Anti-Communist picket the Cultural and Scientific Conference of World Peace. New York.
Unused / unissued material - dates and locations unclear or unknown.
Battle of the pickets. New York in the United States of America.
LS Pickets outside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. MS Pickets carrying placards walking in front of porch of the hotel. MS Pickets. One man carries baby. CU Placard - 'Shostakovitch' Jump through the window. MS Pickets. MS Croatian girls, in national costume, carrying picket placards. MS Catholic women kneeling outside the Hotel. CU Woman, carrying crucifix and counting her rosary, kneeling in street. CU Placard - 'pal Stalin wants peace ' pan down 'piece of every national.' to woman carrying it. LS interior of the Waldorf Astoria with the conference in session.
MS Man at microphone. MS Shostakovitch at microphone. MS Henry Wallace, in audience, applauding. CU Shostakovitch at microphone. LS Rally. MS Shostakovitch on platform bowing. LS Exterior of 'Freedom House' where counter rally is being staged under the auspices of Americans for Intellectual Freedom. CU Banner - 'Freedom House ' which bears the U.N.O. (UNO) insignia. MS People entering Freedom House, which has notice over porch to effect that they carry on spirit of Wendell Willkie's service. LS Interior of Hall showing platform with Chairman Doctor Sydney Hook speaking. Banner at back says - 'One World or None'.
MS Hook speaking in front of placard - 'Freedom of the Mind. MS Audience applauding MS Hook speaking. MS Audience. MS Mrs Oksana Kasenkina, who jumped out of Soviet Consulate last year at mike. CU Mrs Oksana Kasenkina, who jumped out of Soviet Consulate last year, at mike. MS Audience applauding. MS Mrs. Kasenkina on balcony waving to crowd in street. LS Crowds in street. MS Exterior of Madison Square Gardens at night. MS Neon Sign - 'Tonight - World Peace Rally Arts and Sciences Thurs. Basketball'.
Cataloguer's note: Only a small part of this item has sound.
Unknown user says
The event depicted must be "The Scientific and Cultural Conference for World Peace" that was held on March 25 - 27, 1949 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York - a pro-Soviet gathering organized by the Communist Party USA. Stalin sent many prominent artists and scientists, among them Shostakovich. He can be seen on the stage behind the microphone and later playing the piano. There are also, not so spontaneous looking, anti-Soviet and anti-communist protests going on (hence the placards mocking Stalin and even Shostakovich for him taking part in the event). The Croatian protesters demand justice for archbishop Stepinac who, at the time, was imprisoned by Yugoslav government for alleged collaboration with the Nazis during WWII (he was released a couple of years later). Another placard translates from Croatian "Godless communism has captured Croatia, be aware so it doesn't capture America too".