316 polities watchfromadeadauntinahandbag.Handstremble,one cannotfindanything,thehandbagemptiesonthefloor,and then,finally,thethingisfound. Ivantakesthewatch."OnemoreUhri,"hesays,andcounts againtothree.Twomoreshotsarefired,webothgodownfor asecondtime.Paralysedbyfeartheothersinthebasement makenosound.TherearesixIvansaroundus;somesmilein asortofembarassment.Irememberthisveryclearly.Wepul ourselvesupandstandoncemoreagainstthewal.Butweno longercareforourlives.Finishedforever,this,then,isthe end.For30yearsofstruggle;therestandsthetovarich,the comrade,kilingforalousywatch.Hateisofnousehere. PossiblyevenmoreterriblethingshappenedinRussia,were donetohispeople.Nobodyunderstandstheother'slanguage. Youaretovarich,I,theCommunist.No,youarefascistall Germansarefascists.ItishardtofindaRussiansoldierwith evenabeginningofclass-consciousness.Thewartransformed themintomercenaries—theirinterests:alcohol,women, watches.Ahumanlifemeansnothing,acowisfarmorevalu- able.Todieisnotsoterrible,buttodieforthis it isunbearable.Goaheadthen,tovarich,killyourGermancomrade, IyellattheRussian,knowingthathedoesnotunderstandme. HeisaWhiteRussian,wel built,withregularfeatures, rathersympathetic.Hestinksofperfume;theRussians emptiedwholebottlesoverthemselves.Theyimaginedthat mustbesomethinglike"culture,"andtheywantedtoimpress ourwomen. AnniandIembracedeachother,wesaidafewgoodwords tooneanother,wefeltthatwewerealone,removedfromour suroundings.Ivandroppedhispistolandthentheincomprehensiblehappened.Thesamehumanbeingwhohadjustkiled twowomen,withoutmovinganeyelid,inordertogeta watch,who,beforethathaddraggedMrs.T.awayfromher bedandhertwosmalchildrentorapeherinspiteofallher beggingformercy,thissamehumanbeing,yes,letussay humanbeing,isnowstrokingus,tryingtocheerusup."Good, good,sitdown,"hesaysandthenthesixIvansleavethe basementofdeath. DoyouunderstandthatIbeggedthisman,thatIdemanded ofhim,tokillus?Butsoitwas.Thiswasthenervouscollapseandifafriendhadnotcometoouraidatthispoint,we wouldnolongerbealive.Theterrorremains,however,asthis mayberepeatedanyday,anynight. Takethisdescriptionasoneofmanythousands.GreatnumbersdiedduringthecaptureofBerlin,manybytheirown hands.Yes,Russiawasoncethelandoftheworkersand peasants,itwasoncethecentreofarevolutionarymovement thatshooktheworld,andnowitservesthemostbrutalmilitarism.Thisisnothingnewofcourse.Wehavelongknownit. Stil,itisterribletoexperienceaverificationthatfarexceeds alimagination. HowpoorweareI thinkyouknow.Thehungerwasterrible.Forthreemonthswedidnotseeanounceoffats.There wasnotransportationatall,theresultingchaoswasterrific. Ilost70pounds,Anni40.Momentarilyitissomewhatbetter, butthereisashortageofeverything.Sendsomethingifyou can.Cigarettes,too.Wehaveonlythebuttswefindinthe streDeotsy. ouknow,P.,whatjustcomestomymind?Itwasthe summerof1921,or1922webothwenttotheLenitzseefor aswim.Wewererestingonahilloverlookingthesea;pines werestandingonthehill.Andthesunwasshining;justa summerdaylikemanywhentheBerlinersstreamtotheoutdoors.Wespokeofpoliticsandgirls.. .Doyoustilremember whenwewereplaying"Everyman"inmyapartment?. . . Whenwegotdrunk,talkedbig,andfeltsomiserableafter- wards?. . .Thingslikethesearegoingthroughmymind.ApBi3IfteMtbfilidlefeàstupid.Thepresureofthelong