Fake ‘memoirs’ are latest
of cold war literature’

By TOM FOLEY

Time-Life’s publication of the
so-called “memoirs” of former
Soviet premier Nikita Khrush-
chev is another incident in a
long literary “cold war,” the or-
igins of which perhaps go back
to the fake “testament” or will
of Peter the Great, which pur-
ports to be a Tsarist Russian
plan to conquer the world.

Modern scholarship has shown
that this “testament” actually
originated among bitterly anti-
Russian circles of Polish emi-
gres in 1812, and was used by
Napoleon to try to win general
European approval for his at-
tack on Russia in that same
year, After Napoleon’s defeat, it
was utilized by the British in
their imperialist rivalry with
Tsarist Russia. It sometimes
shows up in anti-Soviet propa-
ganda today. ~

Undoubtedly, millions of peo-
ple believed that Tsarist Russia
was “striving to gain warm-
water ports on the Persian Gulf”
as part of the fiendish plan laid
out.in Tsar Peter’s “testament,”
and this belief made the fraud
politically very valuable.

Of course, Tsarist Russia: was
aggressive and imperialist, but
there is not the slightest evi-
dence that it was pursuing any
plan to become a Persian Gulf
maritime power, or a maritime
power anywhere else for that
matter. It was so weak in its
home waters of the Baltic and
Black Seas that all its efforts
were devoted to trying to keep
these waters closed to strong
sea powers.

Modern times have seen a
great escalation in the use of
this kind of political warfare
literary material. There was the
famous “Zinoviev letter’ which
was allegedly picked up by Brit-
ish intelligence in 1924 and leak-
ed to the press under highly sus-
picious circumstances. It was
supposed to be a letter from
Grigory Zinoviev, then head of
the Communist International, to
the Communist Party of Great

Britain, telling them to prepare
for the impending revolution.
The letter was published right
in the middle of an election
campaign and touched off a
“Red scare” which contributed
to the defeat of Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald’s Labor gov-
ernment.

It was only a few years ago
that the widow of the Russian
emigre who forged the ‘“‘Zinoviev
letter” in Berlin gave a few de-
tails on how it was produced.

Starving, penniless emigres
can be expected to go to des-
perate lengths to earn a little
money, but this is not the real
political crime involved in the
“Zinoviev letter.” The real crime
was giving it to the press in the
middle of a hard-fought election
campaign, knowing what the
probable result would be. Few
members of British Intelligence
voted Labor in 1924, one can be
fairly sure.

Perhaps the dirtiest literary
fraud of all was the so-called
“memoirs” of former Soviet
Foreign Minister Maxim Litvi-
nov. These were published. in
1955 under the title, “Notes for
a Journal,” and were supposed
to be a diary Litvinov kept,
1930-50. In it, gossip alternates
with vile stories about all the
Soviet leading figures of the
time (a characteristic of these
works).

Critics noted that the gossip
by its very nature was impos-
sible to verify and therefore
could have been made up with-
out difficulty. Other things in
the “Notes” could be found in
published works. The author
seemed strangely unfamiliar with
the Soviet diplomatic service
after the 1929 period, when a
number of important changes
were made in it.

Khrushchev’s alleged memoirs
will probably sell like hot cakes,
which may substantiate a cynic-
al remark in the “Notes” of Lit-
vinov-Bessedovsky: “There is
no limit to human stupidity.
Those who want to be cheated,
do not see that they are.”

|
a TE ae a rae hoe oe ET

U.S. lawyer on USSR:

Anti-Semitism smear baseless

By S. RABINOVICH
(Novosti Press Agency)

Eugene Bayer, attorney at law,
and his wife, from Cleveland,
Ohio, U.S.A., spent 23 days in
the Soviet Union. I first met
them at the editorial offices of
the Jewish-language magazine
Sovetish Heimland. That was at
the very start of their tour of
the country. Mr. Bayer asked me
to describe the position of Jews
in the Soviet Union.

