Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/160

148 Mr. . Are you not trying to say yor can't point to a comie book which is a direet canse of a crime rather than talking abont whether crime and horror comic books may be a contributing factor in the total seene, in the total action of a child?

Mr. . I did try to say before, and Iam not a psychiatrist, that from what I bave heard it appears to me that everythme is a contributing factor to a chiki who ts delinquent, whether it is a rainy day, whether he has 5 cents in his pocket, or has not got 5 cents in his pocket. bul T would like to come back to what T was mentioning beforethis other witness who was here this morning also indicated there was no single incident.

Now, it seenis lo me, gentlemen, and T am honestly trying to find a conclusion, if these comics are, as a matter of fact, harmful, tf they cause delinquency, LT would be the first one to discontinue them.

What are the faets that have been portrayed before me and before this commitiee that T can put my finger on to say that they do cause juvenile delinquency 2

Mr. . Mr, Friedman, rather than review the testimony we have had, could T get back to the question of ile manner in which you supervise the editorial production ef this magazine? In other werds, you are the one who tells the story wriler the kind of story you want, or does that work vice versa, and what limits do you put upon what can appear in your magazine? .

Mr. . The editor of this magazine had been engaged in comic book magazine editing business for many years.

Mr. . Who is that?

Mr. . That is Miss Ray. I trust her in the production of the magazine.

Twill say from what I have heard in the testimony given yesterday while I was here, and today, that since there is a question (hat has arisen as to the mpaet or nonimpact of certain types of stories of detection or palice work and crime and of phantasy and horror, 1 will say after hearing the testrmony and hearmg the good Senators say that they believe that a certain code might answer the problem, I will ask my editor to fellow that code, not because I believe in censorship, but until

Mr. . Is it not true, Mr. Iutedman, most of yonr material could not be published if you adhere to the code? You could not show pictnres of a knife coming out of the back of a man, not wider the corte.

Mr. . I frankly de not know whether the code says that— f believe the code does say something about not showme the actual acts of commission of crime.

Mr. . That is right, sir.

Mr. . As I said, stnee there is a question that does arise, E will natruect my editor to attempt to adhere to the code, about which you spoke vesterday, a copy of which I haven't, and if you atiempted to break it down I could not tel] you what is in there and what is not in there, but if that is a mere acceptable procedure, we wll try to adhere to it.

Mr. . The only question I want to know is in the present preparation have you any general instructions which you give to your editor, Miss Ray, as to what should appear in this crime, horror, and terror magazine?