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The eleventh 1 Brecht! And he wos the only okuWio sneak ovt of the investigation unsin~~4t Several of the others went to ja Aarged with contempt of Congress. Others were ef- fectively exposed and driven out of Hollywood. But not Herr Brecht! He ‘was even commended by the chairman of the House Comptes for what was - eotied hie elf-out ation, eotted out coopersiion. In foct, Brecht was the only dyed- In-the-weel, trained Communist in the bunch, completely indoctrinated by the Party apporatus. So his training in- cluded something the others lacked. He was instructed to lie in any emergency and to swear if need be that he wos net a Communist. Thus fortified, and quite certain thet acthing could happen to the co- outhor of “Mack the Knife" appeared before the House Un-American Activ- ities Committee in 1947. He wes genic! ond completely re- faxed. When his name was called, he ambled over to the witness chair, smoking an oversized cigar ond puffing its smoke in cil directions. But it wes © different kind of smokescreen he wos 8008 to shroud himself in. Representative Thomas wes absent from the chair. During this session of the hearing, it wos occupied by an- other ranking Republican member of the Committee — Congressman Karl E. Muadt of South Dakota. In o sense, this was an added good fortune for Brecht. Thomes was @ shrewd expert in Communist shenanigans ond would have seen through Brecht's cunning tick. He was also close to Stripling’s ‘mvestigation and knéw by heort the confidential data reposing in the Com- mittee files about Srecht'’s unsavory Communist past and associations even inside the United Stotes. ome “uresaey sips: CALLS SELF “UTERARY GiANT Performance. Although ("spoke Eng- lish fluently and even { Pe his mo- terial in the language,” + suddenly protesied that his Englis. as for too Inadequate for such an importont ‘event. Congressman Mundt obliged at once. He adjourned the heering untit an interpreter could be brought over ftdm the Meorby Library of Congress, another German tefucee to whom Srecht's record was well-known. By Perhops not so strange coincidence, the interpreter, too, is bock in Germany, also behind the tron Curtain. The interpreter gimmick wos but one of the tricks Bert Brecht hod vp his sleeve. He resorted to it os o ruse, to gain time for the formulation of his onswers. He understood the questions very wi indeed, bur he waited Patiently until they were transioted to him. Then he answered them in cir- cumspect German and waited until they in turn were translated. MUNDT IS HOODWINKED By this fancy method, he not onl geined velucht! i ars, but could olwoys been misinterpreted by the translator, that he didn’t ectually sey whot we: put into mouth. Also, occasionally he could insist that a German phrase means something entirely different from its English counterpart. There were a few well-informed People in the large crowd in the hear- ing toom Gnd they were stortied by the courtesy with which Mr. Mundt handled Brecht and also by the haughty oi the German soon assumed. He was forever puffing on his big cigar, sending the smoke into the chair- man's face. Within a few minutes, he wes running the show. Counsel Striping tried desperately to marshal the evidence against Brecht. He brought out the poet's Germon blank whether he was a Cor Those in the room who knew end were alse aware of hi association with the Red of awoited his answer with virtua breath. They received @ shoc! Without moving @ wrinkle foce, without raising or tows we on eye): Sr that he was not ti had never been @ Commu blotantly perjyred himself — fessional Communists will d. cornered. They have instruc deny their membership eve: cath — on ooth, more or les: nothing te that rvthles: crowd. . The hearing was over onc was free to leave. Then came tastic climax of this peculio: Congressman Mundt intoned a commending Brecht for his con swers ond for being the only ¢ tetused to invoke the Fifth Ame He virtuclly thanked Brecht fo ing under ooth — and appar. the complete sotisfection of th mon — that he wes not then ar hed been o Red. Thot completely absolved 8: Chairmon Mundt's eves. Couns ting looked on helplessly as 1! dangerous bird among these managed to get out of the « and with the good wishes of t+ at that. But Brecht knew thot his America was © America was over. all, he had just perjured himsc that meant Counsel Stripling, f: hed now acquired o real stranc on him. Wt wes ceatainly poss Prove perjury im Bfecht's cus criminal prosecution loomed « horizon. From then en, no mo! smort he was, Srecht reclized living on borrowed time ia this c Vietvotty from the hearing Brecht booked passage to Germ< was a@ vindicated mon. There + reason to hold him. He hed j ceived @ cleen bil of health f- Committee 5 with the f ' ly pe