“Not for the column. The news page.”
“Really. Just for me. And to what do I owe the favor?”
“I want something from you.”
“I’ll bet.”
“It’ll be worth it. One drink. You’ll want to hear it.”
“What did you mean about Ken?”
“That’s what we’re going to talk about.”
“He’s a friend of mine.”
“Polly.”
She looked at him. “What’s this all about?”
“Six thirty. You pick the place. You don’t want the story, at least you get the drink. I could give it to Kelly but I figure you could make a bigger noise. A hundred twenty-three papers.”
“A hundred twenty-seven.”
“On the other hand, he could use a break. He’s lucky he’s still got a job there, working for you on the sly. Not very nice of you.”
She narrowed her eyes, enjoying this. “Well, I’m not. Very nice.”
“That’s why I thought of you.”
Lasner was already seated at the witness table when Ben got to the hearing room. This time the lawyers sat behind, not flanking him, a subtle shift to suggest that he wasn’t on trial, as Schaeffer had been, just there for a friendly exchange. Minot started with a formal appreciation for Lasner’s giving up his valuable time to help the committee, implying that he’d offered to come, no subpoenas necessary. The approach was courteous, Minot’s way of signaling to the other studio heads what to expect, his conciliatory tone something their people would notice and report back. Nobody was out to get anybody—they were, after all, on the same side.
“Now, Mr. Lasner, you are the president of Continental Pictures. How long have you held that title?”
“Since nineteen fifteen. I started the company.”
“And before that it was Mesa Pictures?”
“That was one. There were a few others. We combined them to make Continental.”
“I see. So a mighty oak from several acorns, not just one.” He smiled, either at the line itself or Lasner’s obvious confusion over it.
“You could say that.”
“And how long have you lived in this country?”
“How long? All my life.”
“Well, not quite all your life.”
“Since I was a kid.”
“And before that? Where were you born?”
“Poland.”
Minot looked at a paper. “Yes, except then it wasn’t Poland, was it, where you were. It was part of Russia. From what I hear in Washington, it’s going that way again. Hard to keep them out.” This as an aside to the committee, but pitched to the audience. “So you were born in Russia.”
Lasner sat up straighter, his eyes now fixed on Minot. “We thought of it as Poland.”
“But not officially. And after you left Russia you came here and became a U.S. citizen?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And worked your way to the position you have now. A great American story.”
“It’s a great country,” Lasner said.
“And may I ask your religion?”
Lasner glared back at one of the lawyers, a can-he-ask-this? expression. “I don’t practice a religion,” he said.
“But you believe in God, I hope. Your parents, then. What religion were they?”
Lasner looked at him steadily for a minute, an assessment. “Hebrew.”
“Hebrew.”
“That’s right. Why do you ask?”
Minot leaned forward, as if he hadn’t heard. “What?”
“Why do you ask? Is this strictly a curiosity question or are you saying—”
“I’m not saying anything, Mr. Lasner, just trying to establish your background for the committee.
“I thought we were here to discuss Communists.”
One of the lawyers touched his back, the way you pat a horse to slow down.
“Indeed we are. Now if you don’t mind, let me ask the questions.”
“I don’t mind. That’s what you’re here for. But maybe I can save us both some time. You’re a busy man. So am I. I didn’t know Milt Schaeffer was a Communist when we hired him for Convoy. As a matter of fact, from what we heard here yesterday, he wasn’t, so I’m not sure what this is about.”
“He had been, Mr. Lasner. I’m sure you remember that testimony, too.”
“You mean it’s like having diabetes—once you get it, it never goes away?”
There was some laughter at this and Minot tried to ride with it.
“Mr. Lasner is known for being a colorful figure in the industry,” he said to the audience, then looked back to the witness table. “But I know he agrees these are serious matters. You say you didn’t know Mr. Schaeffer had been a member of the Communist Party. But you did hire him to direct a Russian-themed picture, is that correct?”