Bartley Crum (November 28, 1900 – December 9, 1959) was an American lawyer who became prominent as a member of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, for his book on that experience, and for defending targets of HUAC, particularly the Hollywood Ten and Paul Robeson.

Background

Bartley Cavanaugh Crum was born on November 28, 1900, in Sacramento, California, the son of James Henry Crum and Emma Cavanaugh. He was raised Roman Catholic. According to ex-Popular Front, liberal journalist Sidney Roger, Neylan was the "mastermind" for the shipping industry to break the strikes by convincing Bay area newspapers of a "Communist plot", during which time Crum "became a strong supporter of the longshore union and Harry Bridges". In 1943–1944, Crum sponsored American Youth for Democracy. His book, Behind the Silken Curtain a Personal Account of Anglo-American Diplomacy in Palestine and the Middle East was published by Simon & Schuster in 1947. Israeli State Archives show that on May 11, 1948, Crum visited President Harry S. Truman: "Crum [Bartley Crum] saw President yesterday, returned fairly optimistic." Crum became chairman of the national council of Americans for Haganah, whose director was David Wahl. The ACAL had been accused of socialist and communist connections, which led to the organization, including Crum, coming under close watch by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI tapped Crum's phones, opened his mail, and shadowed him constantly. On July 9, 1946, Crum appeared on a radio program called "What's On Your Mind About Russia?" followed by Crum and Robert W. Kenny, followed by Martin Popper in Washington and Sam Rosenwein in New York.

During pre-hearing preparation, the Nineteen and their lawyers negotiated and agreed to a strategy of unanimity as well as a pledge to cite the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. His daughter recalled:<blockquote>I first learned about the Hollywood blacklist on Nov. 24, 1947. I remember the exact moment. I was standing with my father, Bartley Crum, by a phone booth near Union Square in San Francisco, feeding him nickels and dimes while he made a series of intense phone calls to Dore Schary, who was the head of MGM.<br />

If you're wondering why he had to make those calls from a pay phone, it's because our home phone was bugged by the F.B.I. At that point I was too young to quite grasp the significance of those bugged calls, but I did know that my father had been one of six lawyers who had just defended the Hollywood 10 in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in Washington.</blockquote> She also recorded differences between communist and non-communist lawyers (in which latter camp Crum was), contrary to other accounts of greater unity among lawyers. Also in the 1948 United States presidential election, he supported Harry S. Truman (Democrat) over Thomas E. Dewey (Republican) and Henry A. Wallace (Progressive).

In the 1952 United States presidential election, Crum supported Adlai E. Stevenson (Democrat) over Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican).</blockquote>

Teamsters involvement

In 1958, Crum became involved in a controversy with Jimmy Hoffa, head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ("Teamsters"). He had been trying to collect $210,000 in legal fees from the Teamsters for a client (lawyers represented by Godfrey P. Schmidt). He testified in before the United States Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field. The older, daughter Patricia Bosworth, became first a successful actress and then even more successful writer. In 1997, she wrote a family memoir, Anything Your Little Heart Desires, reminiscing about her father. In 2017, she wrote a second memoir about her father, brother, and husbands, called The Men in My Life: Love and Art in 1950s Manhattan. She died from complications of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

In 1941, Crum moved his family from Berkeley to 763 Bay Street, San Francisco. In 1945, they moved again to 2626 Green Street, San Francisco. In 1948, they moved to New York City, where they lived at several addresses.</blockquote> As of late 1999, Boston University houses many of Crum's papers in the archive of his daughter.

In 2014, Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo (son of Dalton Trumbo) criticized the portrait of Crum by daughter Patricia Bosworth in her memoir Anything Your Little Heart Desires over the issue of "unanimity" demanded among the Nineteen and their lawyers. They argue that Crum must have known about their strategy of unanimity, whereas Bosworth claimed he only learned later. Crum was no "innocent dupe", nor was his client Dmytryk. They support their critique by citing Crum's long-term membership in the National Lawyers Guild, with its strong communist partisans.

Works

Crum's book was the "President's favorite" (referring to Truman). Albert Kahn of the Worker also endorsed the book, as did the New Masses and American Youth for Democracy.

See also

  • Patricia Bosworth
  • Harry Bridges
  • Robert W. Kenny
  • Paul Robeson
  • Hollywood Ten
  • New York Star (1948–1949)

References

  • Critical Past - Kenny and Crum ask HUAC to stop hearings (October 27, 1947)
  • Boston University: [http://archives.bu.edu/finding-aid/finding_aid_121674.pdf]
  • Getty Images: Crum with Anglo-American Committee (January 5, 1946)
  • Getty Images: Crum and Kenny at HUAC Hollywood hearings (October 20, 1947)
  • Getty Images: Crum and Kenny with Hollywood Ten (October 27, 1947)
  • Getty Images: Crum and Kenny with Trumbo (October 28, 1947)
  • Getty Images: Crum with Rita Hayworth (1953)
  • Getty Images: Crum with Richard Haymes (1954)
  • Getty Images: Crum interviewed (1954)
  • Getty Images: Crum at Jewish National Fund Dunam Land dinner (1955)
  • Getty Images: Crum behind Edward Bennett Williams (1959)