Evening star., 1922-03-21
MILLIONS MORE
TO DIE IN RUSSIA
H. W. TruesdeIl Declares
Peak of Famine Has Not. !
Yet Been Reached.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Due perhaps to the variety of sub
.Jects discussed, 1t is not surprising
that a number of errors appeared in
your article published March 1t in
regard to my years sojourn in
Russia.
should be glad to correct the
statement that 1.-The people in the
famine region are subsisting on black
bread. handful of cooked grain,
weak soup and sugarless tea" Those
were not my words and the state
ment would be preposterous. What
1 did say was that last spring I
lived on a daily ration of one pound
Of black bread. a spoonful of cooked
grain. weak soup and sugarless tea"
People outside Of the famine region
live on such rations.
Duty Of Americans to Give.
In the famine regions the people
straw or leaves and on bark of trees
Duds. etc, and die in countless num-
bers for lack of food. The peak of
this disaster has not been reached
ana during the spring, millions will
die. Americans should give and give
freely. For Americans to give is not
charity. but merely an attempt at
reparation. 1t must be remembered
with shame that the American gov
ernment spent millions of dollars to
finance all the counter revolutionary
pirates in waging war against the
Russian people. Only the exhaustion
of the Russian people resulting from
the blockade has caused this crop
failure to develop into one Of the
worst catastrophes of history. Even
"a dc h~{1 ,j,t>
food must be carried to these starv-
ing millions were wrecked by Ameri-
can explosives. When the books are
closed 1t will be found that America
Will have still 4 balance on the side
of guilt and crime.
Soviet Rule Well Supported.
In regard to the present Russian
government. I stated not that there Is
little chance of its downfall. but that
there is no chance whatever of its
Petrograd to the Black sea and have
talked with people from all parts of
Russia, and am convinced that the
great mass of the Russian people are
supporting the soviet government. 1t
has survived three years of the most
trying warfare waged against it by the
entire capitalist world and has driven
every invading army out of Russia. 1t
is at present in complete control of
1suSSAd duu Is pcTlSCt
order.
Let me say most emphatically that
there is more order and safety for the
citizens and less crime in Moscow and
! Petrograd than in any major American
city. At present the government is
stronger and better organized than at
any previous time and is steadily de-
veloping greater efficiency in its
functions.
Want Closer Contact With L. s.
I should like to qualify likewise
the statement in regard to the atti-
tude Of Russians toward Americans
and America as totally misrepresent-
ing the idea which 1 intended to con-
vey. They do not consider this ma
tion the criterion and example" Of
liberty and freedom. but know that
America is a capitalist country whose
institutions and conditions they would
not wish to establish in Russia. On
the other hand, they respect and ad-
mire the enterprise and efficiency Of
Americans and try to learn every
thing they can from Americans in the
way of business and industrial ef-
ficiency. Certainly they show: the
greatest warmth. and good will to-
ward us and express the desire for
greater contact with US. At present
they are very anxious that American
enterprise shall enter Russia and help
them to develop their mining and in
dustrial resources.
H. W. TRCESDELL.