Editing Edward G. Robinson (section)

==Political activism==
During the 1930s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of [[fascism]] and [[Nazism]], donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949. He was host to the ''Committee of 56,'' which gathered at his home on December 9, 1938, signing a "Declaration of Democratic Independence," which called for a boycott of all German-made products.<ref name="SRoss99">Ross, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=N4TMYCIt5ywC&pg=PA99 99–102]</ref> After the [[Operation Barbarossa|Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union]], while he was not a supporter of [[Communism]], he appeared at Soviet war relief rallies in order to give moral aid to America's new ally, which he said could join "together in their hatred of Hitlerism".<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|107}}

Although he attempted to enlist in the military when the United States formally entered World War II, he was unable to do so because of his age;<ref name="Wise"/> instead, the [[Office of War Information]] appointed him as a Special Representative based in London.<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|106}} From there, taking advantage of his multilingual skills, he delivered radio addresses in over six languages to European countries that had fallen under [[German-occupied Europe|Nazi domination]].<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|106}} His talent as a radio speaker in the U.S. had previously been recognized by the [[American Legion]], which had given him an award for his "outstanding contribution to [[Americanism (ideology)|Americanism]] through his stirring patriotic appeals".<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|106}} Robinson was also an active member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, serving on its executive board in 1944, during which time he became an "enthusiastic" campaigner for Roosevelt's [[1944 Democratic National Convention|reelection]] that same year.<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|107}} During the 1940s, Robinson also contributed to the [[cultural diplomacy]] initiatives of Roosevelt's [[Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs]] in support of [[Pan-Americanism]] through his broadcasts to South America on the [[CBS]] "Cadena de las Américas" radio network.<ref name="books.google.com"/>

In early July 1944, less than a month after the [[Invasion of Normandy]] by Allied forces, Robinson traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the [[USO]].<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|106}}<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4kmRTZrgMQ] video of Robinson with the troops in France, timestamp 25:50</ref> He personally donated $100,000 (equal to ${{Inflation|US|100000|1944|fmt=c}} today) to the USO.<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|107}} After returning to the U.S., he continued his active involvement in the war effort by going to shipyards and defense plants in order to inspire workers, in addition to appearing at rallies in order to help sell [[war bonds]].<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|107}}

After the war ended, Robinson publicly spoke out in support of [[Civil and political rights|democratic rights]] for all Americans, especially in demanding equality for [[African Americans|Black]] workers in the workplace. He endorsed the [[Fair Employment Practices Commission]]'s call to end workplace discrimination.<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|109}} Black leaders praised him as "one of the great friends of the Negro and a great advocator of Democracy".<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|109}} Robinson also campaigned for the civil rights of African Americans, helping many to overcome [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregation]] and [[Racism in the United States|discrimination]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i9lBP_ObhRkC&q=Edward+G.+Robinson+African+American+civil+rights&pg=PA213|title=The Way We Really Were: The Golden State in the Second Great War|last=Lotchin|first=Roger W.|date=2000|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=9780252068195|language=en}}</ref>

During the years when Robinson spoke out against fascism and Nazism, he was not a supporter of Communism, but he did not criticize the [[Soviet Union]], which he saw as an ally against [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]. However, the film historian Steven J. Ross observes "activists who attacked Hitler without simultaneously attacking [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] were vilified by [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] critics as either Communists, Communist dupes, or, at best, as [[Naivety|naive]] [[Liberalism in the United States|liberal]] dupes."<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|128}} In addition, Robinson learned that 11 out of the more than 850 charities and groups that he had helped over the previous decade were listed as Communist front organizations by the FBI.<ref>Miller, Frank. ''Leading Men'', Chronicle Books and TCM (2006) p. 185</ref> As a result, he was called to testify in front of the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] (HUAC) in 1950 and 1952, and he was also threatened with [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklisting]].<ref name=sabin-35>Sabin, Arthur J. ''In Calmer Times: The Supreme Court and Red Monday'', p. 35. Philadelphia: [[University of Pennsylvania]] Press, 1999</ref>

As shown in the full [https://archive.org/stream/communistinfiltr07unit/communistinfiltr07unit_djvu.txt House Un-American Activities Committee transcript] for April 30, 1952, Robinson repudiated some of the organizations that he had belonged to in the 1930s and 1940s.<ref name=sabin-35/><ref>Bud and Ruth Schultz, ''It Did Happen Here: Recollections of Political Repression in America'', p. 113. Berkeley: [[University of California Press]], 1989.</ref> and stated that he felt he had been duped or made use of unawares "by the sinister forces who were members, and probably in important positions in these [front] organizations."<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|121}} When asked whom he personally knew who might have "duped" him, he replied, "Well, you had [[Albert Maltz]], and you have [[Dalton Trumbo]], and you have ... [[John Howard Lawson]]. I knew [[Frank Tuttle]]. I didn't know [Edward] [[Edward Dmytryk|Dmytryk]] at all. There are the Buchmans, that I know, Sidney Buchman and all that sort of thing. It never entered my mind that any of these people were Communists."<ref>https://archive.org/stream/communistinfiltr07unit/communistinfiltr07unit_djvu.txt House Un-American Activities Committee transcript</ref> Despite accusing these persons of being duplicitous towards him about their political aims, Robinson never directly accused anyone of being a Communist. His own name was cleared, but in the aftermath, his career noticeably suffered; he was offered smaller roles infrequently. In October 1952, he wrote an article titled "How the Reds made a Sucker Out of Me", and it was published in the ''American Legion Magazine.''<ref>Ross, Stephen J. "Little Caesar and the McCarthyist Mob", ''USC Trojan Magazine''. Los Angeles: University of Southern California, August 2011 issue. Accessed on January 10, 2013. {{cite web |url=http://tfm.usc.edu/autumn-2011/little-caesar-and-the-mccarthyist-mob |title=Little Caesar and the McCarthyist Mob &#124; Autumn 2011 &#124; Trojan Family Magazine &#124; USC |access-date=January 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527111522/http://tfm.usc.edu/autumn-2011/little-caesar-and-the-mccarthyist-mob |archive-date=May 27, 2013}}</ref> The chair of the committee, [[Francis E. Walter]], told Robinson at the end of his testimonies that the Committee "never had any evidence presented to indicate that you were anything more than a very choice sucker."<ref name="SRoss91"/>{{rp|122}}