The Washington times., 1936-07-29
By ARNE STROM


The hall of the railway station
was crowded with ragged, filthy,
patiently waiting peasants. They
looked as if they had been wait
ing for days on end or as if they
had decided to camp Professionally
in the hall and on the platforms.
They were dreadful to look at in
their poverty and misery. What
could be the meaning of it all?
While we were waiting for our
train, we were assailed by several
beggarS. A couple of women car
rying babies in their arms, looked
particularly starved and miser-
able.
When our red-haired guide re-
turned with our tickets a ragged
woman-lean as a rake-Stood in
front of us carrying a wee infant
with an old, serious face. She
pointed to her mouth to make us
understand that she was hungry.
then, pushing back the baby'S
sleeve. she showed us its arm. It
was literally nothing but bone,
over which the skin lay tightly
stretched.
Pushed Her Aside
Our guide pushed her aside
brutally and then told us in a
torrent of words that she, and all
the others who looked like her,
were people who refused to work.
His words sounded to us like a
lesson learned by heart, clumsy
lie, for what mother, yellow, black
white or red, would refuse to
work when there was a question
of saving the life of her child? We
ought not to have been allowed to
witness this scene. The big hall
was crowded with the most
wretched beings. The sight OF
them had been a terrible shock to
us. Was it possible that all these
people refused to work? We
doubted it. 49,,
But why, then, had we been told
this lie?
We were installed in a four
seated compartment, which could
be divided up by a sliding par
tition now pushed back. We were
already rejoicing in the idea that
we were to have it all to our
selves. Just as the train was
starting, however. two men got in.
We tried to protest, but they
proved their right to two Of the
four berths.
They were Germans and both
of them were very kind. When
they drew forward the partition
it became evident that we had
still ample room and we were
sorry we had complained. AS
soon as we had started one of the
Germans knocked on the partition
and asked permission to come in
and talk to us for a little while.
He had Immediately realized that
we were foreigners, but had not
been able to fix our nationality.
Appeared Stark Mad
He gave his name as Berger,
an engineer, and we told him our
name and where we came from,
and that I was a farmer with
special Canadian training as an
expert in poultry. AS time went
on he appeared to us to be mad
stark, staring mad.
It was the most uncanny kind
of madness I had ever come across
for now and then he almost made
me believe what he told me.
Berger already had been two
years in the Soviet Union; he was
now on his way to Stalingrad
where he was to put up some
machinery.
When I asked him what he
thought of Moscow he answered
straight away:
"The old Moscow is wonderful,
but the new Moscow is a lie, q
damned lie!"
] stared at him in wonder.
you don't believe me, of
course. You must find It out
for yourself"
My wife and I exchanged a sur
priSed look at such franknesS from
a total stranger. How on earth
did he dare be so open with us?
Berger went on quite unmoved.
The best thing I could do was
tc send my wife and my child back
to civilized country as soon as
possible, as typhoid, cholera,
venereal disease, and starvation
reigned everywhere, except in the
propaganda centers like Moscow,