◆ SpookStack

1. The eleventh we @ rt Brecht! And he was the only of..%0 sneak ovt of the investigation unsin~~4! Several of the others went to ja = barged with contempt of Congress. Others were ef- fectively exposed and driven out of Hollywood. But not Herr Brecht! He was even commended by the chairman of the House Compyttee for what wes - SSS Se rr Wares in fect, Brecht was the only dyed- Jn-the-weel, tained Communist in the bunch, completely indoctrinated by the Porty apparatus. So his taining in- cluded something the others lacked. He wus instructed to lie in any emergency and to swear if need be that he was net a Communist. acthing could happen to him, the co- outhor of “Mach the Knife” appeared before the House Un-American Activ- Hies Committee in 1947. He was geniol ond completely re- faxed. When his name was called, he ambled over to the witness chair, smoking on oversized cigar and puffing its smoke ia ail directions. Sut it was @ Gifterent tind of smokescreen he was s00n to shroud himself in. Representative Thomas wes absent from the chair. During this session of the hearing. It wos occupied by an- other ranking Republican member of the Committees —- Congressman Karl E. Mundt of South Dakoto. In o sense, this was an added good fortune for Brecht. Thomas was @ shrewd expert in Communist shenanigans ond would inside the United States. Fetie emen “—TEARyY SUNT” By comperison Congressmen Mundt wee easy-going, ill-informed and performance. Although ( "spoke Eng- lish fluently and even his mo- terial in the language,” + suddenly protesied that his Englis. as far too Inadequate for such an importont ‘event. Congressman Mundt obliged at ence. He adjourned the hecring untit an interpreter could be brought over fd the Mearby Library of Congress, aftother German refucee to whom Srecht's record was well-known. By « perhaps not so strange coincidence, the interpreter, too, is bock In Germany, also behind the tron Curtain. The interpreter gimmick wos but one of the tricks Bert Brecht hod up his sleeve. He resorted to it os o ruse, to qcin time for the formulation of his answers. He understood the questions very well, indeed, but he waited patiently until they were transloted to him. Then he enswered them in cir- cumspect German and waited until they In turn were translated. MUNDT IS HOODWINKED By this foncy method, he not only geined valuchic tims for his answers, but could always insist that he hod been misinterpreted by the translator, that he didn't ectunily sey whot we: put into his mouth. Also, occasionally he could insist that a German Phrase means something entirely different from its English counterpart. There were a few well-informed people in the large crowd in the hear: ing ‘oom ond ihey were startied by the courtesy wish which Mr. Mundt handled @recht and also by the houghty ow the German soon assumed. He was forever puffing on his big cigar, sending the smoke into the choir- man's face. Within a few minutes, he was running the show, Counsel Stripling tried desperately to marshal the evidence against Brecht. He brought out the poet's German writings end showed that they were simply pieces of Communist propa- gande. He presented @ song which Brecht once wrote especially for a Ger- mon Commynist youth organization ond pointed out that in it Brecht actually edvecated the violeat overthrow of the blank whether he was a Cor Those in the room who knew and were alse aware of hi association with the Red of awoited his answer with virtua: breath. They received a shoc! Without moving @ wrink|« face, without raising or lows voice, without batting an eye Srechi swore mat he was not ti had never been a Conmu blotaaily peripred himself — fessional Communists will d. cornered. They have instruc: deny their membership eve: oath — an oath, more or les: nothing te that = rvthies crowd. . The hearing was over onc was free to leave. Then came tastic climax of this peculia: Congressman Mundt intoned a commending Breach? for his car swers and for being the only ¢ refused to invoke the Fifth Ame He virtuctly thanked Brecht fc ing under oath — and appar. the complete satisfaction of th man — that he wes not then ar hod been oa Red, Thot completely absolved 8: Chairmon Mundt's eves. Couns ting looked on helpiessty as 1! dangerous bird among there managed to get out of the « and with the good wishes of ti at that. But Bert Brecht knew thot his moon with Aneics was over. all, he had just perjured himsc that meant Counsel Stripling, had now cequired a real stranc on him. lt wes ceitainly poss Prove periury in Blocht's cos. criminal prosecution loomed « horizon. From thea on, no moti smart he wos, Brecht? reciized . living on borrowed time ia this c Vietuolty from the hearing Brecht booked passage to Germ< was a vindicated man. There «