Evening star., 1938-03-04

Charges in the current MoscoD
trial against four physicians. one
OF uhom died before the start of
the trial, are discussed here by the
man accused as the instipator OF
the alleged conspiracy against the
Stain regime. The former Sopiet
mdr lord. co-lender NTH Lenin in
the Russian revolution, mas eriled
b9 Stain after a struggle for su-
premdcy that folloWed Lenins
death.
BY LEON TROTZKY.
MEXICO CITY. March 4 (N.A.NA).
-Four physicians are accused of hav-
Ing assassinated two Soviet func-
tionaries, Valerian V. Kuibeshev and
Vyacheslav Menzhinsky. and the
writer, Maxim Gorky. Until now. it
uas believed that these three people
had died of natural causes; Menz-
hinsky and Gorky had been ill for
many years. Their death certificates
were signed by half dozen luminaries
of Soviet medicine. The corpses were
cremated. On what hook then, can
the accusations be hung? 1t is ap-
parent they again depend on "volun-
tary confessions"
l personally remember we'll two of
the physician terrorists.' L. G. Levin
and D. D. Pletnyev. They were the
ofticlal physicians of the government
since the first years of the revolution.
The two Others l. NJ Kazakov and
DR.. Vinogradov, I recall only by their
names. All four, as physicians, could
not conceivably dream of attaining
posts higher than they held. None of
them ever attempted to take any part
In political activity.
The accusations become even more
inexplicable if we consider the three
supposed victims of terror.
Kuibeshev Often Shifted.
Kuibeshev. though he dwelt upon
the Soviet Olympus, was never con-
sidered by any one a parsonage in his
own right. He was transferred from
of all trades. He enjoyed no authority
in the party.
Menzhinsky, already then gravely i'll.
became the head OF the G. P. U. in 1927
following the death of DjerZhinski.
The individual in the G. P U. who en-
toyed Stains confidence for the
carrying out of the more secret of
missions was in reality Henry G..
Yaeoda. But since Yagoda also one
of the present accused. was held in
general merited contempt. the sick
Menzhinsky was appointed as blind
for Yagoda's activities. Often at gov
ernment sessions Menzhinsky would lie
Frustrated. with countenance con-
tracted in pain. His death occurred
not sooner but later than was ex-
pected. Why, in the name of reason,
was it necessary to poison him?
The most astonishing fact of all,
however, is the inclusion Of Maxim
Gorky's name in the list of those
'assassinated.' AS writer and a
man he enjoyed the widest possible
sympathy. At no time was he q po-
litical figure. A victim of tuberculosis
from youth, he was forced to live in
the Crimea. Afterward in Fascist
Italy, precisely because of the purely
literary character of his activity, he
met with no difficulties from MuSso-
linis police. In his last years Gorky
again lived in the Crimea. Since he
was compassionate to the troubles of
others and easily influenced, the G.
F. U. surrounded him with veritable
ring of agents under the guise of sec
retaries. whose task 1t was not to per-
NIT undesirable visitors near him.
What sense was there in the assassina-
ton of this sick writer at time when
he was 81 years old?
Hints OrdjOnikidze Poisoned.
Immediately following the arrest of
DR.. Levin, chief of the Kremlin Hos
pital. information appeared in the
foreign press to the effect that DR..
Levin himself had been the first to
state that the death of Ordlonikidze
might have been due to poisoning An
extremely remarkable fact! DR.. Levin
suspected the G P. U. of having
poisoned Ordjonikidze some months
before the G. P U. accused him of
having poisoned Kuibishev, Menzhin-
sky and Gorky.
Previously, none of the names of
the other three physicians was con-
nected with this affair But It is very
plausible that conversations On the
cause of Ordionikidze's death should
take place precisely among the ply
sicians of the Kremlin. This was
more than sufficient cause for ar
rests. The arrests, in turr, became |
the point Of departure for the ANAL
gam" created.
The reply of the G. P. U. was SIM
pie: so you suspect that Ordjonikidze !
was poisoned? We suspect you of
having poisoned Kuibishev, Men,
zhinsky and Gorky. Confess! You
will not? Then we will execute you
Immediately. But if you should con-
fess that the poisoning was accom-
plished on orders from Bukharin,
Rykov or Trotzky-why, then, you
may hope for leniency."
All this may seem incredible, but
incredibility is the very essence of
the Moscow trials. Such trials are
possible only in the completely pois-
oned atmosphere under the heavy, |
tightly-screwed-dow lid of the tctali-