Paramount Officials and Sergei Eisenstein to Ignore Deportation Threat, Anti-semitic Attack

B. P. Schulberg, general manager of the West Coast productions of the Paramount Publix Corporation, in the absence of Jesse Lasky, issued a statement today to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency relative to the threat issued by Major Frank Pease, president of the Hollywood Technical Directors’ Institute, against the noted Russian film director, Sergei M. Eisenstein.

The statement, which is a reply to Major Pease’s telegram to Mr. Lasky which threatened deportation action against Eisenstein and contained a thinly veiled anti-Semitic attack on Jewish leaders for not having cautioned the Jewish executives of the Paramount Company against bringing Eisenstein here, indicated that the Paramount organization did not care to enter into any controversy on the subject nor to make any move recognizing Major Pease or the organization he represents.

Mr. Schullberg said that he had seen Major Pease’s telegram to Mr. Lasky and declared that the only motive in engaging Mr. Eisenstein was his outstanding ability as a creative artist. Mr. Schulberg stated that he could not see where any other matter from any other angle could interest either the Paramount people or Mr. Eisenstein.

When seen by the correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mr. Eisenstein expressed ignorance of Major Pease’s telegram. Pressed as to whether he intended to reply to it in any way he said he would completely ignore it. He did say that it “was interesting that the telegram should take a Jewish angle. In that regard it happened that my grandfather did not want to remain a Jew any longer, so that leaves me out.”