RUSSIA TO-DAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 2, 12 January 1942, Page 6

RUSSIA TO-DAY

A NATION REBORN SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS (By Tliales) (No. 1) j I'll writing this series of articles I do not Avish toi pose as an expert— I'm not —I am merely a farmer with an incidental interest in international politics (who doesn't display sonic interest these days?) one who is of the opinion (having seen the experts confused and confounded in recent! years) that the average man is quite as competent to discuss and interpret the world drama in which he is playing a part, and that he i's as justified in making the same assumptions, (and probably mistakes) as they. There is not one columnist or commentator from Dorothy Thompson to Pertina who lias not had their general conclusions hopelessly contradicted by the turn of events, and we who have followed them faithfully and well have received a series of shocks and .jolts as the great tragedy moves with such rapidity from climax to anti-climax. Why is this, and have they overlooked the more simple elements of the prevailing situation and attempted to become "prophets in armchaiis ? Take Russia: here was a classical example of how we were misled. Ninety-nine per cent of the people have learned more in the last few months than was learned in the previous 25 years about this huge land, round which the world threw a barrier of prejudice and vilification, until Winston Churchill stepped to the microphone, and, in one brief half-hour, succeeded in drawing back the veil, and bringing to our side a new and (as events have since proved) truly great ally. A Chance Experiment

Several years ago, the writer was Involved in a discussion on the subject of the possibility ol' drugs being used to force an accused person to make statements contrary to his conscience (it being his opinion that there was no drug known to science which Avould have this effect) and as a result of the discussion, lie acquired three copies of tlie "Moscow News" a paper printed in English for the English speaking population of Moscow, which contained a voluminous and complete verbatum report of the treason trials, then taking place in Russia.

It will be remembered that the world press greeted these trials with storms of abuse and derisie.n, while the unscientific bogey of "doped prisoners" etc. was written about with complete abandon and most certain! y with an entire disregard ot the true facts.

After wading through all the evidence the journals .contained and being convinced that the chain of circumstances and fact was so completely drawn round the accused, that nothing but full admissions of guilt would avail them anything, the three copies were thrown among the literary junk which most households accumulate, there to remain until early in November, when as a result of a cable appearing in the daily press they were retrieved. A Wartime Interest The cable Avas in the form of a statement by a previous American Ambassador to Moscow, to the effect that the real secret to Russia's successful resistance lay in the fact that Russia's potential fifth column had been liquidated in the treason trials of 1937-88. "And so once more my much battered copies saw the light of day and! truly remarkable documents they are, for they tell with dramatic force how Japan and Nazi Germany tried sabotage, murder, and intrigue, to so weaken Russia's military and political strength, that she would fall an easy victim —of how the froniters were to be left open, and the factories and traffic centres sabotaged—of how they played on the ambitions of minor Soviet officials, so that the nucleus of tin Russian - fifth column was institut-ed--here in fact is a recapitulation

in prophetic Conn of Liu- slraleuy ndopted by the (Jcnnans to weaken Fran.-e.. and which finally bronchi thai country lo its doom. The Encniv Forestalled They a'-<. -'oil ol' Stalin's amaz-ln;-i foresight. and efficiency in c'eansina ilnssla «-f Uu* cJouv nis. which in France. Norway ana' Holland, were it.M)hii. v i)sY l.»r J.' iv.'iiu open lho brid.ues and a'.ic' inthe armies I'' ho crcircicd. "if the I'ii;s'an> are aiethodVa thev a'-e ?(!>•«. p:;t ten?, for it is ev:

have insinuated themselves into the ranks of the conspirators over a period of time, and allowed them sufficient rope to not only hang themselves, but also to enable the Soviet authorities to point with unerring accuracy at German and Japanese diplomacy as. the instigators of the crimes.

