Eric Johnston

Eric Allen Johnston was a prominent American business leader and Republican Party activist who served as president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 until his death in 1963. During his tenure, he convened a pivotal closed-door meeting of film executives at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1947, which resulted in the Waldorf Statement and contributed to the Hollywood blacklist. Johnston also played a role in gradually liberalizing the Motion Picture Production Code. In addition to his work with the MPAA, he was president of the United States Chamber of Commerce and served as a special projects administrator and envoy for both Democratic and Republican administrations.