Decades after congressional probe, magazine founder’s son apologizes for dad’s role in Hollywood blacklist

After more than half a century, the son of a magazine owner is offering an apology for what he calls  “Hollywood’s Holocaust,” which entangled Tinseltown stars in an investigation into communist activity by lawmakers back in Washington.

In the Nov. 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, W.R. Wilkerson III says he’s sorry for the role his father, Billy Wilkerson, the legendary head of the trade paper, played in the so-called Hollywood blacklist. In a 1946 column, Wilkerson named 11 showbiz workers he claimed were communist sympathizers.

When writers and directors refused to give testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities, they were cited for contempt of Congress and named in the Waldorf Statement, a blacklist issued by the movie studios.

Along with a six-page article by writers Gary Baum and Daniel Miller acknowledging The Hollywood Reporter’s involvement in the blacklist, Wilkerson writes, “On behalf of my family, and particularly my late father, I wish to convey my sincerest apologies and deepest regrets to those who were victimized by this unfortunate incident.”

The Hollywood Reporter is part of Prometheus Global Media. The chairman of Prometheus Global Media is James Finkelstein, who is also chairman of The Hill's parent company, News Communications Inc.