There are some splendid cartoons, Avhich although drawn in 1937-38, could well be applied to-day and in every one the swastika figures prominently—one in particular shows the conspirators holding a map of Rusia which they are selling to Hitler and Goering it is captioned "We sell Avliolesale and retail." These cartoons arc well worth seeing as are the journals which at the conclusion of these articles will be left with the "Beacon" where they can be seen by anyone with a genuine interest in the subject. Rudolph Hess "Those still seeking to interpret the reason for Rudolf Hess" visit to Britain will find much food for thought in 'that this gentleman of "parachute" fame, always considered Germany as an expert on Russian affairs, figures prominently in the journal dated February 3, 1937 — here is an extract from the preamble to the sentences on 17 of the accused: "In full conformity with this principle (spying), wrecking and the hastening of a military attackon the U.S.S.A. etc.) —L. Trotsky abroad, and Radek and Sokolnikov in Moscow, entered into negotiations with individual representatives of Germany and Japan. L. Trotsky during negotiations with one of the leaders of the Nazi party of Germany Rudolf Hess, premised in the event of a new Government coming to power as the result of the defeat of the Soviet Union, to make to Germany and Japan, a number of political economic and territorial concessions at the expense of the -U.S.S.R., right up to the ceding of the Ukraine to Germany and the maritime and Amur provinces to Japan." These Russians knew a thing or two about Rudolf Hess—they've got him written up in large black letters —one can imagine them like Ck-eros Soothsayers, who always winked when passing each other in the street —nodding wisely and patiently awaiting the next move in

the same, when tliey heard of how Germany's "bright boy" had landed in such a fascinating manner. so closc to a Duke's mansion in Scotland. It is equally certain that when i Hess was not allowed to travel back to Germany in luxury British and , "Russian diplomacy worked in double j harness. A further extract on Hess. The prosecutor V. Y. Shinsky: \ou spoke with P after he, returned I rom abroad. Sokolnikov; Yes, this was in Germany 1915(5. P told me that Trctskj had negotiated with Hess. In these negoations Hess was authorised to put forward demands relating not only to the German interests but to the interests of one more country (presumably Japan). . Another accused during cross examination has this tci say: Here he told me that he had conducted fairly lengthy negotiations with Hess, deputy chairman of the National Socialist Party. Although the Russian Communists started off with the highly idealistic hope of transforming society over night, it is apparent that they didn't have much faith in their ability to make the same rapid and startling changes in human nature, especially the natures of their own colleagues—but then they had had several historical precedents to justify this pessimism, (after all hadn't Mussolini been a communist in his more hectic youth)—and hadn't Lenin spent a considerable amount of his time writing about the queer ways of Socialists with frustrated ambition (he having the distinction of being the' first writer to place Ramsay McDonald in his true niche in history—so it is not surprising to see standing in the dock two c! Russia's outstanding communists. Bukharin. the leading theorist on philosophy, and Karl Rade.k. their specialist on International affaiis i whose writings on that topic were iknown throughout the world. Lets listen to lladek testifying that in the agreement, (with Hess) there was an undertaking * to ndopt a defeatist, attitude during . Germany's war against the U.S.SR. , !o intensify the subversive activities particularly at enterprise. 1 ? of

] military importance . . . ' I In another portion of the evidence ; there is an interesting ncee.unt bv Radek cf how the frontiers were [<• be left open lo the invaders—.'!!!

of France and the break through at Sedan, however much of the military evidence is for obvious reasons only given during closed sessions.

Such places as Rostov on Don, Tula, etc., are also mentioned but what struck the writer was the devilish ingenuity used by the conspirators, in getting recruits, and in carrying out the murders; there is a particularly poignant part in which it is proved that the Russian fifth column murdered the great writer, Maxim Gorki. Gorki, whose name both as a humanist and author is known throughout tlie world (a town named after him is now in German possession). The reason for his removal is that he wielded great influence over Stalin —in fact much of the social progress in the U.S.S.R is evidently moulded by his vision. In the next article I will tell of*this monstrous crime and of the sinister figure of Yagota, the petty official who stalks through the scene like an Oigre. He is the personfication of deceit, treachery, cunning and homicide. In 'all English literature there is only one character to compare with him—lago in Shakespeare's Othello:.