Credit for Courage

Although he did not write the screenplay for “Broken Arrow,” it is appropriate that my grandfather, Michael Blankfort, should receive credit for the courage it took to put his career and character on the line (“Mending ‘Broken Arrow,’ ” Calendar, June 29).

But it is unfortunate that the article furthers the myth that he was a “friendly witness” to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The hearing transcript clearly shows that he was outraged by the committee’s assault on individual freedoms and that he testified only to register his protest.

If Larry Ceplair feels that in order to combat the injustices that occurred during the McCarthy era he must uncover the true blacklisted writers of the time and point an accusing finger at their fronts, then he is turning the issue onto the writers, blaming the persecuted and not the persecutors.

SARAH BLANKFORT

CLOTHIER

Los Angeles