Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-03-03
RUSSIA REVISITED
BY EDDY GILMORE
-Associated Press Staff Writer

knocks on my door at 2 O'Clock
IN the morning." said Architect
Alexander A. Podkhutov, II nc
longer automatically reach
under my bed for my Siberian
travelling clothes"
With a wide smile showing
three gold teeth. he added:
Nowadays I know that
knock In the middle Of the
night is not the secret police,
but probably one Of my neigh
bors who being a little tipsy-
has lost his way home from
a party"
Mr. Podkhutov knew the un-
speakable terror intimately.
Arrested in l94e, he spent
10 months in the most dreaded
place In Moscow. the Lubianka
Prison, before being moved to
q labor camp in the Arctic.
Il must apologize for my
face,r he explained. But a
human face win take only so
much beating"
The right side Of his face
was lopsided and too full, but
the left side sagged badly,
like Q collapsed football. And
his eyes were the opposite Of
being crossed. They looked out
from his tortured face In OPP
posite directions.
Tan. dark and shapely, with
eyes Of a rare pale violet color,
Film Ecriptwriter Maria A. Ra-
kova also felt the icy arm OF
police terror.
Big Bad Wolf Is Gone
She-was arrested in 1s47 and.
after 10 days in the Lubianka
she realized she was going to
have a baby. Finally, after days
Of interrogation and worse. she
was given q five year sentence.
II can't remember whom ]
was supposed to be spying for.
the Americans or the British"
she said. her beautiful face
completely drained Of express
sion." I confessed, Of course.
and was sent to q labor camp
for five years.
MY baby was born in the
camp" her chilling recital con-
tinued. "She died. My poor hus-
band = you remember him.
don't you?-well, he received
Is years and, well, 1t was too
much for him. He managed to
hang himself"
She shuddered, took a quick
sip Of wine and stared out
across old Manezhnaya Square
to the Kremlin looming behind
its crenelated walls.
mo" said Maria. @We RUS
slams aren't afraid Of the big
bad wolf any more because
there isn't any big bad wolf
any more"
She didn't mention Premier
Nikita s. Khrushchev by name
for there wasn't any need to
1t was obvious whom she
meant as she went on:
IAN / want out Of life is to
keep on living as I'm living
now and, and" her voice was
loaded with feeling as she
looked at the Kremlin again
and said:
Il hope he goes on living for
another 100 years."
These we're two old friends.
Muscovites I'd last seen IA or
is years ago. I talked to dozens
more like them. In their homes
or IN my hotel.
I'd sought them out. or
they'd found me, for the old
Moscow grapevine is still one
Of Russia's most efficient
means Of communication.
Many Victims Rehabilitated
These Russians and thous-
ands Of others falsely accused
and sentenced under Stain
were liberated in waves after
the dictator's death.
Old party member and
armed forces officers were
freed first. Then came the
great mass of ordinary citizens.
They told me the same story
-of being returned to their
home towns. given priority In
getting q new room or apart
ment and q Job.
They were given cash with
which TO buy new clothes
furniture and food 10 start
them off In their new lives.
Not q single meeting ] had
with these or any other Soviet
citizens was arranged BY Soviet
authorities.
The Intourist (Soviet travel
agency for foreigners, and foi
Soviets visiting foreign coun-
tries) official said with con-
siderable exaggeration:
you know Moscow as vel
as we do, 50 you won't need
a guide. And, as you speak
Russian. you won't need an In
terpreter."
So my wife and I have beer
on our own since arriving herG
Jan. "a.
Every citizen with whom
talked-and there were score
OF them-agreed that the starl
terror Of Stain and his polic'
henchman. the late but un'
lamented L. p. Beria. has gone.
One man advanced TN
gloomy view that he was ap'
prehensive lest the swinging
pendulum OF the party lint
would sweep back to q modern
sort OF repression.
But n II does come, II won
be as bad as In Stains time,
he said.
Repression still Feared
/ asked what he based Thu
on and he replied:
IF the Communist Party %
which I'm a member is 10 re-