When the Germans attaekcd Russia, Erlich was transfcrrcd from MOS(:0W10the Saratov prison. In July or the samc year he found himseJr in a room, not \"try big in size, wherc 1herc werc fi\"eor six military men. He was told 1hiswas 1hc tribuna! which was to try him. The mcmbers or -: tbc tribuna! werc at once judge and prosecutor. Thcrc werc no counsel. Herc Erlich delivered a long speech in which hc defcndcd himselr against 1he eharges prcferred by 1he prosecution-acts of 1error against the U.S.S.R., support for the prcparations of an armed rising against thc U.S.S.R., collaboration with the fascis1s,etc. Arter a \"erybricr deliberation by 1hc tribuna! the death sentenee was pronounced. Erlich did not avail himself or the righi to plead for mercy to the Praesidium or 1he Supreme Soviet or lhe U.S.S.R. He was mo,·cd 10 1hc condemncd ccli where he remaincd for two wceks. until thc moment when he was askcd 10 append his signaturc 10 thc reccipt or the Order by which his dca1h sentence had bccn commuted to 10 years' hard tabourin the··labour camps." In Scptcmbcr, 1941, he was rcleased from prison. Alter was arrested by 1hc N.K.W.O. in Kowel during the last fcw days of September, 1939. Arter a fcw wceks he was transfcrred 10 thc same prison in Moscow in which Erlich lay-1hough neither knew or thc presence of the 01her. His way of reacting to thc charges prcfcrrcd against him by the c,i;aminingmagistrates or the .K.W.D. was differcnt from that or Erlich. Alter, after hearing 1he chargcs relating 10 crimcs of a mi,i;cdçriminal and politica! character which hc or his party werc allegcd to ha'"e commi11ed,was won1 10 answer simply: "lt isa lie." In prison he resorted SC\'Craltimcs 1ohungcrs1rikes, fasting in dcfcn<:eof his own dignity or that of his fcllow prisoners who were with him in the samc ccli. Altogcthcr he was on hunger strikc for some thirty days. Among.st other things. hc fough1 for and won for himself the right to writc a scien1ilìc trcatisc on physics. In an errori to bring him 10 submis.sion, in 1941 hc was lransfcrrcd for SC\"Cr.tlwecks to a ,ery severe prison in MOS(:ow.thc " Lafortowsky:· In spite of ali this, 11eithcrAlter nor Erlich did sign any or thc ·· confcssions "demanded ofthcm. In July, 1941,Alterwas tried and sc111cnced 10 death by a court martial. I-le spenl twclve days in the condcnmed <:ell. He made no pica for mercy bui was Inter informcd that the sentencc had been commuted to onc or IO ycars· hard labour in the ..labour camps... In Septcmber, 1941, hc was relcascd from prison. His release took piace in the same manncr as thai of Erlich. High officials of thc N.K.W.D .• on behalf of 1he Soviet Governmcn1, c,i;prcsscd theirrcgrei for thc ·•mistakcwhich had been commiued by1hosc sce1ions orthc N.K.W.D. which had dctaincd thcm in prison, tried 1hen1,etc." A colone! of the N.K.W.O.-onc or thc most influential men in thai organisation (latcr 011he became an officiai liaison officer between thc Soviet Generai Staff and thc Supreme Command of thc Polish Army in 1hc U.S.S.R.)--Aron Volkovisky, callcd on them immcdiatcly artcr 1heir release, as 1he Representati1•eof the Soviet Government, and c,i;prcssed thc wish 1hat 1hcy should both forgct 1he wrongs done to thcm. Thcy werc offcrcd residence in onc or 1hc best hotcls in MOS(:owaod a sum of moncy O think il was about 3,000 roubles each) was paid to them as compensation. Some or my acquaintances cmployed at thc Polish " Biblioteca Gino Bianco
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