GUIDE TO GOOD READING

James Aldridge"tells how he
came to write ‘The Diplomat’

JAMES ALDRIDGE’S NOVEL, The Diplomat, is one 0
war, and is an excellent contribution to the cause of understandng
li deals with the Iranian dispute with the USSR just after the wa
anii-Soviet intrigues of Western diplomats which did
Post-war period. The novel earned Aldridge the honor
as a candidate for the Peace Prize being offered by the

f the best published in Britain since the
and friendship with the Soviet Union.
r, and Aldridge shows that it was the
most to prejudice international cooperation in the
of being nominated by the British Peace Council
World Peace Council. In this article the author

explains how he came-io write his novel.

PERHAPS THE MAN who
might claim credit for the genesis
of The Diplomat was the British
officer who said to me about the
time of Stalingrad: “Great! It
looks as if we’re going to lick the
Germans. Now we'll have to start
the real business: knocking out
those crazy Russians!” This man

Pettit MDLLUL ULL LU IL tt tt ene nth

Issue first book of
Soviet Encyclopedia

SOME 1,100 subjects are dealt
“with authoritatively in the first
volume of the Great Soviet En-

Russians weren’t such bad fellows.
You were a positive fool if you
thought for one moment that any
of this ally stuff meant something,
Well, it meant something to me,
and as a result. I was often ac-
cused of” following the Kremlin
party line. But by heavens, I was
a free, independent, detached, ob-

SEQUEL TO ‘THE STORM’

ILYA EHRENBURG is en-
gaged in writing a sequel to his
world-famous, war novel The
Storm, and took the opportunity
of his recent visit to Berlin to
obtain documentary material on
the lives of several of his char-
acters, notably German youths
in post-war Berlin.

The world-famous Soviet writ-
er had hoped to visit France for
the same purpose but owing to
the French government’s refusal
to grant him a visa, he had to
interview his “characters” in
Geneva, where several of them
fame from France, ‘

The contrasts between the two
Germanys, east and west of the
Jemarcation line drawn by the

was by no means a fascist, He was

cyclopedia which is now ready.
rather a dull young Englishman

jective, fair, just, two-sided, and

A new Ehrenburg novel

armies of occupation, will, it is
anderstood, play an important
part in his new book.

During his visit to Berlin,
Ehrenburg was frequently ques-
tioned about his attitude toward
the German people. “It’s quite
simple,” was his usual reply. “T
wrote hundreds of times that
the German invader had to be
chased off our land and that the
fascist beast had to be killed.
That is what our troops did.”

“The Germans themselves as
a nation have benefited from the
work that we had to do, A Ger-
many that has set its face to-
ward peace and progress obvi-
ously has the right to different
treatment.”

It is. a well-illustrated book of
over 600 pages and the whole set,
which covers 50 volumes, is to be

even a neutral observer compared
with those who followed the em-
bassy line,

who had been an estate agent in
peace-time. He wasn’t even mili-
tary-minded, in fact he looked

‘COLD WAR’ HANDOUT

completed in the next Six years. 5
Among subjects dealt with un-
der the letter “A” ig 9 section on
Autographs which reproduces fac-
Similes of the handwritings of
Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin.

mei

These things were the back-
ground to the details of The Diplo-
mat. vs:

* * ~

THE ESSENCE of it came ‘on
another level: the horror at the
prospect of another war of West
versus East. The incipient ag-
gressiveness of the West, the
West's subtle requirement of the
next stage of history to be war
on Russia: these things certainly
got me started,

The other lessons followed out
of it: the resulting attempts to
destroy independence movements;
the branding of honest men as
Reds and traitors; the complete
loss of any man facing these issues

-unless he understood them. These
things I wanted to say, not in
black or white, not in one-sided

forward to getting out of the
army.
I thought then: if this man can
already think this way, what the
devil will it be like a few years
after the war? Even so, his mad
talk didn’t register very strongly
With me because it was a rare at-
titude in those days.

Then I went to Russia, and what
I had heard from one soldier of
the million in Egypt I heard from ,
half the diplomatic corps stationed

in Moscow, The fact that the Rus-

sians had just begun to break the

German army into fragments did

not affect the cynical antagonism

of some very important men in

our embassies. They were, most

_ of them, inclined to scoff at the

*Russians and their victories,

of the diplomatic action from the
West had half an atom bomb in
it. Reading this, you might ask
why someone didn’t expose it all
then. Why didn’t the newspaper-
men let the cat out of the bag?

