Page 12 — P. A. Features, March 10 R. A. Davies Answers W. Whit a HE MARCH issue of SOVIET RussIA To- DAY features an article by Raymond Arthur Davies in answer to Wm. L. White's “Report on the Russians’ scheduled for publication in March, which has appeared in part in READER’S DIGEST. Mr. Davies has recently re- turned from a year in the USSR, as correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Tsansradio News and the Toronto weekly, SATURDAY NIGHT. His _ article in part follows: Dear Bill: z I read your article with great interest. After all, you and [ were both so close to death during that harrowing German - air raid on the American air- base in Russia that I suppose we have a right to speak pretty freely to one another. I re- member how rather shaken you loked when you turned up af- ter the raid, your natty wuni- form torn to shreds by ~splin- ters, your hat almost carved in two. Do you remember Bill, how in the very midst of the raid, with bombs coming down one after another, aircraft blazing everywhere and Nazi “butter- fly” mines littering the field, the Russians blocked off the field, prevented American air- men from going to their ma- chines and instead sent their own fire fighting squads made up of women? many Russian girls were killed saving American machines as American airmen. You were there, Bill, you knew of this— all of us talked of it after the raid—and yet your article makes no mention of this hero- ism. That was only one incident of your five weeks in Russia and my year. [I thought at the time that you saw the Rus- sians as most of us correspon- dents saw them, a brave peo- ple, not without shortcomings, going towards victory through incredible sufferings and un- dergoing privations for the sake of the freedom of their country. We saw neither para- dise nor hell in Russia, but af- ter reading your incredible “re- port” I am driven to conclude that you didn’t see Russia at all. fs You know Bill, I think your dad, one of America‘s great ex- penents of liberty, must be restless in the beyond reading your words. s How blind your are Bill. You write that in Moscow you walked through “wide incred- ibly muddy streets, sidewalks full of hurrying shabby people walking past the dingy shops in dilapidated buildings.” You write, “It takes me a week to figure out that what is missing is competition, that, “It is a matter of indifference to the government whether the pub- lic chooses to buy its socks or sausages at one drab govern- ment bureau or at a similar one down the street.” What nonsense. Everybody knows what is missing in Russia; it is production of civilian consump- Ten times as — tion gods. These consumption goods are missing because all production has been turned to the needs of war. If our own United States and Canada had had a third of our industrial énterprises ruined by the war, more than a third of the population living under enemy occupa- tion, more than a tenth of the population in the army, and one tenth killed, would lack of competition be re- sponsible for the absence of consumption goods? You say, “Until Brie John- ston has been in Moscow for a while he can’t conceive how closely these reporters are held down; how seldom they are al- lowed to leaye Moscow; how little they see or hear.” Now all of tthe correspondents in “poorly dressed,’ “poor ma- terial” such frightening words. Why do you stress this so much? fs it to awaken American sympathy for the struggles of the Russian people for survival? Or is it to cast aspersion upon the Russian past, the years since the Re- volution on which you blame “malnutrition which brought bad bones structure. Speak to any anthropologist and he will tell you that the Slavs and Mongols are generally squat- ter than the Anglo-Saxons, and that the Huropeans are gener- ally shorter than the Amer- icans. Yes, years of the Amer. ican high standard of living have told in the health and gen- eral aspect of our people. Russians have never reached _the Standard of living of the A Russian medical officer, left, examines a prisoner liberated from a German death camp at Oswiencim. Moscow including myself com- plain that they don’t see or hear enough; nevertheless in all justice the record must be set down. I came to Moscow in January 1944. I was taken to Smolensk two days after I ar- rived. In February I was in Leningrad. In April m Odessa, in May in Romania. Then in Minsl, Vitebsk, Lublin, Tal- linn. You remember Bill, dur- ing your stay in Russia, there were times ‘when correspon- dents refused to go out of town because there was too much®to do in Moscow. The Russians’ “shabby” clothes have become an ob- session with you. And yet you know that the Russians have been at war for more than three years, and preparing for this war for many more. Tf too have seen materials from which Russian clothes are made. The quality is good, but they don’t have the shiny doodads that our designers add to women’s dresses to make them more beautiful and striking. The Russians have a great deal to learn from us and I think they want to learn. But the reason they have not learned is be- cause they were so engrossed in making guns that they never did get to the finer details of living. Beginning with “shabby” you become entranced with the word “poor.” ‘Poorly fed,” the Russians Americans, but they were well on their way when the war cut short their efforts. You seem to suffer great pangs of pity for the ‘under- fed audience of about five thousand waiting for ten min- utes while (you) dallied with your second piece of chocolate layer pastry and that last sip of champagne. Well, I have been in Tchaikowsky Hall many times and it only seats 2500 to begin with, and secondly how did you know that the audience was underfed? We know that have restricted