEN. I can give them to you now, if you wish, or I can just put them in the record. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Just put them in the record. That will be satisfactory. (The matter referred to is as follows:) All employees of the Office of War Information are given a spot check or preliminary investigation prior to employment. This preliminary investigation made by checking records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Army Inteiagence, Navy Intelligence, and local police records. Immediately after employment |