TESTIMONY OF GEORGE B. DAVIS, PRESIDENT, KABLE NEWS CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
Mr. DAVIS. George B. Davis, 500 Fifth Avenue, Kable News Co.
My home address, Crestwood, N. Y.
The CHAIRMAN. Counsel, you may proceed.
Mr. BEASER. What is your position with Kable?
Mr. DAVIS. President of Kable News Co.
Mr. BEASER. Kable News Co. does what, sir?
Mr. DAVIS. They are national distributors of magazines and comics.
Mr. BEASER. We have put up an exhibit there, sir, of various kinds of magazines which I think, from information furnished, are ones that you distribute; is that right, sir?
Mr. DAVIS. That is correct. I think it is a pretty good representation of what we have.
Mr. BEASER. A very wide variety.
Mr. DAVIS. I recognize that one there.
Mr. BEASER. That is the inside of Frolic Magazine.
Mr. DAVIS. That is right.
Mr. BEASER. How many magazines do you distribute in all?
Mr. DAVIS. I would say about 70, sir.
Mr. BEASER. How many of those are comics?
Mr. DAVIS. About 40.
Mr. BEASER. Of the comics, how many would be crime and horror?
Mr. DAVIS. I have a breakdown, sir. We have 1 adventure, 3 detective, 7 western, 8 juvenile, 6 love, 3 satire, 2 war, and 10 weird.
Now you say horror and something else. I refer to them as weird.
Mr. BEASER. Crime and horror.
Mr. DAVIS. That is right.
Mr. BEASER. In other words, 25 percent of your total comics are of the weird variety?
Mr. DAVIS. Right.
Mr. BEASER. How many are of the crime variety?
Mr. DAVIS. I imagine that would be what we refer to as detective; is that right? Three.
Mr. BEASER. Now, let me ask you a bit about your distribution practices, sir.
Mr. Davis. Yes, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Now, as a wholesaler I get your complete line; is that it, all this?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; you do not. If there is anything that we distribute that the wholesaler does not want, he immediately refuses it and sends it back express collect.
Mr. BEASER. Otherwise I get it?
Mr. DAVIS. Otherwise you would get it. My situation is similar to Mr. Chamberlain's, I imagine, that we are national distributors. There were quite a lot of distributors that have selected lists and they order what they please. They tell you if they want it or not.
Mr. BEASER. How do I know as a wholesaler what is coming in the next bundle?
Mr. DAVIS. We have advance billing and promotion pieces on most magazines, which is going out far in advance of the release.
Mr. BEASER. What the content is likely to be?
Mr. DAVIS. Not exactly the content. Sometimes we play up the editorial. We have a promotion department telling what is in there; yes, sir.
Mr. BEASER. I get a notice from you saying on such and such a date Fantastic would be coming in?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BEASER. Am I asked to notify you by a certain date as to whether I want Tab or Frolic?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Do I have the option of notifying you?
Mr. DAVIS. You do. You can tell us you are not going to distribute it. You can tell us you are sending it back express collect; you can do anything you please.
We have no restrictions on that, even though I may be honest and admit that we try to get a general distribution on practically everything we distribute.
Mr. BEASER. The burden is put on me as a wholesaler, then, to get notice to you that I don't want your magazine?
Mr. DAVIS. That is right.
Mr. BEASER. How would I know about that if I were a wholesaler and you were distributing a new kind of magazine? Say Tops just came out and you sent me a brochure on Tops. How would I decide what is in it?
Mr. DAVIS. Then you send a letter back, "Do not send Tops."
Mr. BEASER. How would I know what is in Tops?
Mr. DAVIS. You wouldn't know but a lot of wholesalers don't take new titles, regardless; that is the freedom in the business.
