The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-05-29
By RAOUL LASZLO-RUDOLF


How did the new Soviet arts
tocracy manage to live the way it
did? 1t seemed puzzling until I
discovered that I had myself
gradually become a member OF
the New BourgeoiSie."
During 1928, my salary was
as high as 275 rubleS a month,
but 1 had a free room at the
hotel, a book Of tickets on the
InSnab-the foreigners store.
But when I returned from my
trip to the Caucasus, I had no
fixed employment, no salary, no
food cards. I had to depend COM
pletely on the open market with
its high prices, and to patronize
open" stores and restaurants
My status had changed, but
strangely enough, not for the
worse. but for the better.
Plenty Of Money
7 was never short of money.
Very often I could afford to in
vite some friends and offer them
a cold supper and drinks. Some
times we spent a pleasant eve
ming at the "Metropol' Hotel. BY
writing articles and making trans
lationS I earned as much as 1000
rubles a month, so I could easily
afford to pay 80 rubles for my
hotel room, to 10 rubleS for q
meal, 2 rubles for a small Loaf OF
bread and IS rubles for kiio OF
butter.
But it was during this period
which, from the point Of view OF
money was the best Of all the 80
months I passed in Soviet Russia,
that felt worse than ever. My
friends began to envy me. A
worker of the Moscow subway re.
ceived 200 rubles, typists earned
ITO, and even the higher IRE
sponsible" employees Of some state
export organization seldom got
more than 800 or 400 rubles.
realized that an abyss was begin
ming to separate me from my
friends. And I saw that this
precipice separated even to a
greater extent the new elite" from
the broad masses.
Equality" Abandoned
I found that the principle OF
equality for which, like myself,
millions had fought and made sac
rifices, were being abandoned. And
I was awaiting, with increasing i'm
patience, the renewal of my pass.
port to leave the U. S. S. R. And
then, one fine morning in De-
cember, 1888, I received a letter
which unexpectedly changed my
plans for another year.
The editor-in-chief of the Ger
man "Rote Zeitung" in Leningrad,
invited me to Become his aSso'
ciate editor. At first, I wanted to
refuse. But when I received a tele'
gram asking me to come imme'
diately, as I was urgently needed,
I determined to try once more.
And on Christmas Eve, 1888, the
express took me to Leningrad:
I had a hearty welcome. Every
thing was done to please me. ]
even got a room on the day OF
my arrival. was offered, salary
of 400 rubles and extra pay for
every article.
Something Was Wrong"
But I could not help noticing
that something was wrong" In
the editorial offices just as in
the printshop, at the clubs, among
the foreign workers and the Rus
sians-everywhere were intrigues
and personal attacks. A young
German Communist who had just
escaped from a concentration
camp and who came to the U. S.
S. R. Full of hope, said to me:
"There is no solidarity here.
1t does not seem at all that the
people are united by q COM
mon idea. One can see it
everywhere, in the little things
and the more important ones.
And the party members-they
don't care o hang for the ideals
they speak Of in the meetings,
If there is the slightest ma
terial or other advantage to be
obtained"
I had long discussions with