That is the story that might
also be told some day in a novel.
Those newspapermen with some
knowledge of what Was going on
did their best to expose it, but
they | failed because the news-
papers had already become the
first line of attack in the cold war.

of

Au
of

On the surface of it, these dip- The newspaper reader, knowing violence or in singular political py
lomats did not seem to have their _ nothing of what goes on in the terms, but in objective, compas-
hearts in the defeat of the Ger- back rooms of the newspaper of- sionate, and — as far as it possible
mans, Yet, after a little Observa- ices, would be Surprised to hear for any Man — honest terms.

tion, I found that most of them
were quite anxious to see the Ger-
_ Mans defeated, if only it didn’t
mean that the Russians would
win. }

just how many good foreign cor-
respondents, of America and Eng-
land, either lost their jobs or gave
up in disgust over the diplomatic
issues of the post

Somewhere in all this was the
beginning of The Diplomat.

Yet I could not end this without
saying that in writing The Diplo-
mat my principal Supporter and
inspirer was an American: one of
So many Americans who are
neither cowed nor destroyed by
the idiocy of the ignorant men
who threaten them.

ope

atio

I think this contradiction was
the rudiment of most diplomatic
thinking in Russia during the
war; and though you could laugh
at the victims of it every time
the Russians fired a salute, it

are

West Euro

MARSHALL PLAN funds are
now to be used for reorganization

and to so-called
papers in France, Italy, Holland
and Belgium,

‘The money will be distributed

Paul Hoffman. The list of papers

of American diplomatic represent-
7

According to Washington’s in-
structions, the largest amounts

“high circulation which up to now
have served well in propagating
the cold war. Among them are not
only many papers of the gutter

American propaganda in Eur-

ope and for “support” of some
West European papers and pub-
lishing houses,
will mainly be given to the larger
papers in West Germany and

This “support”

stria, some publishing houses
the right-wing political parties
“Independent”

Marshall Plan administrator

*

deserving American “support” is
being compiled by leading Amer-
ican propaganda officers in Eur-

and by the press departments

ns. .

’

to be granted to papers with

king

which has served for 500 years as
a monument to the Ming and
Tsing dynasties,

‘Lb
accommodation for 8,000 people, -

Marshol funds subsidize

pe newspapers

the American occupation zone, in-
cluding a number of papers of the
neofascist political] parties.

In France, the Marshall Plan
funds will be dishea out to the
Gaullist and Socialist gutter press
which is having financial difficul-
ties. In Italy and Austria, too, the
right-wing Social Democrat papers
will be supported,

Imperial palace
.- eA
workers center

A PALACE OF CULTURE for
workers has been opened in Pe-
in a handsome building

The principal palace has now
een turned into a huge hall with

There are gardens, a library, a

games room and exhibition hall.
Provision has been made for

really began to take on dangerous
intentions when the last salute
was fired and the Euro
There was no longer that con-
tradiction. The Russians had set-
tled it for the diplomats; for the

Marshall thinkers

; given
Places.

pean war their

This was a‘ transformation in
the press that no one could really

Every time I feel trapped by one
kind of Anglo-Americanism, Bs
rest on this other kind for a while,
knowing that it represents a dif-
ferent Anglo-American prospect, |
one that is taking shape—despite
the state department, despite the

> aE
Un-American Activities Commit- ce

press, but also papers which have
been regarded as “serious” but
which under cover of “objective
reporting” served the American
propaganda chiefs in
public opinion.

dancing and music and for theat-
riGal production,

Opening the Palace of Culture,
Li Li-san, vice-president of the
All-China Federation of Labor, de-
clared: “The inauguration of. this
Palace of Culture marks the dawn-
ing of a new era in which, a fact

misleading

Western Germany, which will

: parallel; i rd receive relatively the largest al- without precedent, there will be
Simple issue for them now was With and was part of the - diplo- re tia erat iS Sates locations of press bribes, the a broad development of the cul-
“stopping the Russians”, the matic transformation, and t eday 1 Garin oes, P "Money will go first to the press in ture of the Chinese workers.”
ni : history has the one-sidedness and the cheat- :
ever heard for poking a finger in ing of the press is the fruit of the ‘| ;