yearsofterrordisappearsonlyslowly.Onehastoremember livingtogetusedtolifeagain. Thefairy-talesbegin—onceuponatimetherewasenough toeatandonecouldsleepeverynight.Thehouseshadroofs andwindows.Therewasfurniturestandingintheroomsand onecouldrealyliveinthem. . .Wehavetorisefromthe deadasitwere.Thesunisshiningagain,butonecannothelp thinkingisthesunrealyalsoshiningforyou?Goonfrom hereyourself.MaybeyouwillgetanideaofhowGermany lookstoday. HereinBerlinthereareabout150leftofouroldgroup. Thereisenoughworktodobutallisstillillegal,thanksto theG.P.U.Theleadersofthesocialistsandcommuniststry toformaunityorganization.Thecontradictionsinvolvedin suchanenterpriseprovideanewfieldofwork.Allproblems raisedwillbediscussedonthebasisofprinciples.Theunity movementstemsfromtheRussians.Itisdesignedtocompen- sateforthelossofprestigeonthepartoftheC.P.becauseof thepracticalexperiencesoftheGermanworkerswithRussian bolshevism.Fromourownpointofviewthereisrealyno reasonwhythesetworeformistpartiesshouldnotgettogether. SomeofourfriendsenteredtheC.P.,consciousofthelimitationsimposedupontheirworkthere.Butatthemomentthere isnootherpossibilitytoworkpoliticaly.Theoccupationenforcesthissituation. TheAlliesattempttore-constructsomekindofrumpcapitalismandthelabororganizationsaretryingtogeta voicewithinthisenterprise.MostofthecommunalandadministrativepositionsareinthehandsoftheS.P.andC.P. Weliveinatimeofarestedrevolution.Butallisrestlessness underthecoveroftheoccupation.Althoughlivingconditions areterrible,noexplosionispossibleunderpresentcircumstances.Allthatcanbedoneistohelpprepareideologically forapracticalactivitythathasstilltocome.Thedirection ofouractivityisagainstallkindsofauthoritarianism. Wehavesomesmallstudygroupsforsocio-economic questions.Muchtimeistakenup,however,withquestions ofthedaywhichwetrytorelatetofundamentalsocialrelationships.It isnotpossibleasyettopublishapaper.We wouldsoonbeeliminated.The"democracy"thatisherein everybody'smouthisnotdemocraticenoughtofacethemir- rorofcriticism.Ofcoursethefirstjoboftheoccupationis topreventarevolution.Therewasunityinthestruggle againstHitlerandthereisstillunitywithregardtotherevolution.Thealiedunityendsonlyatthedivisionoftheim- perialisticspoils.Aswerecognizethatourowndevelopment isdependentuponthatoftheworldscene,allwecanbring aboutisideologicalreadinessforthecomingstruggles. Acapitalistic,plannedworldeconomyistheoreticalypos- sible.Theconditionforitsrealizationis,ofcourse,theeliminationofcompetitionbywayofwar.Someofourmasters semtoknowthisverywel.Andthusmanymoremilionsof workersaredestinedtodieontheroadtoworldrule.Never beforewasaworkers'internationalmorenecessarythannow. Thistime,however,thelightwillnotcomefromtheEast. Ithinkyoucanimaginehowmuchwedesirecontactwith youandotherfriendsabroad.Almost13yearsofabsolute isolationfromtheworldmeansthatweneedyoupeoplemore thaneverbefore. Ipressyourhandinfriendship,asalways,yours, FEBRUARY 3, 1946 K . R. HI DuringthelastdaysofApril,1945,Berlinwaslikea stired-upanthill.Peoplehurriedthroughthestreets,paus- ingnowandthentolookworriedlyattheworkmenfranticalybuildingbaricades.Nobodywassurewhetherthey
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