The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-05-25
LIFE IN RUSSIA
D|S|LLUS|ONS
COMMUNIST
Continued from Page II


speak Russian fluently. saw fac
tories and collective farms. l
worked in political organizations,
in Soviet editorial offices, in Com
munists propaganda institutions.
1 took an active part in the politl.
cal and social life Of the Soviet
Union, and became acquainted
with practically all spheres Of
Soviet life.
With beating heart I started,
upon my arrival on the morning
of September 16 to explore Soviet
life. I must stress that I did not
expect to find q paradise. I had
read enough about the backward
state of TsariSt Russia and Of the
devaStationS Of the revolution and
the civil war. I knew q number Of
Russians in Berlin and Paris who
told me that many things were
lacking in the U. s. s. r., that sac
rifices had to be made. I under
stood that the heavy industry had
to be developed first in order to
be able to build the light industry
afterwar, which would provide the
population with everything neces-
Sary.
Exports Necessary
And finally I knew that in
order to pay for the enormous
imports of machinery and raw
material, wheat, cattle, butter and
eggs had to be exported and that
the import Of clothing, linen and
boots, and other commodities had
to be stopped.
Still, I was startled at the
somewhat too "proletarian" at
tire Of the people in the streets,
of the immense queues in front
of the stores, at the impossible
ity Of obtaining the most ele-
mentary and most indispensable
things.
But I was told that the Rus
sian workers and peasants were
willingly making these sacrifices
in order to build up brilliant
future, a socialist country of
which the working masses of the
capitalist countries would never
dare to dream.
Slowly, became accustomed to
these difficulties. And my as
constituent gave way to sincere
enthusiasm. I saw nurseries and
hospitals, rest homes, workers
clubs, clinics, new schools,
I was shown statistics about
the liquidation Of illiteracy, about
the benefits Of social insurance,
and a lot Of other things. After
Leningrad, I saw Moscow, the
new buildings, the social institu-
tions.
Soon after this, I accompanied
foreign workers delegation to
the Urals and to the Volga. I saw
the gigantic plant of "Uralmash-
Stroi" in construction at Sverd-
lovsk, I saw the tractor plant of
Tcheliabinsk, the new city of Mag
netogarsk and the blast-furnaces
in the Siberian steppes, then COL
lective farms on the banks of the
Volga.
Workers Wanted
Everywhere, workers were
wanted and I could not help think
ing Of increasing unemployment in
the capitalist countries. Finally, I
saw the big demonstration of the
Red Army and one million work
ers of the Red Square of Moscow
on the anniversary of the Soviet
revolution.
Under the influence of these i'm
pressions which followed one an
other at breathlesS speed, wrote
a little book, Fifteen Workers
Delegates in the U.S.S.R.", which
was published in the German Ian
guage by the Foreign Workers
Cooperative Publishing Society of
Moscow early in 1882. Nobody had
dictated it's contents to me.
The extremely severe double cen
sorship, that of the Communist
International and the ordinary
Soviet censor who controls every.
thing before it can go to print, did
not alter word, did not find any.
thing to object to.
Works for Council
I had described the situation as
I had understood things then
Only much later did discover
that I had only seen the surface
of the things and that nobody
travelling as a delegate, could
Judge of the real situation Of the
U. S. S. R. while being carefully
directed toward what he should
see and kept away from anything
that might awaken doubts in him
Upon my return from my trip
I was invited to work at the