Evening star., 1950-10-15

ASPSoVcNAS 4A WIG SSAA ~ "a SAAS
story.
A psychopath named Nat Mason
is shutting through the snow on
Third avenue in New York, brood
ing over an imagined insult and a
fancied threat to his safety and
life. He lives in a shabby little
fiat and sells vermin exterminator
which he carries in a paSteboard
suitcase and peddles door to door,
often gaining entrance by posing
as an inspector from the health
department. This girl called Jill
Hillside-he got into her apart
ment by his subterfuge and she
caught on to him and ordered him
out. He has to kill her. Its
her or me-" But first, his tortured
mind decides, he must warn her.
But he'll play it smart. He'll send
death threats not only to her, but
to several other customers whose
names he has copied down from
their mail boxes. And sign the
notes Ned Marlowe," a name on
his list. This will confuse them
thoroughly. So he scrawls out the
letters and mails them.
The Threatened.
From here on the threads OF
the story branch out, going from
one threatened person to another.
Ned Marlowe turns out to be an
artist who illustrates comic
books. jill is his girl. Then
there Is Boris, who edits q new
sort Of news magazine. And his
girl, q night club entertainer.
There are, too, Chambrun. an i'm
migrant citizen who has an an
tique business and is suspicious
Of all Americans; Albert, who has
descended from English respecta-
bility to panhandling and the
chronic haze of a vino; Mike
Conlon, a small-time bookie, and
several others who don't receive
letters, but are on the fringes Of
the action. Most Of those in
volved are strangers to one an
other.
The author has probed these
characters, sketching their prob
lens and showing in particular
the effect of the threatening let
ters on each. Meanwhile, Nat Ma
son sets out to make good his
threat against the girl, for it is
no bluff The story's threads are
drawn together until they meet
in an unexpected climax.
The narrative covers a cross
section of New York. The method
has it's disadvantages. Character
must be drawn in miniature, and
the result is more like a related
series of short stories. And yet
Mr.. BRANDED has carried out his
scheme with skill and understand
ing.
BY Nicola sinevirsky. (HoH;;
S2.75.J
The iron curtain might as well
have been made of cellulose. It's
massiveness and thickness have
not prevented any number of
persons from slipping under or
around it to the free world to
describe in books the horrors that
go on behind it. Many of these
impromptu authors undoubtedly
have told the literal truth; others,
hopeful of achieving best sellers,
may have given their imaginations
carte blanche.
"Smersh" sounds as if it were
factual in every detail. The author
gives every evidence of painstak-
ing determination to spare no one
and exaggerate nothing. Even
the occasional awkwardness of the
writing indicates sincerity.
"Smersh" is a contraction of two
Russian words which mean death
to spies" 1t is the popular COR
unpopular) name of Stains
counterespionage service. Mr..
Sinevirsky is native of a little
country which never has had
clear identity of its own. 1t has
been known variously as Trans
Carpathia. Carpatho- Ukraine and
by other names. 1t was ruled by
Hungarians for a thousand years.
After World War I it was ceded to
Czechoslovakia. Eventually Russia
took 1T over. While there is a
strong racial kinship to the Rus
slams, there is much opposition
among Carpathians to the Soviet
rule. The author belonged to an
anti-Soviet underground. After
enlisting in the partisians, in
the closing days of World War II,
he was drafted, because of his
education and ability as a linguist,
into "Smersh." For seven months
he served the counterintelligence
group as an interpreter. He was
in constant fear that his under
ground connection would be dis
covered.
AS the Russians drove the Ger
mans and Hungarians into their
final dissolution, "Smersh" jumped
into the liberated" towns, spread
ing brutality and terror. The So
Wet CO was harder on repatriated
Russians than on Germans and
Nazi collaborationists. All Rus