Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/150

138 So, No. 1, in terms of advertisements in these books, and 1 repeat I went thr ough every single one of the latest editions, t this being a popular magazine, of coursethe June and July editions is already therethere is not one advertisement which I found was in any way objectionable.

J went through these with great labor, I wonldn't read a comic strip In a newspaper, if you paid me for it. J have never read comics; T never understood why my children read comies, but dutifully appear- ing before your committee, I looked through these things.

Many of them are in poor taste, but unless you say, sirand let us be very specificthat Gang Busters should be off the wir because what- ever br oadeasting company produces this is working on the same cheap level as the ertme publishers you are referring to, unless you say that Mr. District Attorney is a vadio program which is so offensive that it shonld be off the air and with the endorsement of many of these programs, by the FBI, by Mr, Hoover, by the chiefs of police, unless you Sy that, T would & say utiless you sce any connection in this i inves- tigation, which counsel assures me was an investigation of erime comics, with a particular publisher to whem our consultant has given scrviceas a matter of fact, repeating what I have said hefore, that comics to me are distasteful entertainment and that I indeed was very glid when the day came when comics were no longer regular fare in my honse in competition with books, but new books alone seem to entertain my chiktren—I would say with that proviso before that this is not s something to my taste, that we can pomt not with pride, but with satisfaction, sir, to the job whieh has heen done by that particular publisherI don't care to name his nameif the committee wants it, al] rightbut that particular publisher is keeping these particular conic books on a distinetly higher leveland again Tain careful, I say on a distinetly higher level—than any comic books to whieh your committee wants to address yourself,

Now, I can readily see that some people will indeed say, Gang Busters, along with comics, as well as radio programs, Mr. District Attorney, Mr. Hoover's FBI program, all are potentially distasteful.

T could sympathize as a grownup person with such a view. but Lhat would be rather an extreme view and a kind of censorship which would be intolerable.

But J say as far as comic books go, T am content te stand on the record, and T want to make myselt quite clear, on the record, whieh shows that this particular publisher has exercised infinitely ereater carve with those publications.

There is a good reason for it because work is being done. [have in my files letters in which. for instance, our educational associate. Mr. Counsel. protested a certain advertisement, not the kind you Meant it wasn't an advertisement about gunsbut if was a question of good taste and onr consultant wrote a fairly long letter to the company and said, "I wonder if we are not slipping in oar code."

I don't think, Mr. Chairman, I need to present in evidence the par- tierlur code of that organization. You have it in your files, vour connsel assured me.

The. Are you talking about the code that was promulgated in 1948?

Mr. . No. You see that is why I wanted in all fairness to insist on differentiating the industry from the individual pubbsher. This is a code, if the counsel does not have it, ] certainly shall put it in

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