Walt disney

[ROBERT E.] STRIPLING [CHIEF INVESTIGATOR]: Mr. Disney, will you state
your full name and present address, please?

WALTER DISNEY: Walter E. Disney, Los Angeles, California.

RES: When and where were you born, Mr. Disney?

WD: Chicago, Illinois, December 5, 1901.

RES: December 5, 1901?

WD: Yes, sir.

RES: What is your occupation?

WD: Well, I am a producer ofmotion-picture cartoons.

RES: Mr. Chairman, the interrogation of Mr. Disney will be done by Mr.
Smith.

THE CHAIRMAN [J. PARNELL THOMAS]: Mr. Smith.

[H. A.] SMITH: Mr. Disney, how long have you been in that business?

WD: Since 1920.

HAS: You have been in Hollywood during this time?

WD: I have been in Hollywood since 1923.

HAS: At the present time you own and operate the Walt DisneyStudio at
Burbank, California?

WD: Well, I am one of the owners. Part owner.

HAS: How many people are employed there, approximately?

WD: At the present time about 600.

HAS: And what is the approximate largest number of employees you have
had in the studio?

WD: Well, close to 1,400 at times.

HAS: Will you tell us a little about the nature of this particular
studio, thetype of pictures you make, and approximately how many per
year?

WD: Well, mainly cartoon films. We make about twenty short subjects,
and about two features a year.

HAS: Will you talk just a little louder, Mr. Disney?

WD: Yes, sir.

HAS: How many, did you say?

WD: About twenty short subject cartoons and about two features per
year.

HAS: And some of the characters in the filmsconsist of

WD: You mean such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs [1938], and things of that sort.

HAS: Where are these films distributed?

WD: All over the world.

HAS: In all countries of the world?

WD: Well, except the Russian countries.

HAS: Why aren't they distributed in Russia, Mr. Disney?

WD: Well, we can't do business with them.HAS: What do you mean by that?

WD: Oh, well, we have sold them some films a good many years ago. They
bought the Three Little Pigs [1933] and used it through Russia. And
they looked at a lot of our pictures, and I think they ran a lot of
them in Russia, but then turned them back to us and said they didn't
want them, they didn't suit their purposes.

HAS: Is the dialogue in these filmstranslated into the various
foreign languages?

WD: Yes. On one film we did ten foreign versions. That was Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs.

HAS: Have you ever made any pictures in your studio that contained
propaganda and that were propaganda films?

WD: Well, during the war we did. We made quite a few-working with
different government agencies. We did one for the Treasury on taxes
andI did four anti-Hitler films. And I did one on my own for air
power.

HAS: From those pictures that you made, have you any opinion as to
whether or not the films can be used effectively to disseminate
propaganda?

WD: Yes, I think they proved that.

HAS: How do you arrive at that conclusion?

WD: Well, on the one for the Treasury on taxes, it was to let the
people know that taxes wereimportant in the war effort. As they
explained to me, they had 13,000,000 new taxpayers, people who had
never paid taxes, and they explained that it would be impossible to
prosecute all those that were delinquent and they wanted to put this
story before those people so they would get their taxes in early. I
made the film, and after the film had its run the Gallup poll
organization polledthe public and the findings were that twenty-nine
percent of the people admitted that had influenced them in getting
their taxes in early and giving them a picture of what taxes will do.

HAS: Aside from those pictures you made during the war, have you made
any other pictures, or do you permit pictures to be made at your
studio containing propaganda?

WD: No; we never have. During the war...