Red Hollywood Page #4

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was the big cause

for all of us

on the left then.

We felt it was the only hope

of defeating fascism,

that if the democracies

stood up to

what was going on there

and helped

the Spanish government

resist this invasion,

that a Second World War

could be averted.

And I still think it

probably could've have been.

We knew that Franco

had this Nazi

and Italian fascist support.

As a matter of fact,

that his whole revolt

would've collapsed

without German planes

that were sent

to carry troops over

from Africa into Spain.

So I was partisan

right away on that,

even though I was not

yet a member

of the Communist Party.

NARRATOR:

Only the Soviet Union

and the parties aligned

with the Communist

International

came to the aid

of the Spanish Republic.

In Hollywood,

the Republican cause

brought many into

the orbit of the party.

There were many committees

and fundraisers,

but just this one film.

The opposing sides

were never named

in Blockade,

but there could be

no doubt on whose behalf

Henry Fonda made his final,

desperate appeal.

Peace?

Where can you find it?

Our country

has been turned

into a battlefield.

There's no safety

for old people

and children.

Women can't keep

their families safe

in their houses.

They can't be safe

in their own fields.

Churches, schools,

hospitals are targets.

It's not war.

War is between soldiers.

It's murder,

murder of innocent people.

There's no sense to it!

The world can stop it.

Where's the conscience

of the world?

NARRATOR:

The conscience

of the world was stone,

the Spanish Republic

was defeated.

England and France

made a deal with Hitler,

and so too did Stalin.

What's the matter?

This radiogram came

a few minutes ago.

"Dear Mr. Ambassador,

our worst fears

are realized.

"This afternoon,

a non-aggression pact

"was signed between Germany

and the Soviet Union."

Then it's happened.

Hitler's closed

his eastern door.

God help the rest of us.

It was a shock, and yet...

We saw, I saw

the reasoning behind it

and almost

the inevitability of it

from the Russian

point of view that

even if they couldn't

get together,

with the West,

the least they could do

was have some

protection themselves.

Why did Stalin make

a deal with Hitler?

For self-protection.

He was left standing

alone against Hitler,

and he stalled because

his army wasn't ready.

What did Russia

ever do for us?

Russia has given us time.

It was an abrupt

switch of line.

It was stupid,

as far as the American Party

was concerned.

And there was

a lot of resistance to it,

even with people

who did not quit the party

at that point as many,

many people did,

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