Mr. BEASER. If you have a wholesaler, for example, who says to you he does not want Strange, Voo Doo, or your Danger, does he get as many copies of Hunting and Fishing?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. BEASER. Radio Electronics?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes. We have no such powers in our line, anyway. In other words, that power is not used in this business. I think that is a far cry from the truth, about forcing stuff. Believe you me, sometimes I wish I could force a little.
I will give you a little typical example. I just happened to see my friend Sam Black over there, who will probably testify here, and this goes into comics and I think it is a very interesting story. We just took over a line of comics, the St. Johns' line of comics, and there were 40 titles included in this group.
We didn't notify the wholesalers ─ this was long in advance of our distribution, but Mr. Black found it out. He didn't think St. Johns' comics was such a good line. So he says, "Under no conditions send me any of St. Johns' comics."
The thing that Mr. Black didn't know was this, that out of the 40 comics that Mr. St. Johns had, we were only taking 18 which included nothing in the world but children's stuff and good, clean stuff like Adventures of Mighty Mouse and all that Looney Tooney stuff, and Paul Terry's comic.
Mr. BEASER. Where was St. Johns' distributing the others?
Mr. DAVIS. To the American News Co. I mean he was distributing all to them. We did take the line, eliminated 26 titles from the market and I kept the good, clean comics that we could take.
Now, I only cited that as an illustration to show the freedom of action in this business.
Mr. Black says, "Don't send any," so, naturally, I am not going to send any, but when I have a chance to talk to him I will tell him the entire story.
Mr. BEASER. Is there any breakage which inures to you by reason of the fact that you get a handling charge for any of the magazines?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; we get no handling charges, sir. We make a profit from our publishers on what is sold.
Mr. BEASER. That is all.
Mr. DAVIS. That is all.
Mr. BEASER. Now, what standards do you utilize in determining what materials you will distribute, if any?
Mr. DAVIS. That is a very important question; a very nice one, a pointed question. There are publishers in this business that, like everybody else, kick their traces at times. I am not holding any brief for these fellows that go overboard.
I think one thing wrong with most of these meetings is the fact that some of them don't seem to be quite honest with the answers. I think to a certain degree all of us at times may be guilty of overstepping our bounds.
Now, in my position at the Kable News Co., I am solely responsible for what we distribute. Quite often I will take on a magazine that has a good title, but I am not too familiar with the editorial content. The publisher will tell me what the contents are, but when it comes time for distribution, it is all printed and gone before I get my advanced copy, and then it is too late for me to do anything about it.
Let me give you a couple of illustrations. A man, one of our publishers, put out a comic last week. When I heard about it ─ I have been immobilized for a couple of months ─ I found out about it and I insisted he kill it immediately. I have had people look through the editorial content and can't find anything too wrong with it, but the title itself.
Mr. BEASER. What is the name of it?
Mr. DAVIS. Tomb Horror. We killed it. I told the fellow not to print another one yesterday, when I heard about it.
Mr. BEASER. How much ability have you to go through 70 magazines a month?
Mr. DAVIS. It is not 70 a month. It is 70 titles. They can be bimonthly. There will probably be a billing of 20 or 30 a month. Some quarterly, some annuals, some few monthlies.
Mr. BEASER. How can you tell whether Haunted Thrills for May or June contains something that may or may not be harmful to children?
Mr. DAVIS. I cannot. I can only go on my experience in the business. Now, as to what is harmful, some people have different definitions. I think I know as much about children as any man that has been in this courtroom yet, or this hearing yet, because I handled 86,000 for a good many years.
Senator HENNINGS. Where was that?
Mr. DAVIS. I had the Liberty boys' organization, the Macfadden Publications, which grew from nothing to 86,000 boys. We had little or no trouble.
Senator HENNINGS. What sort of groups were they?
Mr. DAVIS. They were boy salesmen delivering Liberty to the homes of all the people, like the Saturday Evening Post magazine.
We had a welfare organization. We had to closely supervise these boys, to see that they were home nights and everything else.
