Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/104

92 in very unpopalar eases in court defendime such novelties as the Guilded Ileavse, and so on, as F believe adulis should be allowed to write for adulis. I believe fhat what is necessary for children is snperviston.

But ] would hke to snegest to the committee a simple scientific experiment, if Tay, in preat brevity.

Tam not advocating censorship. but it is the comic-book tmdustiry which at the presenf moment trie: fo censor what the parents read. This enormous industry ak present exercises a censorship throngh power, Ever stice [ have expressed any optiton abont comic books based on simple research done in basements on poor children whose mothers eried their eyes out, ever since then Lhave been feld by threats, by hibel suits, of damages: it 1s a miracle that my beok was pubhshed considering how many threatening letters these lawyers and people have written to niy prospective publishers. They have even thyreat- ened with a Hbel suit the Saturday Evening Post and even the Na- tional Parent Teachers, which isa nonprofit magazine.

Senator. While you are on that subject, Dr. Wertham, may I see that thing, anybody who opposes comic books is a Red?

Dr. . Yes; that is part of it.

Senator. I have read a number of vonr writings. IT have reac your Seduction of the Innocent. You ae a number of years ago I had several visits with you and you told me abont the pressnre they Gried to apply on you in connection with this,

But L noticed here this thing, that anvone who epposes comie books are Communists. "The group most anxious to destroy comics are the Conimunists."

Then they have here the statement:

This articie also quoted Gershon Legman (who claims to lhe a ghost writer for Dr. Frederick Werthain, the author of a recent smear agalnst comics published ju the Ladies Home Journal). This sane G. Legman, in issue No. 2 of Neurotica, published in autumn 1948, wildly condemned comics, although admitting that "The child's natura] character must be distarted to fit civilization * * *. Fan- tasy violence Will paralyze his resistanee, divert his ag@resston to uureal ene- mies and frustrations, and in this way preveot him from rebelling aginst parents anid teachers * * * this will siplion off his résistance against society, and prevent revolution."

This seeins to be an effort to tie you up in some way as Red or Com- munist. Is that part of a smear?

Dr. . This is from comic books. IT have really paid no attention to this. E can tell you thaf Pam not a ghost writer. Like this gentleman who critivized it severely, they know I don't have a ghost writer.

Gershon Legman is a man who studied comic books. He is a man who tried to do something against comic books, so they tried to do something about him.

That is just one of the ordinary kinds of things. But, Mr. Chair- man, they do something quite different which is much more serious. The comic-book industry at the present moment—and this is the ex- periment TF woukl hike to suggest to you--the comic-book industry at the present moment interferes with the freedom of publications in all fields. They have their hands on magazines, they have their hands on newspapers, they threaten the advertisers; they continually threaten libel suits and action for damages.