Ar. Erciurnory. No, we don*t look into the content of them at all. If they are found objectionable and the anthorities tell us they are objectionable, we won't distribute them.
Mr. Beaser. In other words, you wail for a case under the obscenity statutes?
Mr. Eiermtors. Yes, we don't hold ourselves up as censors.
Mr. Beaser. You will send ont anything wuitil the obscenity statutes are violated, then you will yo to the publisher and tell him you will no lonver carry the obscene publication although you will stall carry his material ?
Mr. Kretrnorn. Yes.
Mr. Beaser. In relationship to your dealer what choice has the dealer got as far as crime and horror comics?
Mur. Ercnnorn, Te can refuse to take anything we send him, If he vets something that he doesn't want, he can unmediately send it back. If he feels he does not want to handle any future copies of that par- ticular title all he has to cto is tell us he wants no more of X, Y, or Z magazine in the future and he won't get them.
Mr. Beaser. That isa sclected lst he haz?
Mr, Ercuttorn. He can take whatever he wants.
Mr. Beaser. What was the occasion for this letter to your agents? Ilad there been complaints abont the fact that dealers were “being forced to take what they did not want ?
Mr. Enrcunorn. No. It was the fact that these various organiza- tions areund the country were putting on campaigns to eliminate comics that they felt were harmful to their children, things of that kind. Not because of dealers refusing to get stuff they didn’t want.
Mr. Beaser. Are you concerned at all as to the effects on children which some of the crime and horror comics which you are distyibuting may have?
Mr. Ercrmrorx. Naturally we don’t want to put out anvihing that is going to be harmful if we can avoid it. We can’t hold onrsel ves up as censors.
Mr. Beaser. Well, you actually do when you refuse to ¢ Se some magazines which you have in the past. refused, have you not? Yon have refused to distribute certain magazines in the past /
Mr. Excurorn. Yes.
Mr. Beaser. At that point you do act as a censor ?
Mr. Fictions. When we first take it on, yes, but after we take ona line, then we expect that prblisher will continue to give us the same type of magazine thet we have agreed to distribute,
Mr. Beaser. Have you bad in the past complaints abort a particn- lar crime and horrer comic, a particular one, I mean, rather than generalized 4
Mr. Ercunorn. Yes.
Mr. Beaser. Which ones have you had complaints from ?
Mr. Excrrnorn. I wouldn't kuow offhand. 1 would be in a partie- ular city, somebody would complain about a particular title. Tt wonld not bea thing al! over the country.
Mr. Beaser. Have you as a result of that dropped the carrying of any crime or horvor comics
Mr. Eiemiorn. Yes, we in certain cities won’t put ont particular magazines that have been complained of.