I tell you one of our biggest special prizes in those days, strange as it may seem, was a jackknife. In the course of 7 years, we spent a million dollars on jackknives.
Mr. BEASER You think that none of the material in all your crime ─
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; I wouldn't say that. I said that sometimes they will kick their traces. I will admit very honestly I have no chance to go through all of them. Believe me, I am just as anxious as anyone about this situation. If there are comics or any of them that have any bearing on the youngsters of this Nation, Mr. Campbell, the owner of my company, or myself, want no part in it, regardless of the money involved. This is not a fast dollar for us.
Mr. BEASER. Actually nobody in your organization takes any responsibility for the content of what is distributed?
Mr. DAVIS. I would say this, sir, that when we feel ─ now, I think if we are guilty of anything, we are guilty of the fact that we have not scrutinized them carefully enough, if you do find something wrong with ours, and that depends again on what you consider bad taste.
Senator HENNINGS. You are speaking, sir, of just the comics which you distribute?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Senator HENNINGS. You are not talking about some of the other magazines, the Gala, Scope, Suppressed?
Mr. DAVIS. That type of material has very, very limited distribution, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. By limited distribution, Mr. Davis, what do you mean?
Mr. DAVIS. I mean it would go to three or four hundred towns; stuff like that. Wholesalers don't have to take that stuff.
Senator HENNINGS. How many in numbers would you publish of Frolic?
Mr. DAVIS. Frolic would be about 100,000.
Senator HENNINGS. A month?
Mr. DAVIS. That is right.
Senator HENNINGS. How long has it been in publication?
Mr. DAVIS. It has been out for probably 7 or 8 years.
Senator HENNINGS. It sells about 100,000 a month?
Mr. DAVIS. No; it does not sell 100,000. It sells about 65,000.
Senator HENNINGS. Do you undertake to scrutinize the material that goes into such magazines as Frolic?
Mr. DAVIS. I would not say at all times I do, but we have gone on Mr. Sumner's record here over the years in New York City. I think he made the statement, when this type of book was brought into court, that it was no more than what they are showing on these Broadway shows. In fact, this girl shaking her shimmy there is right out of the Broadway show. l have seen her myself. That is the Tiger Girl in Kiss Me Kate. That is the same picture.
Now, we have gone on that premise. And the beaches, also, for that matter; you can go to the Shoreham Hotel and see just as bad as that any time in Washington with a bunch of little gals around there.
Senator HENNINGS. In other words, you suggest that the mores and general acceptance of what may be seen in Broadway shows or a nightclub or at the Shoreham Hotel, or any other hotel, is the criteria by which you would determine which of these publications should be acceptable?
Mr. DAVIS. That has been my thinking, sir, but I will make one thing very clear here, that I am not the publisher, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. I understand that.
Mr. DAVIS. I may also say that the publisher of Gala also publishes such type books as Movie Spotlight, Movie Play, and Movie Time. It is not just one house of so-called girlie books.
Senator HENNINGS. Now, as the distributor, then, have you ever told any of the publishers, for example, that you would not take for distribution a magazine such as Suppressed?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; we would take Suppressed, and be glad to have it.
Senator HENNINGS. Have you ever refused to take any that have been offered?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir; many, sir. For instance, I may point out that in dealing with St. Johns' comics the had some comics there that we didn't care about putting out. We took 18 of what we considered the best.
I don't think there is any better than that line ─ Looney Tooney group, or Paul Terry, or Mighty Mouse group.
Senator HENNINGS. What was you yardstick of judgment as to the comics that you refused to take?
Mr. DAVIS. I will tell you the judgment is this: Probably his were no worse than the rest of them.
It seems to me that it is going just a little too far honestly, this comic business. I am not sitting here trying to tell you I don't think so. Honestly, I believe it is.
They are sticking their necks out a mile and a half. As far as we are concerned, we are going to be very, very careful about this, even more than in the past.
