The Washington times., 1935-11-16
KIN. RANSOM
WRITER IN
SOVIET
Article III
By MICHAEL BURsTEIN

Plan IN S0DteL Russia uHu
Formerly a Commander IN
the Red Army.
The Soviet government ex-
acts a ransom from those of
its few citizens who are able
to leave Russia. AS a general
rule, no subject of the Stain
dictatorship is permitted to
emigrate from that free"
proletarian homeland for any
of the "enslaved" capitalist
countries.
I was ransomed from the
workers fatherland -
through the efforts of my
brother, a carpenter of Brook
lyn, N. Y. The price of my
freedom was $463. That was
the fee set by the Soviet au-
thorities for my exit visa and
foreign passport.
The amount collected by the
Communist regime in return for
nv release from my native coun'
try was low. 1 was metal worker,
I had a good record in the RED
army, l had distinguished myself
as a shock brigadier on the labor
front.
Exceptional Case
Yet my deliverance from slaV'
cry was and remains an eXcep-
fional case. Few Americans real,
ize that the Soviet government is
50 fond of its people that it does
not permit them to leave Russia.
No government in the world
has a prohibitive foreign passport
charge such as that OF the Com
munist regime. The ransom var
les according to the social origin
Of the emigrant, and may be as
high as $4,000 per head.
NY social origin and status
were proletarian. Born in 1895
in the district of BreSt-LitovSk, 1
was called to serve in the Cars
army at the age of 19 upon the
outbreak of the World War. From
1914 until 1884, for 20 years, I
was tossed about from war to
revolution, from fire to famine.
My parents were left with two
other children when I was mob
ilized into the army. In my ab-
sence, my birthplace became a
battlefield. The Russians, while
retreating before the advancing
Germans, razed all the buildings
and our house went up in flames.
My parents, with their little ones,
became refugees exposed to hun
ger and cold. I lost all contact
with them. They did not know
whether I was dead or alive.
Parents Perish
My father and mother periShed.
and the two orphans, my brother
and sister, were eventually, in
1920, brought over to the United
States by relatives. My brother
learned the carpentry trade in
America.
In the meantime the revolution
had broken out. I was an ardent
follower of Lenin and TrotSky.
When I was demobilized, I quickly
Joined the newly-formed Red
krmy.
1 was wounded several times in
the battles against the White
armies led by the various czariSt
generals, and was raised to the
rank of Red commander.
fought against Denikin, Yude-
mitch, and Koltchak, and also
served on the Archangel front
against the British and American
expeditionary forces.
Released From Army
When the civil war in Russia
came to a close, was released
from the Red army.
MY brother in America finally
succeeded in 1922 in establishing
connections with me by CORE
spondence through friends and
kinsmen. We correSponded over
q period of years.
DCCdLIlC q OON1CV WOIh IVY
brother was an American work
ingman. My sister was an office
worker in New York. When the
depression struck America, my
brother fell under the spell of
the StaliniSt propaganda about
the grand life in Soviet Russia.
He and my sister took a good
part of their savings in 1888 and
came over to visit me in Lenin-
grad.
NV brother and sister were
shocked at the condition in which
they found me. And yet was one
of the most fortunate Soviet work
ers. My sister voiced her views
of the Stain system so freely
that I was afraid for the safety
Of all of us. They left for the
United States within a few weeks,
vowing to do everything within
their power to rescue me.
Upon their return to New York,
they appealed to the Hebrew I'M
migrant Aid Society to intervene
in my case and to obtain for me
permission to leave Soviet Russia
and come to the United States.
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