Evening star., 1953-04-03

Robson also sang a beautiful
lullaby, but mostly his program
consisted of a series of more
topical songs closer to the party
line-bitter ballads about the ex-
ploitation of the working classes
discrimination against Negroes
in America.
Although he sang in English
for the most part, he himself
would often introduce and ex-
plain his songs in Russian. His
Russian was extremely good, al
though his soft Negro accent
made the language sound even
stranger than usual.
In Russia Paul Robson is an
international hero, and a play
built around him has been run
ming on the Moscow stage for
two seasons now. The title of
the play is John, Soldier of
Peace" Why they do not call
Robson "Robeson" in the cast
of characters I do not know, but
any way his name is given as
John Robertson" with the note
that he is a Negro singer.
The whole purpose of the play
is to show how the Negroes in
America suffer and in what
Squalor they live. The plot con-
Germs the efforts of the Ameri-
can authorities to keep Robert
son from singing at a concert
at St. Peters Mill (read Peeks-
kilD. ...
American gangsters are also
involved in this plot and a minor
theme concerns the plight OF
American workers who are on
strike. Also prominent in the
cast of characters are several
Americans who have seen the
light" and are working as local
members of "PartiSanS Of Peace
Committees" --
The sets are extremely real
istic, particularly those showing
the slum quarters of the Ne
groes in New York. In contrast
to the squalor of these dirty
courtyards is the fancy New
York apartment of Robertson
and his wife Mary. Mary is al
ways dressed in an elaborate
evening dress and quite often
caresses a large photograph OF
Stain which stands on the
grand piano in their palatial
living room.
In the play Robertson sings,
among other things, Casey
Jones" and "Old Man River.
The Russian who takes the part
has a fine voice and in COM
parison with the other actors,
his performance is convincing
and, at times, moving.
April %, 1852
In the two hours between
and IS this afternoon I had an
extraordinary experience. 7 at
tended a session of a peoples
court. I watched the Soviet
legal process in action; and ]
watched a Soviet citizen suffer.
Hardly any Americans here take
advantage of such a wonderful
opportunity to see and hear Rus
sia in the raw. Actually, it was
Simple-I just walked in.
The scene is a dark, musty
building at No. 10 Sretenka
street, in the middle of Moscow.
On entering the dirty, lightless
hallway, the first thing I notice
are several "No Smoking
Penalty" signs, and the first
thing I notice after that are
several Russians sitting on set
tees under the signs, smoking.
Climbing the unpainted, brok-
en-down stairway, arrive on
the second floor. AS I worm my
way through the spectators
standing in the entrance, I see
that the room is packed with
people. and with tension. The
state prosecutor is making his
final charge.
The accused sits alone, mo-
tionless. I see that the latter
is bedraggled. bleary-eyed man.
with a blotchy face, and with
his hair cut short. His skull
looks like a rat skin. Fomin--
that. I find, is the name of the
patheUic-looking little man sit
ting in the prisoners dock in
front of me-has been accused
of embezzlement.
In the words of the prosecu-
tor, Fomin, who previously had
served as a storekeeper of a fac
tory restaurant and cafeteria,
pilfered $4,000 rubles of state
funds. For this alleged crime
the prosecutor asks the court
to sentence the accused to 10
years of deprivation of liberty"
During all of this, the CLAM
our-girl stenographer in her red
blouse sits at her table in the
corner, paying little attention to
what is going on, and writing
hardly at all. From time to
time she dips her pen into the
inkwell. very slowly and very
deliberately. A few minutes
later she repeats this operation.
At this point the case becomes
a hit cOmDlicated. ADparentlv