Now, I cannot reconcile several things here. No one has shown me yet ─ I want to be convinced myself ─ wherein a comic has caused any particular crime or has anything to do with this crime business.
Senator HENNINGS. We are not trying to make that case, Mr. Davis, as you know.
Mr. DAVIS. I am asking for my own information.
Senator HENNINGS. May I say for your information, sir, and with the permission of the Chairman, that we have said at the outset of these hearings sir, that this committee has no preconceived views about this. We are not, in other words, presenting the state's case. We are trying to find out if there is any impact in this, and if so, to what extent, and what should be done about it if it exists.
Mr. DAVIS. I will agree that this thing has gone a little too far, but I do agree also that the industry in itself should get together and do a little fine-combing here.
The CHAIRMAN. The committee agrees with that statement.
Mr. DAVIS. Because this industry can be ruined by the other side of the fence also. By having committees review newsstands and pull out good magazines. I published a magazine several years ago called the Ideal woman. The feature story in it was Mary Pickford's Why Not Try God, Christian Science Business. This book of mine was put on the list circulated in the entire country as being indecent literature.
As far as I am concerned it is still on there. That was 10 years ago. The thing has been dead 10 years.
Some of the committees go overboard. Are they capable and do they know the right things? If we had some smart people that knew what it is all about to go out ─ I am not saying they are not smart, but to do some little fine recommendations, I think the industry would be much better off.
Senator HENNINGS. Why is not the industry itself capable of regulating itself?
Mr. DAVIS. I have heard some statements made here that make this industry look ridiculous. You asked a man if something looks horrible, he said, "No; if there is no blood dripping out it is not horrible."
Senator HENNINGS. For example, Mr. Mystery, is that one of your publications, sir?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. Do you think that is a rather pleasant example?
Mr. DAVIS. You mean the cover?
Senator HENNINGS. Human heads boiling in a vat, that amiable gentleman sewing one of them with a needle and thread.
Mr. DAVIS. It is so horrible it is comical. I would not agree that is in good taste; no, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. Here is another, the Weird Chills.
Mr. DAVIS. That is one of mine.
Senator HENNINGS. That apparently lives up to its name. You take a look at that picture.
Mr. DAVIS. Pretty bad, pretty bad.
The CHAIRMAN. While you are here, will you take a look at some of those ads? Have you ever read the advertisements in the magazine Gala?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; I am afraid I haven't.
The CHAIRMAN. It would seem to the Chair that your industry ought to look into those ads because; they support the magazine apparently.
Mr. DAVIS. I will look into it myself.
The CHAIRMAN. Those ads are pretty horrible to me.
Senator HENNINGS. If the chairman will allow me again, here is Weird Terror. Of course, a lot of these things are in the realm of judgment and taste. Some may be suggested to be no worse than some of the more imaginative illustrators of the tales of Edgar Allen Poe, but some of them seem to go beyond ordinary imaginative artistic representation, even of horror.
Mr. DAVIS. I will give you a little argument as to what these fellows tell me when I holler about those things. Well, kids on Halloween go out here, put on all kinds of funny faces, tombstones around them, and everything.
In my opinion they make those things so ridiculous; they really get to be laughable, they really do.
The CHAIRMAN. You never before have looked at those ads inside the publications you distributed?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir. I think our publishers could probably give you more information on that, sir, then I could. I could certainly notify them if you would like them to testify here.
The CHAIRMAN. I would like to note for the record that a sample of these ads, there are 2 or 3 samples, will be written into the record. Let that be exhibit No. 30.
(The ads referred to were marked "Exhibit No. 30," and read as follows:)
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLETS
The kind you will enjoy. Each one of these booklets is size 3 ½ by 4 ½ and is illustrated with 8-page cartoon illustrations of comic characters and is full of fun and entertainment. Twenty of these booklets all different sent prepaid in a sealed envelope upon receipt of $1. No checks or C. O. D. orders accepted.
