308 polities inRussia,whereplanningISplanning,suchbehaviorwould bepunishedbyshooting)"whyshouldnotothersdothe same?Whatajokeitwouldbeifanyonewhofelthungry decidedtohelphimselftoalegoflambfromthenearest butcher'sshop!"Theirconclusionwassolemn:"Britainhas decidedtosolveherpostwarproblemsbydemocraticmeans. Ifthingsmovetooslowlyorthingsgowrong,therearedemo- craticwaysofprotest."(Theserespectabledefendersofpropertyrightsusedtoeditacaustic,independent,hard-hiting journalbutthatwasB.P.,BeforePower.)Ofcourse,preciselythewholepointofthesquatters'movementisthatit aroseonlyafterthese"democratic(read:legalistic)waysof protest"hadfailedtoproducedecenthousing.Directaction hasprovenmuchmorepracticalandefective."Thepresent waveofsquattinghasbeenendedbytheC.P.betrayal," writesWoodcock,"buttheachievementshavebeengreat:the campsaretobeleft,Bevanhasorderedanimmediatecheck-up ofallunoccupiedpremises,andapromisehasbeenmadeofa spedupinbuildingbeforeChristmas."Itmightbeaddedthat, accordingto Time ofSept.30,Bevanhasjust"announceda programtohouse20,000Britonsinsome700unoccupied armycamps."Thatthecampshavebeenoccupiedformonths makesnodifference;inthebureaucrat'sworld,nothingever happensuntilaProgramhasbeendrawnuptomakeithappen. Thesquaters'struggleshowsusourmodernpoliticalworld inpeto. Apopularmovementarisestosetrightaninjustice. Itismetbythenon-Communistpoliticians,whetherliblabsin BritainortheirroyalistaliesinGreece,withrepressioninthe nameofLaw&Order.TheCommunistsseizethechanceto play,withsomeplausibility,theroleoftribunesofthepeople. Theirleadershipisauthoritarian,dishonestandwholysub- ordinatetoRussia'spoliticalstrategyofthemoment.But itistheonlyeffectiveleadershipthepopularmasescanfind, andsotheyfolowit.Theconflictthenbecomestransformed intoonebetweenCommunism,whichmeansultimatelyand usuallynotsodamnedultimately,eitherRussianimperialism,andtheupholdersofLawandOrder.TheCommunists makepoliticalcapitalbyleadingthejustandpopularcause; theLaw&OrderpartycashesinonthefearofRussianim- perialism;andthelittlepeoplewhobegantofightfortheir rightsinthefirstplacearelostsightofinthedustofbig- powerstrife. TheAbsent- A n exampleofarare,almostex- MindedProfessor tinct,speciesof homosapiens has beenfoundinFinland:amanwho speakshismindopenlyundercircumstanceswhichanysensible Progressivecouldhavetoldhimwerecompletelyhopeless.His nameisA. I.Virtanen,andheisaprofessorattheUniversity ofHelsinkiandaNobelPrizewinner.LastDecemberDr. VirtanentookatriptoSwedentotalktesomeofhiscolleaguesinhisfield,whichisagriculturalresearch.Apress conferencewasheldinStockholmforthedistinguishedvisitor. AlocalCommunistreporteraskedhimwhathethoughtof recentRussiandiscoveriesinagriculturalscience,andwhether hethoughttheRussianswouldusehismethods.Nodoubtthe unfortunatejournalistanticipatedapleasanttributetothe scientificachievementsofFinland'smightyneighbor.Instead, oneofthereallygreatmomentsofrecenthistorytookplace. Termingit"anidioticquestion,"Dr.Virtanenwentonto formulatehisfeelingsaboutRussiainthefolowingprecise term"I sm: ustsaythat Iamverycriticalymindedsofarasthe SovietUnionisconcerned.AslongastheRussiansthinkitis righttoconqueraneighbor'sterritory,suchasKarelia,butdo notpermitGermanytomakeconquests,Icannotcolaborate