Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/144

132 Senator. I know, but you are giving her credentials here. You are giving her good credentials, but you do not say ta the parents that. are reading this and want to be enided by her that she is also paid by a leading comic-book publisher. Why do you not give both sides of the pichure?

Mr. . The assumption is that there are both sides to it. Miss Frank has also been a consultant to innumerable book publishers,

Senator. Here is Mys. Gruenberg. Mrs. Gruenberg writes avery, very favorable article in favor of comic books.

Mr. . She certainly does not.

Senator. Reading it all in all, it is quite favoreble. It mimimizes the horrible-crime ones.

Mr. . It does not. sir.

Senator. She is writing about Mickey Mouse and Little Abner.

Mr. . It does not. I think from what J put in the record, you could not by any means sayMrs. Gruenberg speaks here "many of those abominable and irresponsible creatious bluntly exploil crime, violence, brutality, and sexy stuff."

If that is an endorsement of crime comics, sir, I don't know.

Senator. But, sir, in the back in her conclusions there is no condemnation. It just savs "we cannot fight what is objectionable in the comiesor in other commercial means of entertainment or in- formatiouby calling for more censorship or more police guards. An assoctation of comics-book pablishers is being formed to promote a codesomething that a few of the larger publishers had already undertakento euide in maintaining standards. Time will tell how sincere or how effective this effort wilk be."

The. What is the date of this, Senator?

Senator. 1948.

But we need a wider and more intelligent interest on the part of parents for making their community a good place for all children to live in.

The paragraph preceding that is rather easy.

Now, Mrs. Gruenberg, has she not had some connection with comic books?

Mr. . She had a long time ago, several years ago, sir, as evidenced in the hearings of your ewn committee. I want jo point out that these things have been a matter of publie record for years and years.

Senator. Why up here does she not list. the "Director of Child Study Associntion when it also would be fair to erve parents notice that Mrs. Gruenberg was also on the pay of the eomie-book industry?

Mr. . She was not on the pay of the comic-book industry, sir. That is not a correct statement.

Senator. Of one of the publishers of comic books?

Mr. . Of one of the publishers of comic books.

Senator. Here are two principal people you are using through a fine-sounding association which undoubtedly some good people are members of, feeling they can do some good. Two people you are using in the comic-book field who evaluate comic books, crime and horror books, turn out to be paid or to have been paid by publishers of comic books themselves. Is that not true?