(Name of company)
(Address of company)
_____
ILLUSTRATED COMIC BOOKLETS
Sell our illustrated comic booklets and other novelties. Each booklet size 4 ½ x 2 3/4 and is fully illustrated. We will send 24 assorted booklets. prepaid upon receipt of $1 or 60 assorted booklets sent prepaid upon receipt of $2. Wholesale novelty price list sent with order only. No orders send C. O. D. Send cash or money order.
(Name of company)
(Address of company)
_____
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLETS & NOVELTIES
Our vest pocket series of illustrated comic booklets are the kind that are fully illustrated with comic characters The novelties are the kind you want for excitement and amusement, 16 different booklets, and 4 different novelties sent prepaid in sealed envelope on receipt of $1. No C. O. D. orders or check accepted. Wholesale price list included with orders only.
(Name of company)
(Address of company)
Mr. DAVIS. I don't think it is necessary for that magazine there to survive on that type of ad or any other magazine. If it can't go with on with out that type of ad it should not go at all.
Senator HENNINGS. Where are these mostly sold?
Mr. DAVIS. That would be sold on Broadway here, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. In what kind of establishments in cities outside of New York?
Mr. DAVIS. I would say outside of New York most any time it would be a downtown corner stand ─ traffic, soldiers, sailors, to every working guy.
Senator HENNINGS. This would not go by and large to the drug stores?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; By and large it would not go to the neighborhood. It would be a mistake to go in there.
Senator HENNINGS. The chain food stores?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. You would not distribute it to such outlets?
Mr. DAVIS. That is quite right. That would have a high-spot distribution.
Senator HENNINGS. You would not consider it good business judgment, as a matter of fact, to put these in drugstores?
Mr. DAVIS. You hold up Suppressed and Gala. I put both Suppressed and Gala, in a different category.
Senator HENNINGS. This is Frolic I am holding.
Mr. DAVIS. That is a girlie book. That is around the honky-tonks, in places where they are drinking, you know, just a general downtown section of the town.
It would not go to the suburban section. It would go where the men congregate.
Senator HENNINGS. This, for example, has the Lonely Hearts Club, the names and addresses of 100 beautiful single girls, 18 to 25, list rushed by airmail. Don't delay. Why be lonely? Let America's friendly club introduce you by mail. Social correspondence clubs, and so on.
We do know, of course, that some of these so-called correspondence clubs or matrimonial agencies or lonely hearts organizations have led to pretty serious trouble in cases such as blackmail and extortion.
Mr. DAVIS. We used to have a lonely heart ball in Madison Square Garden some years ago, every year.
Senator HENNINGS. That is not comparable. That has some supervision. But you do not pay any attention to the advertising?
Mr. DAVIS. I am afraid I don't. My job is to distribute magazines. I try to be careful. Some of those magazines have been long established, like the one you have there.
Naturally, I can't get into every ad that goes into there. If I did, the publisher could tell me, "It is none of your business."
Senator HENNINGS. Is it fair to sum it up, Mr. Davis, to say that you try to be careful, but you really do not have an opportunity to be careful?
Mr. DAVIS. I will say this: That we try to be respectable; let us say that.
Senator HENNINGS. Respectable?
Mr. DAVIS. To our knowledge, what a respectable citizen should be.
Senator HENNINGS. But the job is really just beyond you and certainly not entirely within your jurisdiction as you see it; is that it?
Mr. DAVIS. I will say, in my opinion, some of this stuff is overboard. I do say again that the industry should take cognizance of it and work accordingly and clean up whatever they think is right and do the right thing. That is my opinion.
Senator HENNINGS. Thank you, sir.
Mr. DAVIS. But I would like to add something to Mr. Chamberlain's statement, if I could.
The CHAIRMAN. You may, sir.
