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More oxford books @ www.OxfordeBook.comFore more urdu books visit www.4Urdu.com124FROM NOVELIST TO PHILOSOPHER, 1944–1957propaganda into innocent stories.” Eventually these bits “will act likethe drops of water that split a rock if continued long enough. The rockthey are trying to split is Americanism.” 62 To resist, movie producersand writers must understand that politics flowed from moral premises,Rand wrote. After this assertion, however, she backed away from sweepingstatements, keeping most of her suggestions specific and practical.She opposed any formal movie code but listed thirteen ways to keepmovies free of Communist undertones. Rand told moviemakers toavoid smearing the free enterprise system, industrialists, wealth, or theprofit motive. They should celebrate success and avoid glorifying failureor the common man. Movies should also be careful about using currentevents or criticizing American political institutions.Rand’s “Screen Guide” caught the eye of a congressional committee,the House Un-American Activities Commission (HUAC), whichwas investigating Communist penetration of the movie industry. Thecommittee had begun sniffing out Communists in 1938, and its activitiespicked up steam in the postwar years, eventually resulting in thecelebrated confrontation between the former Communist WhittakerChambers and the accused spy Alger Hiss that riveted the nation. In1947, one year before the Hiss case broke, HUAC was just starting itsfirst high-profile investigation, a probe into the political associations offamous actors, directors, and screenwriters.Rand was eager to help. At HUAC’s request she arranged her next tripeast so that she could stop in Washington to appear as a friendly witness.Unlike most witnesses who were subpoenaed to testify about theirpast Communist associations, Rand took the stand willingly. After a fewperfunctory remarks about her background, she launched into an attackon Song of Russia, a syrupy romance filmed at the height of America’swartime alliance with the Soviet Union. Her testimony gained notorietywhen she told the committee that the movie was propaganda because itshowed too many Russians smiling. “Doesn’t anybody smile in Russiaanymore?” a congressman queried. “Well, if you ask me literally, prettymuch no,” Rand responded, drawing laughter from the audience. 63What is most striking about the testimony, however, is how slowRand was to understand that Song of Russia was not Communist propaganda,but American propaganda about a wartime ally. When GeorgiaRepresentative John Stevens Boyd questioned her about this, Rand