“You see,” he said, ‘“‘we in the
States hear all manner of rumors
about your life. I would like to
know the truth: how do things
stand in reality?” .

. I suggested to Mr. Bayer:

“Begin by talking with our
Jews first. And the main thing,
don’t feel shy: ask about what-
ever you are interested in.”

That settled the matter.

The guests from the U.S.A.
visited Kiev, Odessa, Sochi and
Leningrad. We met again in
Moscow, Now I did the asking.

“What are your impressions
of the trip across Soviet cities?”

Here is what Mr. Bayer told
me:

“My wife and myself, are in
the Soviet Union for the first
time. What we have been able
to see has surpassed all our ex-
pectations. Houses are being
built everywhere for large
masses of people, and every-
where concern is shown for the
the welfare of people, their in-
tellectual and physical develop-
ment. We stood by the hour in
busy streets of Kiev and Odessa
watching passers-by. They were
well dressed, tastefully, many
even with chic, according to the
latest fashion. But most. impor-
tant, all wore expressions on
their faces that usually disting-
uish well-to-do people, secure
and content with their status in
society.”

“Did you meet any Jews?”

“Certainly, we had many
meetings. In the streets, in the
home where we were invited

Dear Friends,

South East Asia.

Rast.

CHAIRMAN: Dr. James Endicott

Therefore we must continue the struggle.
imperialism is meeting resistance everywhere, at home and abroad.
received the three leading liberation fighters of the Portugese colonies.
a change in Europe which may indeed be the beginning of a new period of history.

Christmas Appeal )

CANADIAN PEACE CONGRESS

This year the Canadian Government, as if to compensate for its postal troubles -
and ours - has come up with the idea, of ten special Christmas stamps, each one
showing a child's idea of Christmas.

Unfortunately the world in which we are struggling for peace is no child's
idea of Christmas. This year the world will spend nearly $200,000,000 on armaments
and preparations for war. The biggest and most terrible terrorists in the world, the
U.S. B52 bombers, continue to bring death and destruction to countless villages in

On the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter, countries representing
nearly one-third of the world's people are still excluded. The colonial wars of
liberation continue, especially in Southern Africa.
There can be no real basis for peace anywhere until the arms race is stopped.

Your contribution in the past years has made it possible for us to carry on.
We need your help more than ever - inflation has made our work more expensive Too!.

om may

Vice CHAIRMAN: Mrs. Eva Sanderson

SEND.YOUR DONATION TO: P.O. BOX 218 + STATION Q * TORONTO 7 x 651-5550

There is no peace in the Middle

We are slowly winning.

American
The Pope has
There is

PACIFIC FRIBUNECSPRIDAY DECEMBER 119708 HEE 19 187

warmly, in the theatre, during
concerts and also at synagogues
at the latest religious holidays.
My friends in America told me
before my departure: ‘No one
will talk with you sincerely. All
are afraid there.’ I can tell you

now: this is utterly absurd!
Everywhere people talked with
us frankly, withholding nothing.
In Leningrad, outside the syna-
gogue, there was a large crowd
gathered before the holiday ser-
vice. We found ourselves in its
midst, Interrupting one another,
the Jews readily replied to my
questions.

“How are you? No one both-
ers you?” I asked an elderly
woman. ‘Why should one bother
us? Are we worse than others?’
she wondered. ‘My husband was
killed in the war. I was left
with two small girls. It was. not
easy, of course, But with help
from the state I gave them an
education: both graduated from
a university and work in their
own fields.’

A girl in an elegant wine-
colored coat nearby remarked:
I. am a student. Among my
‘friends and boys I know there
are quite a few Jewish students
—he who is not lazy studies.
And nothing has to be paid.
What is more, we get state sti-
pends throughout the time of
studies.’

“I asked a middle-aged man:
‘Do you not intend by any
chance to go to Israel?’ He re-
plied rather excitedly: ‘Is it bad
for me here? Thank God, one can
live here.’ “Our country is the
Soviet Union. We are going ‘to
go nowhere. Tell this in America,
let them not bother about us,
we have asked no one,’ said a
man of about thirty. Everyone
supported him. Only one elderly
Jew said: ‘I am going to Israel
to my brother. Not for ever.
Only to visit. Let only peace be
established there.’