Mr. DAVIS. That is on this force distribution business. A wholesaler having to accept ─ let me briefly outline this: that there are 850 wholesalers in the United States and Canada. A wholesaler does not have to accept a magazine if he does not want it. A dealer in turn is delivered magazines, probably 25 or maybe 50 a week, 2 deliveries, Wednesday and Friday. If that dealer goes through his bundle and finds that there are types of magazines there he does not want on his stand, he can put them in the return box and the wholesaler will pick them up.
To prove this point, returns on comics, some of them at times run as high as 25 percent, magazines that have never seen daylight, returned from the dealers, proving that the dealers can return them.
The CHAIRMAN. You would not say there are no tie-in sales?
Mr. DAVIS. I would not say, sir, that there has not been some route man somewhere along the line that may have become a little ambitious and said something like that to a dealer, but as far as wholesalers are concerned, they are too smart for that.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions, Counsel?
Mr. BEASER. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Picking up Senator Hennings’ question as to where this Gals magazine and Frolic ─ do they go to the same places that carry comics, crime and horror comics?
Mr. DAVIS. That is a general statement I would not like to answer, because I could not tell you.
Mr. BEASER. Have you seen from your own observation?
Mr. DAVIS. From my own observation I would say no. I live in a town where they have six magazine dealers and I don't think you would find one of those books there.
Mr. BEASER. You have not seen it around town?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Getting back to your standard as to what you will or will not accept─
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Do you think your standard would or should be different, depending on whether you thought the material would get into the hands of kids?
Mr. DAVIS. I would say that our standard could stand improvement, being perfectly honest with you, particularly on covers, and on some of the covers I looked at this morning, I would say that could be done.
Mr. BEASER. Would you, sir, be concerned if you knew that Frolic and magazines of that type are getting to kids?
Mr. DAVIS. Are getting on the same stands?
Mr. BEASER. Yes, where the comics are.
Mr. DAVIS. From my observation of Frolic on the newsstand or Gala, or any of those other type girlie books, you usually find them so high up it is hardly possible for a child to see them.
Mr. BEASER. What responsibility do you think it is reasonable for the public to expect a man in your position to assume for the type of material that he is going to distribute in relationship to crime and horror books?
Mr. DAVIS. The public has a perfect right to expect magazines on the stands that would not violate any laws of decency from people, of the type distributors we are, national distributors. I should think they would expect that.
I would not want them to read anything that I would no want my own family to have. That is the story.
The CHAIRMAN. We had one publisher here that told us the last time we were in New York he tried these magazines out on his friend's children. What do you think of a statement like that?
Mr. DAVIS. A lot of those fellows ─ there is such a variety of thinking on this whole business. I tell you one thing, and I still stick to one thing I said, that I think we can improve on our business and I think a lot of publishers can improve.
But I will say I hope we never destroy the imagination of American kids. They are dreamers and they have been used to fantastic things. The more Indians that Buffalo Bill killed when I was a kid ─ I liked it.
Senator HENNINGS. You do not think it is possible to destroy the imagination, do you?
Mr. DAVIS. I don't know. The kids imagine a lot. Kids are dreamers. Take in New York City. I think you could take every comic out of Long Island ─ They would have more juvenile delinquency. You see the poor kids on 10th Avenue under the fire hose ─
Mr. BEASER. You say the crime and horror comics have no effect whatsoever?
Mr. DAVIS. I couldn't make a statement of that nature. I wouldn't know.
Mr. BEASER. But you would not say that the publishers should wait until it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt before you take action?
Mr. DAVIS. I think if there is a doubt you should correct it.
Mr. BEASER. We have on the board an organizational chart of some of the magazine companies that you are distributors for.
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Do you regularly make financial advances to those companies?
Mr. DAVIS. Our position is similar to other national distributors. This distributing business is very competitive, sir. There are 7 or 8 within the independent ranks and there is American News Co. There has been an instance possibly of advancing and prepayment on magazines.
Mr. BEASER. In many cases some of these magazines could not be published if it were not for your financial aid?
