Evening star., 1943-05-16

have misunderstood him; we talked
through an Interpreter; but that was
my impression.
1t is difficult to overestimate the harm
this Communist party has done to hui
man emancipation in the past third Of
a century. Everywhere reaction has
been only too glad to subsidize It's at
tack on all honest progressive move
ments.
The editor, of the Labour Monthly,
to whom in the first instance I sd-
dressed these comments, refused to
print them, although he had invited
my opinion on the Communist partv
Voite-face when the British became tie
allies OF Russia. I said I should pub
llsh them elsewhere He changed his
mind, published them and replied at
considerable length.
He admitted the inspiration that
Fabian and Utopian socialism has been
to progressive thinking, he acknowledged
the generosity with which we construc-
tive Liberalism spite of the almost in
tolerable campaign of the Communists
against liberal socialist discussion-have
insisted upon free expression for such
publications as his own and the Daily
Worker, and then he relapsed into
incoherence and quoted Marx, Lenin
and so forth, as pious old lady will
quote the Holy Scriptures to confute
sceptic.
Held Communism to Re Kew.
The gist of it was that it is abso-
lutely wrong for any one to have any
opinion whatever about or to forward
any policy for, world regeneration, ex-
cept under Communist party orders.
1t is ridiculous for the party to pre-
tend that it intends to cooperate with
the various British worker organizations
in progressive social revolution. It
invades them to capture" them for
the good of the party.
Now how far is this Communist party
stuff to be identified with Russia, and
how far may we hope to reckon pres
emily with a finer. wiser, creative Rus
sia in the liberation of new world
order? I want to believe in a new Rus
sia which will carry on beyond the great
experiment of 1917, just as I want
Britain and France to play part in
the world rebirth, worthy of their for
mer prestige. I believe in wishful think
ing when it goes on to wishful action.
But there are things that jar with my
wishfu thinking
The Soviet Ambassador, Ivan Maisky,
In London has been a friend of mine
since long before the ARGOS raid He
was originally Menshevik who went
over to. the Bolsheviks, and at times We
would meet and he would listen dis
creetly but without manifest disapproval
to the criticisms I made of the Russian
regime. I felt that so far as foreign
relations were concerned, the U. S. S,
r. was not getting on with the world
revolution fast enough. Russia, under
the isolating influence of the party, was
failing to cooperate intelligently with
the elements in Western life most SYM
pathetic with her ostensible aims.
With the entry of Russia into the war
as our ally, and particularly as the
Russian resistance showed it's astonish-
ing stoutness and quality, there was
great reaction on the part of the Brit
ish ruling and propertied classes to-
ward Bolshevism. 1t was not a COM
pliment to the revolutionary integrity
OF Russia that an ostentatious turnover
occurred. A socially brilliant crowd con-
verged upon the Russian Embassy,
Even those once outspoken anti-Bolshe-
viks who did not go subsidized into
silence. Nothing had been too bad for
Russia and now nothing, they declared,
could be too good. I do not think
Maisky handled the new situation as
effectively as he might have done.
Not Bred Diplomatist.
He was not bred to be a diplomatist.
He had scientific and medical training,
and just as We put L for Learner on auto
mobiles driven by unpracticed hands, so
I would be disposed to put large L over
the portals of 13 Kensington Palace Gar
dens Russian Embassy. That is no
insult to him. Every scientific society,
every scientific worker, would cheerfully
put L over the door.
I work almost all my time now to
hoist that modest and strenuous letter
over all the world. A scientific education
incapacitates a man for diplomacy, and
the representative of the greatest ex-
pertinent in living the world has ever
made might very we'll set new pattern
in international relations under L as
its symbol. I see no real advantage to
Russia and mankind for Maisky, with
his comparative innocence of Western
sophistications. to play diplomacy at the
British working masses at the present
time. I do not believe he would toe the
Communist party line so accurately
without specific instructions from Mos
COW to this effect, and this fills ME with
concern.
The other day little affair brought
out his acquiescence in the idea that it
is possible to ram Communist party
policy down the throats of the shrewd
and obdurate working class Of England.
There was proposal to produce Maxim
Gorkis play, THE Lower Depths" in
England. The authorities, acting upon
some sort of understanding about propa.
ganda, referred to Maisky for his assent.
He refused it. At that time that very
play was being produced in Moscow!
was incredulous and wrote him to ask
If this was true. 1t was true. It was
being kept back from British audience!
Apt to this discussion of this Russian
queerness comes little penny pamphlet
issued by the Independent Labour party,
the work of MIR. Tom Taylor, to whom
think every one interested in our future