Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/213



,, , New York, N.Y. The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in room 110, United States Court House, New York, N. Y¥., Hon. Robert C. Hen- drickson, (chairman of the subeommittee) presiding.

Present: Senators Hendrickson and Hennings.

Also present: Herbert W. Beaser, chief counsel; Riehard Clen- denen, stail director; Peter N. Chumbris, assistant counsel-investiga- tor, and [id Ilart, subeominittec consultant.

The. The hearing will come to order.

Today’s hearing is a continuation of our subcommittee’s investiga- tion of that segment of the comic-book industry which deals with lascivious and Justful crime and horror material. The chairman wishes to reiterate what he said during our opening hearing on this subject on April 21, that we are not in the least concerned with about four-fifths of the output of the entire comic-book industry. We are attempting to find out to what extent questionable type comic books affect the mind of Amerjeuu youth,

We begun the hearings and bave continued them in the spirit of ob- jective exploration. Weare not out to get anyone.

Again I must reiterate, we are not a subcommittee of bluenose cen- sors. We are not, and have never been, a senatorial investigatory body unmindful of the dignity of the United States Senate, or un- mindful of our obligation to investigate solely various facets of the problem of juvenile delinquency. We work im fields that we feel are pertinent to our subject. Only if we operate with cormmon sense, decency, and a sincere interest in finding the answers to the complex- ities of the youth delinquency problems, can onr subeommittee hope to make proper recommendations that will reverse the trend, or, at least, retard the rise in our disgraceful juvenile delinquency rate,

The response to our earlier hearings into horror comic books has been extremely gratifying to the chairman and my subcommittee col- leagues, and to the staif members who haye done a splendid job of pre- paratory work.

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