Mr. DAVIS. I wouldn't say that. A man can print or publish a. magazine. The advance cover is a very small portion of it.
Some publications we settle 60 days after they are off sale. Some 70 days after sale.
Mr. BEASER. Would you in any case advance or guarantee the printing bill?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BEASER. Let me ask you one question as to your foreign distribution. Do you have foreign distribution?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir; some. Not a great deal. As far as we are concerned, we go to Panama, South America probably a couple of places down there, Bermuda, Houolulu, Alaska. That is about all. Canada, naturally.
Mr. BEASER. I presume you do no greater screening for the material that is going abroad than you do for the material that is distributed here in the United States.
Mr. DAVIS. Our foreign business is not enough to talk about. That would not amount to 200 a title.
Mr. BEASER. Do you make any attempt to screen the kinds of titles that are getting abroad, that might react in favor of the United States, or against the United States?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BEASER. You have no standard there, either?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. BEASER. No further questions, Mr. Chairman.
Senator HENNINGS. Mr. Davis, you have been good enough to come here. I do not want to seem to be cross-examining you, but I would like to ask you one question in order to clarify in my mind at least ─ I may be so obtuse that I do not quite understand, your meaning ─ I understood you to say that you think the comic book industry and the horror comics are necessary because of other unfortunate conditions relating to the welfare of young people.
As I recall your testimony, you have said, too, that you believe the children need this sort of outlet by way of blowing off steam, because of insufficient playgrounds, overcrowded schools, and other distressing conditions with which we are all familiar.
I thought I understood you to say too, that you were afraid that if the industry went too far in regulating itself, or any other regulation were imposed upon it, that it might destroy the imagination of the American youth.
Mr. DAVIS. I think you must have me all confused with somebody else, Senator.
Senator HENNINGS. I may have. I thought you said something about destroying the imagination of our children. This is not a "please answer yes or no?' business. I was trying to briefly review and sum it up by asking for your observations on what is probably not a question, but more in the nature of a statement, an effort to sum up a portion of your testimony.
Do you or do you not believe that the people of character and a sense of social responsibility, a sense of awareness of their obligations to the communities and to our country, have some sense of guilt about some of these publications?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. As to their character and the nature of them?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Senator HENNINGS. With relation to what they may be doing to the minds of the children?
Mr. DAVIS. Well, I am not qualified about the minds of the children, but I do say in my opinion ─ and that is all I can talk about - I think some of them are overboard; yes, sir. I certainly don't want to leave any impression, the only thing I said ─ I may have confused you slightly making this statement ─ that quite often committees will go around to a newsstand and make a wholesale slaughter of magazines, taking a lot of good ones along with a few of the bad apples.
I say this whole barrel of apples is not rotten. There are a few in there. We must admit that. And anyone who tries to defend things like that is next to crazy, and he is out, for something besides helping America.
We can’t say that the entire industry is rotten due to those few. I think the pressure should be put on them. If we are off base in our own shop, I can assure you one thing, that I can put our people back on base, our publishers. If they are out of line I can put them back. Don't worry about that.
Senator HENNINGS. You have been doing it and intend to continue to do it?
Mr. DAVIS. I have not been too active in the last 3 months, sir. I have been in the hospital and I have been at home with my eye condition here.
The CHAIRMAN. But your purpose is to help the industry clean house within?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir; and I will say this, that no dealer nor any wholesaler in America has to take anything the Kable News Co. distributes if they don't want it. Nobody uses any pressure or any force or nothing, and they can send it back express collect if they get it and find out that the local community don't need it, or they themselves consider it bad taste.
So our position is just that. There are no arguments whatsoever.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Davis, for your forthright testimony.
Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. That concludes the witnesses for this morning's hearing.
The subcommittee will now stand in recess until two-thirty this afternoon.
(Thereupon, at 12:30 p. m., the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 2:30 p. m., same day.)
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