“Yt must say,” said Mr. Bayer,
“that I put this question to many
people in Kiev, Odessa, Lenin-
grad and Moscow. As a rule I
always got a negative answer.
Jews in the Soviet Union simply
laugh over the call to resettle
in Israel.

“In Leningrad,” continued Mr.
Bayer, “I met by chance Zalman
Levin, an institute instructor.
A son of a community tailor, 40
or so years ago he came to that
city to seek happiness. And he
found it. He graduated from the
university, became a_ professor
and is settled in life. In a frank
conversation with him I asked:
did he know facts of Jewish: dis-
crimination in the Soviet Union?
‘No, I don’t know of any,’ he
replied firmly. ‘Here is an ex-

‘ample -out of my life. Several

Passing all exams with excellet!
marks, she was admitted. Bul
some of her girl friends, inclu”;
ing Russians, did not get ther
Why? Because their standards
of training were insufficient
The point is that a firm know!
edge is required when enteriNt
a higher educational establish
ment. National origin plays ™
role.’ Zalman Levin named mally
Leningrad Jews who hold high
posts in industry, state appa!”
tus and in research and educt
tional institutions.

“We were also lucky in Odes
sa. One evening we came to *
restaurant. There was a-Jewis!
wedding celebrated in the # |
joining hall. We were noticed
and to our joy invited to
table. There were many gues
— not*fewer than a hundret
The festivities lasted well inl?)
the night. Russian, Jewish 2%
Ukrainian songs were sunb
There was no end to dances. 4
got acquainted with many: a!
had heart-to-heart talks WwW!
them. At the wedding I saw 4
other proof that Jews are equ@
citizens of their country and tha
they can stand up for thea
selves and do not need ‘the 2!
of those benefactors who hold
in the States all sorts of nois)
demonstrations, meetings 4°
the like.

“At home,” the American 4 |
torney goes on to say, “I heaf
more than once that Jewish Cu”
ture in the Soviet Union is su?
pressed. This is as far ff0
truth as the sky from the groun® |
In Odessa I entered a booksh0? |
in the city centre and asked !
a loud voice: ‘Can I buy somé
Jewish books?’ ‘If you pleas®
came the answer and I was
fered a selection of books
Jewish authors published receal”
ly in Yiddish and in a Russia!
translation. I bought Jewis
books in Kiev and in Moscow
At the editorial offices of Soviet
ish Heimland I learned that ?
new six-volume edition of Sh
lom-Aleikhem’s works has bee? |
undertaken in Moscow. In dif /
ferent cities of the country Jew
ish drama and variety group’
and individual performers 4P
pear with concerts and produG —
tions.” f

“How do you appraise occ
sional anti-Soviet campaigns ™ |
the United States of AmeriC?
connected with the problem % |
Soviet Jews?” I asked Mr. Bay’
er: fi
“Seeing things as they are z f
the U.S.S.R., I grew convinc® —
once again that these campaigt®
have no ground whatever. I co™
demn them most categorically:
It is not only that the life
Soviet Jews is presented in ?
crooked mirror. All these cal
paigns are insulting above all rf .

of

Soviet Jews and do harm to :
strengthening of friendship b&
tween the American and Soviet ©
peoples, the cause of worl? -
peace.” & q
“What is your attitude to thé
Jewish Defense League?”
“The Jewish Defense League
is our shameful stain. Dece?
Americans treat this gang °

_rowdies with repugnance. Its 8¢

tions have been sharply denoun®
ed by many Wewish organiza
tions of the U/S§&. and a num
ber of wellknown Americ”
rabbis. The Jewish Defen
League conducts an unbridled >
anti-Soviet campaign, : resortiNd —
to the dirtiest tricks of a fasci§
nature.” Be &