"MISSION TO MOSCOW"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 72, 11 May 1945, Page 4

"MISSION TO MOSCOW"

household no matter liow humble that did not live in terror of nocturnal visits of secret police to take off members ol* the family to be shot without trial or never to be heard of again;—GO per cent of the. Communist Party (comprising some four! millions) were liquidated. Davies. isi a witness to what he saw in. Russia—a reign of terror. He thanked God such a system did not. exist in America. Davies opinions on international affairs are net evidence —they are merely his opinions, and American opinions like their ideas on the British Commonwealth, have always, been completely unrelated to facts. Davies' "references to international affairs are merely a collection of Soviet statements and we should know by now that it is impossible to rcconcilc Soviet high sounding motives and intentions with Soviet actions. The happenings in Warsaw of August 1944 —the recent imprisonment of a Polish diplomatic delegation and the farcical role played by Molitoif in San Francisco can only heap further humiliation on Mr Davies and make him regret that he ever allowed his book to be used for such a stupidly false propaganda film. Yours etc., J. T. McBETH.

Sir,—Your correspondent Mr W. H. Le}- writes that all should see the film 'Mission to Moscow' but people should also understand that the lilm j produced by two Communists, is a complete distortion of the book 'Mission to Moscow' written by Ambassador Davies; so much that when Davies took a Hying trip to Moscow to give a private screening of the .film to Stalin and the press correspondents in M;oscow in 1944, Davies was considerably embararssed. Quentin Reynolds who saw the screening tells the story to the discredit of Davies. In reply to Reynolds question as to whether the film would be exhibited iiji Russia the Soviet censor said "'^No" —the Russian part would have t«p be altered for obviously the Russian people would not be able to Recognise themselves. j Davies made a good joli of his book. His mission to Moscow as he states was twofold—to collect the Kercasky debt owing to -America and to restore amicable relations between Russia and America\ His problem was to tell the wttfrld the truth about Russia and at same time to avoid nullifying his j mission. He adopted the strategy <{jf overstating and dwelling at length / 011 the high purpose£--a'nd ideals and then slipping jAi and passing , over quickly statements of fact which nullified all/ his laudatory statements. For instance he dwells at great length o,'n the 'Trials' as fair and then states they were a great piece of political showiiftanship and they were nothing moire than part of a terrible political purge to remove all opposition to Stalin., He ;