BibiltittétaCehertmilmerteematterasifnothinghashappenedandI'llhavenothingtodowiththeSovietUnion." Onecanimaginethehushthatfelloverthepressconferenceafterthat.Alsothe"scandalandgreatuproar"in FinlandandSwedenthatfolowedthenextday."It isregrettable,"editorializedoneSwedishpaper,shockedtoitsmar- row,"ItisregrettablethatamanwithProfessorVirtanen's prominencemakessuchacarelessstatementatanopenpress conference."AsforDr.Virtanen,hedeclared"hecouldnot understandwhynewspapersshouldbeinterestedinhisper- sonalopinionoftheSovietUnion."Theprofessoriseither veryinnocentorverythereverse.Ineithercase,itisinspirit- ingtoknowwhatafewsuchsensiblefoolsstillexist. Hersey's T h e NewYorke; didaboldthingwhen "Hiroshima" it devoteditsentireissueofAugust31 toJohnHersey'slongreportagepiece onHiroshima.Itwasalsoausefulthing,judgingbythepopularsensationtheissuesemstohavecaused.ForwhatHersey triedtodowasto"bringhome"totheAmericanreaderjust whatthebombdidtothehumanbeingswholivedinHiro- shima.Thedeviceheusedwasatonceobvious(yetnoone elsethoughtofdoingit)andjournalisticalyeffective:toin- terviewahalfdozenofthesurvivorssomemonthslater,and reconstructinintimatehumandetailjustwhateachofthem did,feltandthoughtfromthetimeofthedroppingofthe bombuntilheinterviewedthem.AsIsay,hispieceapparently afectedagreatmanyreaders.ButImustnotethatitdidn't forsomereasonaffectme;infact, Ifounditsodullthat I stoppedreadingithalfwaythrough.Foronething, I don't like TheNewYorker's suave,toned-down,underplayedkind ofnaturalism(itmightbecalled"denaturednaturalism,"as againstthecruderand,tome,preferablevarietyofDreiser andtheearlyFarrell).Foranother,Herseyisfeebleasan artist,withnostyle,noideas,nofeelingsofanyintensity, andnoeyefortheonedetailthatimaginativelycreatesa whole;soheputsineverything,whichgivesarelaxed, monotonousefect;IcouldnothelpthinkingwhattheHemingwaywhodescribedtheCaporetoretreatwouldhavedone withthetheme,andinafourththespace.Thesedefectsof artproduce,andareproducedby,whatseemstomeamoral deficiency:thedead-pan,keyed-downapproachissodetached fromthepersonsHerseyiswritingaboutthattheybecome objectsofclinicaldescription;theauthorappearslikea specialistlecturingonsomedisease,with"interesting"cases ontheplatform.The"littlepeople"ofHiroshimawhosesufferingsHerseyrecordsinantiseptic NewYorker prosemight justaswelbewhitemice,forallthepity,horororindignationthereaderor atleastthisreaderismadetofeelfor them.AndyetHersey'sintention,whichapparentlywassuccessfulycommunicatedtomanythousandsofotherreaders, wastoconveypreciselysuchemotions.Itispuzzling.Perhaps myfeelingissimplythatnaturalismisnolongeradequate, eitherestheticallyormorally,tocopewiththemodernhorrors. "TestCharlie" Trumanhaspostponed"indefinitely" IsPostponed the thirdBikiniatomicbombtest ("TestCharlie"),whichhadbeen scheduledfornextMarch.Theinterestingthingaboutthisis thereasonsgiven,whichare(a) economy,(b)secrecy,(c) thefirsttwotestsgaveenoughinformation,andinfacteverythingexcept(d)suchtestsarenotconductivetoapeaceful world. Franco's Fal l- A n articlebyAlanHare,justre- MoreInformation turnedfromSpain,intheLondon Tribune forSeptember6confirms soremarkablytheletterprintedinlastmonth'sInteligence Officethatitsemsworthquotingitsgist: "ImetinMadridamemberoftheSocialistExecutiveCorn-
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