their diet to bare essentials so that they may concentrate on War production and feeding the army. haps the whole Tchaikowsky Hall audience might have been underfed. But during your visit in 1944? T hardly think so. You say that the entire out- put of one company that makes automobiles in Russia goes to the privileged class. More words. There are three plants in Russia producing automo- biles but their total production is absorbed by the army, war industry and agriculture. The time has not yet come when private citizens can get priori- ties high enough to buy a car. What about America at war, Bill? The would-be sistance of your piece de re- story, Bill, The In 1942 and 1943 per-- sems to be the tale of “the NKVD_ plain clothes man who is always with us” who “firm- ly’ put a hand on the shoulder of a young director “with whom you talked and who wanted to go on talking. Now I don’t doubt that there are NKVD men about wherever foreigners move around Russian war -plants and in the war zone. I hear the FBI follows the same procedure in the United States. But {£ think that in the rather varied experience of the whole War correspondents corps in Moscow during the past year we have neyer seen such a thing ‘happen as you describe. We’ve always had NKVD men with us on our trips. But on these trips we could speak to anyone we wanted, except that our guides didn’t like us to -wander off by ourselves which always annoyed me no end, al- though this was obviously a measure of protection for us— we were often in areas newly liberated from the Germans and one could never tell wheth- er a spy or saboteur left be- hind mightn’t try to take a pot shot at the correspondents. You compare Russia and the Lansing Penitentiary. This is vile. Your father would not like this, Bill. You suggest that Russia is a prison. Russia is no prison. Russia~hasn’t our System, our democracy. But in her own way she is a demo- eracy for her people. That’s what they fight to maintain and extend. Would you say that the Russian doctors you praised, musicians, the soldiers and generals who kill so many Germans are prisoners? More words. Would Hitler open this prison’s doors? You say that the Russian leaders are not pleased with the wave of internationalism Continued from Pace 11 ‘Many Sons’ for whe future? overwhelming numbers, men in industry, in the service and in the professions have de- clared their desire to do work outside the home, if jobs are available, that is, within the framework of full employment for all who are willing to work. women wo- This is a cause for rejoicing for which the victorious ending of this war the struggles of the people for a better life are not yet over. Canada moves for- ward, enormously strengthened by victory to the battle for secial seeurity in which all de- meocratie forces must be joined. The larger the number of wo- men employed the closer the connection is established be tween all women and the labor movement, the more decisive is labor’s role in the wining of security. The larger th num- br of women active in union auxiliaries, in community ac- tivities and in political cam- paigns, the mightier are the forces released for social pro- gress. ike the heroic woman in No Greater Love, the women of Canada “have many sons.” They are eager to prepare the way for Canada’s young citi- zens. This kind of activity, and good feeling towards # western. world among fh’ people. This is not true. One constantly impressed by the q_ sire of Russian leaders to fc e ter good will between the: selves and the Allies. Some of your facts are Gog eyed. You say, “You see ah lutely no man between 16 a 40 at the factory benches.” T is just silly. Thousands ¢ be seen in any large plant. You say, “The average Ry Sian doctor has less train than a good American nurse More nonsense. The marvel Ae it is that the Russians ha doctors enough to care their enormous casualties, 7 return to the front 90 perce; _ “of the wounded, to prevent ou breaks of epidemics. to ove come the terrible diseases i heritance of German oceup: tion. Wntrained doctors cou) not have done this. Pag speak louder than calummnies, You made things difficult . for us correspondents by you biased superficial story, you. neglect of fact. You came, guest to Russia, supposedly = objective student. But you d not see Russia at all. Perhay you did not seek to see it. No the Russians will také to di trusting us because of whi you have done and this wi make it more difficut to te: the truth about Russia to 9}: people. yours and mine. Ye began with pre-designed hoe tility. It is sad indeed, Bill. ¥ must get to know the Russie peoples the Russian peop must get to know us, otherwis we cannot work together the postwar world. But goo © will cannot be based on deli | erate deceit. Is not your bi den to heavy to carry? Yi have harmed America. Lenin once described as “a ce tinuation, an extension, exaltation of motherliness ire | the individual to the soci sphere.” 4 American women made | splendid contribution to one } the great battles of the war | the November 7 elections. Th helped to guarantee unity «| purpose and action in the & cent Crimean conference B cause they had a part im sei ing as the representative of # United States, President Roos velt, instead of a man namt- Dewey. Canadian women form 52 Pp! cent of the population and the coming federal elections w be more decisive in determin Canada’s future than at 4 previous time in our histor Before another Women’s Inte national Day comes around, © nadian women who have wag a consistent battle for deme | racy on the production limes, © uniform and in voluntary set ices, will have had the oppe tunity of their generation ~ help weld the combination ~ democratic forces strong enou; to win the battle for social pr gress.