Evening star., 1932-04-29
By Gable to The Star.

BY Gable to The Star.
ISTANBUL, April 2o-Leon Trotsky,
Russian revolutionist, living in exile on
the tiny Island of Prinkipo, one hours
sail across the Sea Of Marmora from
here, today expressed his fear of a war
in the Far East involving Russia; his
lack of faith IN the Disarmament Con-
ference at Geneva; his feeling that the
capitalist world is heading for a
paroxysm of destruction as result of
the economic crisis, and his hope some
day to return to Russia.
Trotsky lcokc1 extremely well and
much younger than his years. He was
in high spirits and furiously at work
giving the last touches to the second
volume Of his history of the Russian
revolution, the first part Ct which has
appeared in New York. He hopes, how
ever, soon to go abroad for three
month rest cure.
Questions were submitted to Trotsky
in writing and he drew up document
answering them in Russian. His secFe-
tary came to the Prtnkipo pier and, sit
ting in a dazzling sun before one Of
the most gorgeous sights in the world
an Atolian shore curving toward Istan-
bul Bay-helped translate the answers
out Of Russian into French and then
into English.
Trotsky Checks Translation.
Then Trotsky received his interviewer
at his villa overlooking the sea, drench-
ed with the odor of lilacs and mimosa,
to inspect the English version. His
desk was overwhelmed with an ava
lanche of papers. With eager and
chuckling laughter, he whisked through
dictionaries to check up on the trans
lation, to get the exact English equiv
alents of Russian words. He speaks
very little English, but knows the Ian
guage and his French and German are
excellent His skin is as pink as a
baby's and his hands are extremely well
cared for, glisteningly clean, and his
bristly, aggressive hair now is gray, but
abundant.
The text of the interview. as ap-
proved verbatim by Trotsky, is as fol-
lows:
What are your views on the world
economic crisis?"
The fundamental cause Of the world
economic crisis is determined by the
single word, capitalism The excep-
tional character of the crisis is ex-
planned by a second word, imperial
ism'-that Is to say monopolistic capi-
talisrn. torn by competition and without
a productive outlet. The rise and col
lapse of Ivan Kreuger is symbolic of the
whole of modern capitalism. Retrfbu-
ton came to the king of matches in
the form Of moral lightning late
Kreuger should have been able to say,
Why have ! been permitted to control
immeaSureable creative forces which
should have served society as whole p !"
System Must Change.
"Will the capitalist system survive the
present crisis?"
THE reply to this question depends
on what is understood by the crisis.
The history of capitalism Is a series Of
fluctuations within big cycles In the
preceding epoch the general curve
Now it descends. Thio does
not .precltde upward fluctuations harC-
after within the orbit Of the descend
ing curve; indeed 'tfiev are inevitable.
But the present acute crisis can be
attenuated only for the duration Of the
next scycle-fairly imminent-to be
followed by a paroxysm even more
acute. The whole extremely diseased
process can be ended only by a change
In the entire social system"
do you expect any Success from the
Disarmament Conference?"
None whatever And I am not In
this respect an exception to the gen
eral opinion. This feeling is exemph-