December 25, 1937 SOCIALIST APPEAL Answers to Questions of Journalists On Verdict of Dewey Commission By Leon Trotsky Question: If we are to admit peppery dishes. In his Testa Question: You say that Stalin The downfall of the Comintern stimulus for good work falls to that the Moscow trials represent ment (January 1924) Lenin ad has become victim. but mean will deliver a severe blow to the the ground, even in the sphere frame up then how could Stalin vised that Stalin be removed from while the victims appear to be positions of the oligarchy inside of frame ups.
have decided upon such a crime? the post of General Secretary, others.
the To this there is added another invoking the fact that Stalin is Answer: We have to distinguish rude, disloyal, and has propensi Answer: Completely correct. Question: Who can, in your tance. The construction of.
circumstance of no less imporin this matter two aspects, the ties for misuse of power. These Stalin still has the possibility of opinion, replace Stalin?
social and the individual. The personal qualities have greatly exterminating his opponents and scheme of alleged conspiracy inpareaucracy, arrived at judicial developed in Stalin in proportion not only in the but Answer: First of all, will volving hundreds of people, and frame ups not at one stroke but to the growth of power and the also abroad. For the past year answer this negatively: in no not people we meet for the first gradually, in the process of the appetite of the bureaucracy. the agents of the GPU have com case bourgeois democracy. Before whole world, with their own patst and frame up are lodged in the to the most peppery dishes in Spain, in Switzerland, and in tottering even in those countries with their definite political phynies, with their intricate very essence of the Soviet bu the form of the Moscow trials. France. One can expect such where it has behind it long siog reaucracy. In words, it fights for communism. In actuality, it fights but a frame up of such dimen ries. These murders, as the re about its revival in the without crude contradictions in One could raise the objection: actions in a series of other count tradition. There can be no talk personal ties and relationships, scheme for its income, its privileges, its sions could not help being recent exposures demonstrate, are the Stalinist power. With the fright and ma vealed in the end, how then could also very risky undertakings; should be overthrown from the police office is a problem compHiciousness of a social upstart, it the cautious Stalin decide upon however, Stalin has no other right, then its place will be letely insoluble. Of course, if we exterminates all oppositionists. such risky actions. To this choice than adding new victims taken by the most savage and assign such a task to a dozen To justify this mad terror before answer. a) he had no other to the old ones. In that sense unbridled fascism, alongside of people of the type of Shakesthe people, is forced at choice. b) from lesser frame your remark is correct. However, which even the regime Hitler peare, Cervantes, Goethe, Freud, tribute its victims ever more ups, he gradually went over to in broader sense, Stalin is the will look like a philanthropic then they would carry out the monstrous and fantastic crimes. big ones. c) with all his political victim of his own system. Those institution. Such an overturn is task in a much more competent Such is the social basis of the perspicacity and shrewdness Sta ideas against which he fights possible only as a result of long manner than Stalin, Vishinsky, Moscow crimes.
lin is very limited and believes gain ever more defenders. The convulsions, economic chaos, the and Yezhov. But people of genius, as a general rule, do not occupy, However, not by accident has in the omnipotence of police vio opponents, slandered and murder destruction of nationalized econStalin become the leader of the lence. d) Stalin does not know ed by Stalin, will be rehabilitat omy and the re establishment of themselves with frame ups. In Moscow bureaucracy. His perso either foreign languages or fore. ed in world public opinion. For private ownership. If on the con any case, there have not remainnal qualities correspond to its ign life. He seriously takes the Stalin there is no rehabilitation. trary Stalin will be overthrown ed even capable people at the political needs. In March 1921 voices of his agents and every It is not a question of the se from the left, e. by the working disposal of Stalin. Vishinsky and Lenin had already given the ad kind of paid friend abroad for verity of his measures but of class, then Soviet democracy wil Yezhov are miserable nonentities.
vice not to choose Stalin as the the voice of world public opinion their inner falsity and putrid take the place of the bureaucracy. Stalin himself is only a grandiose General Secretary since, as he put Thus in the end he becomes the ness. His system is condemned. Nationalized economy will be mediocrity, and at that the it, This cook will prepare only Ivictim of his own system. Stalin will leave the stage, co preserved and reformed in the grandiosity is due to his historic vered with disgrace.
interests of the people. Develop his own personality. It is not position and the mediocrity to ment toward socialism will. re. gurprising that these people prove Question: What, according to ceive a new powerful impetus.
your opinion, are the possible poed doubly impotent before a Question: Which of these two problem which is insoluble in it.
of the Commission?
is the more probable?
self.
But Meyerhold school was to By John Glenner Answer: do not, it is under Answer: prefer on this acQuestion: What is the position know another fate in Russia. stood, expect that the sound of count not to occupy myself with of the Soviet ambassador TroyaThe reactionary bureaucratic feThe press reports one of the greatest figures of the yer of the last years has pene trumpet of truth, will immediate cided in the struggle. The verdict a trumpet, even though it be the guesses. The outcome will be de novsky in relation to the New York Commission. trated rapidly from politics and ly cause the walls of Jericho to of the Commission becomes from Answer: His position is little e theater, Meyerhold. economics into the domains of fall. But, considered from a more now on one of the elements of to be envied. Diego Rivera tola mehe fact that among the accuse cultural expression. Like every lengthy perspective, the decision this struggle. It is hard to over me Saturday: Troyanovsky has tions one concerns sa play with parvenu, who tries to conceal the of the Commission will have tre estimate its significance. In the lost his career and, together Trotsky the hero, produced in briefness of his career among the mendous political consequences eyes of the whole world this ver with the career, perhaps his 1921, kunderth Meyer holders carec privileged, the bureaucracy ac both in relation to the Comintern diet clears the left opposition of head. think that my friend tion, shows again how Stalin can complishes its adaptation to the and to the Soviet bureaucracy. the from the disgust is right. It is true that Troya not allow those forces which had West by insipid imitation of the solid bourgeoisie. One need The Comintern will suffer in ing slander and by that token novsky has a great advantage: even the slightest contact with think only of the sad destiny of the first place. It is necessary to helps the working class in its during the revolution he was in olution to live in any realm of decadence of architecture!
paratus of the Comintern consists The verdict thus heightens the alone is not sufficient The most human activity.