‘Someone else’s eye, partnership,
a * * Now the Machinery of diplo-
EVEN TO A MAN looking at macy and the press works in yee ‘ ” :
from the outside, it subtler and surer ways, with a WHAT’S DOING? “‘WHAT’S DOING . MEETINGS
quite clear in 1945 that most liaison between the Western for- ‘ SOCIAL EVENING in honor of WED.
VIANNA: ete affairs departments and the| OPEN AIR DANCING at Swedish Miss Mount Pleasant, Saturday, 2 TSH-FINNISH WORKERS’
ace 8 a _ Press which would disgust any| Park. Every Saturday night. July 29, zrom 8 p.m. on, to be| CLUB meets last Friday every
lf Magnien old-time reporter with a mind of| Dancing from /9-12. Arne John-| held at 4274 Sophia St. Music, Eg OB UAt 7580 pm. in Clinton Hall,
his own. A British foreign office son’s Orchestra, dancing, refreshments. Admission HALLS FOR
teport from Korea Press conference these days is Everybody welcome. : ; smd
pal Europe’s best-known or 30 intelligent men will listen to] EAST POPULAR GIRL, Satun. : Phone mgs 3277. Hall is
Papers are now at the front win 5 paaght young man explaining the} day, July 29,.8 pm. at Clinton SN SON: a0 bike od peane = available for rent. ‘
latest crudest move in the cold Hall, 2605 E. Pena ; pair Ronson’s Jewellery, RUSSIAN LE’S
ahead mma nage nas war, and hardly an awkward ques-| _.. Sey sebsbehcaetes | tse cewat ete, clocks. 711) “Avaliable me ores HOME —
People’s Republic. They are $i risd Roo ea a ae games, singing, refreshments. East Hastings, Vancouver. ‘and Bars ty sta i weddings,
a | correspondent tion llets. r : — 1d uets at reasonable rates,
seports from China have. Write the atuff as it': comes: Cotton Drive, for gs East| QVCty day. New Modern Beauty NOTL
ared in the Pacific Tribune, *tTaight from ‘the mouth or Popular Girl. Starts at 8 p.m., Sat. ange oe B. Hastings. HAs- soi
“ correspondent Young thoroughbred. urday, July 29. Auspices Commer. ; . PLEASE NOTE: Office of Pacific.
L’Humanite. , The development of this incred-| cial Drive. Club. SALLY BOWES : TA bune will cl 12 noon on
NERS ible be = INCOME TAX close at noon on
Winnington and Magnien were ' aya ness between the means PRO. — Rm. 20, 9 East |__ Saturdays,
HAMOERY ceabts ats tion held Ff information and the diplomats NEXT SUNDAY, Aug. 6, relax, cool| Hastings, MA. 9965. A. Rollo, Mer, Sap.
‘their honor at Peking by the WS certainly one of the principal| off. Eat, drink and be merry neath PT Dixieland Trio — Available for
: Board and at. ‘tings that began The she shade of the old apple trees, ¢| 0-K. RADIO SERVICE, Latest fac-| Sances and socials, “Assure a suc- me
i of China’s les Tt already existed in Moscow in| p.m till ?? Smorgasbord 50c at 4039| tory precision equipment used. oa evening.” Quality tops, ~~
Some of China’s leading — 1945. You were not a nice chap| Kootenay St. Take Burnaby Lake Wirer st 420 Pen oe * reasonable, Call MA.

including Li Chuang in Moscow, if you didn’t follow| ‘am to Queens Station or wij.|_ ¢r St. West, TA. 1012, d bab:
Lien-teh, correspond- : lingdon Heights bus at Boun -
Korean front for the the British embassy line on, say, Road to Lougheed and Willin NEED HIKING BOOTS? Try John-

ebkiel Olajezyk. You weré a bit of al don, Auspices Burnaby C | Son's. 63 West Cordova. Hand-|| “TELL THEM You saw IT

‘ nian  POOr if you really thought the _ tee,” hoes Soe and reliable. Johnsons IN THE TRIBUNE”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 28, 1950—PAGE 10