Drugs and 1940s Hollywood

In the early to mid-1940s Hollywood suffered a number of high-profile drug scandals, including those involving drummer Gene Krupa and actor Robert Mitchum.

Anslinger met with major studio heads, including Louis B. Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, concerning Hollywood actors with drug problems, as well as the appropriate portrayal of the topic of drugs in films. It was during this era that the Motion Picture Production Code banned drug use in movies unrelated to the plot.

Anslinger's active role earned him a small, but apt, part in To the Ends of the Earth. He played himself as the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) commissioner.

First and foremost, Anslinger was an administrator. Responsible for overseeing the work of agents and support staff across the United States and the enforcement operations and accounting practices they employed, he was a no-nonsense boss. The letter to the right cites a total of $16.50 in mislabeled evidence over four different cases. Throughout the time that Anslinger ran the FBN (1930–1962), the Bureau never employed more than 400 agents.

Anslinger also actively corresponded with contacts around the world. From reporters to congressmen, corporate titans to foreign government leaders, he wrote to countless individuals over the course of his long career. A large collection of Anslinger’s official correspondence is part of the holdings at the Pennsylvania State University’s Paterno Library.

When the United Nations established the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 1946, Anslinger was an obvious candidate to serve as the first representative of the United States. His dedication to drug law enforcement and existing relationships with international leaders prepared him well for the appointment. The Commission still exists today and has the power to influence drug control policy by deciding how various substances will be controlled by U.N. member countries.