The degradation of young ar the type of a revolutionist. ing. In this lies its greatest his Troyanovsky for the past year of people exactly the opposite to chances for a progressive upris important problem that faced Meyerhold Genius tistic creators into scribblers for real revolutionist has his own torical service.
the general line. on the other self conquered opinion, in the was to compel American public Question: From the stenogra of Stalin. However, nothing came Meyerhold has accomplished hand, has doupinge che la stesyge met name of which he is ready to phie Report of the Coyoacan ses of this. Stalin, as always neede opinion to believe in the justice tight things in his effort to inevitably deepened the desire to make sacrifices, including even sions and from the verdict of the a scapegoat. One should not be break through the rigid forms turn of the traditional theater, to themes. When the impulse to the sacrifice of his life. The re Commission, it follows that a se surprised if Troyanovsky were bring them closer to the life of ward the new was deprived of and because of that it is easy for ries of exude contradictions and invited to Moscow for explana the modern industrial age, and expression in the word, there re him to endure all sorts of diff. incongruities occurred in the tions.
to stimulate the imagination and mained foto cornis light into a culties, deprivations, and perse the Chief Judge of the Court, Incidentally, if you publish the the pation of the spectator revolution of forms.
cutions during the present. In Tupt contrasts of the scene. If, through the simplicity and ab Mediocre Uniformity counterpoise to this the bureau Ulrich, prosecutor Vishinsky, the answer to your question, you can thereby, he gave. preference to The Rule crats of the Comintern are full head of the GPU, Yezhov and show Troyanovsky a serious serclassical pieces, it was not only blown careerists.
They have no their helpers occupied themselves vice since it will not be easy for to emphasize these features of Here also the Mis art but also because he was Stalinist police snout sniffed re lauthority which pays them. Since allow such erade mistakes?
te ver present themselves to the orders of the frame up, then how could they with the prediction of Diego Rivera.
Tooted less in the proletarian rebellion and protest. And with they are agents of the oninipoQuestion: Do not pessimistie volution than in the radical reason. The Soviet press accuses tent Kremlin, each of them feels ginning with Stalin, have become ism flow from the Moscow trials Answer: All these people, be conclusions in regard to socialpetty bourgeois intelligentsia.
Meyerhold of left formalism, himself a The victorious revolution, how of sabotage of Soviet plays, of Everything is permitted them.
small superman. depraved through impunity and and from the verdict of the Conte lack control. the articles mission?
ever, proved in Meyerhold case refusal to portray Bolshevism that it alone can offer unlimited (i. e. Stalin; similarly, Riazanov, of others since they have no honor at every step not only political They lightly libel the honor of and speeches of Stalin we meet Answer: No, do not see any possibilities to these circles for the greatest expert on Marx of their own. This organization, contradictions but also the crud basis for pessimism. It is ne creative expansion. And what writings, refused to portray completely degenerated and de est factual distortions, not to cessary to take history as it is. tremendous leap forward could Stalin. have been accomplished by the If, moreover, we keep in mind moralized to the marrow, main speak of the errors in grammar. Humanity moves forward as dia.
combination pioneering thea. that under a regime of totalit tains itself in radical public opi Since no one dares to criticize some pilgrims: two steps ahead, ter forms with the thematical arian constraint, many, especial Hion, including the workers, only him, Stalin has gradually lost one step back. During the time inspiration of the greatest revo ly young, elements of the stifl. Kremlin as the alleged builder of the same is true of the remain seems lost to skeptics and pessim lution in world history, unhamper ed political opposition are push socialist society. The exposure of ing bureaucrats. They do not ists. But this is an error of his od by bureaucratic fetters!
ed into the back alleys of cultur the role of the Kremlin oligarchy learn, they do not think, they torical vision. Nothing is lost.
In the International Theater al activity, it would not be aston will deliver an irreparable blow only order. totalitarian regime Humanity has developed from the Festival in Moscow in 1934, ishing if Meyerhold school had to the authority of the Comin assures the apparent success of ape to the Comintern. It will Meyerhold experienced true become, probably against its own tern.
triumphs. The sterility of the will, a little hearth of non conorders. The Chief Judge of the advance from the Comintern to modern theater in decadent ca: formism, stamped immediately as of Stalin continues not only ed, the defenders, witnesses of the Commission demonstrates On the other hand, the power Court, the prosecutor, the accus actual Socialism. The judgement pitalist countries could not but Trotskytite counter revolution.
assign lesson. once more that the correct idee make the novel exploitation of classifical themes especially at hold, the Stalin regime has taken inertia but also through his arti The With the elimination of Meyer through violence and bureaucratic all executed newspapers subordinate is stronger than the most powertractive to the foreign visitors. another step in the adaptation official authority as a supposed themselves to the ring of the ful police force. In this conviction Everything which the modern Soviet society to its own pro leader of the world proletariat. telephone. There is no discussion lies the unshakable basis of retheater in the Old and New volutionary optimism.
World has since produced in this vincial narrowness, in the re To uphold this reputation in the there is no criticism. The people Coyoacan, field has been only a pale image placement of originality by me eyes of the Soviet workers, the have the right only to give of Meyerhold art.
Idiocre uniformity.
Comintern is necessary to Stalin. thanks. Under such conditions the December 13, 1937.