Vol. 22, No. 12
Playing the Red Game ROPHETS have arisen from time to time, preaching that the most serious problem confronting the world today is the program which the communists of Russia propose to saddle upon the whole world. The complacency with which such a message has been received has increased almost as the square of the distance from hIoscow, and has reached dangerous proportions in the United States. The latest development may serve to awake technical America a t least and is ground for the vigorous protest which several recognized bodies have made. Recently forty-eight specialists of the meat-packing industry were shot by the 0. G. P. U. with no more than a mock trial. Those initials mean the secret police of the Soviet Union. As this is written eight prominent Russian specialists and engineers have been indicted and are about to be prosecuted on the charge of plotting to overthrow the government, allegedly acting under the direction of certain foreign groups. These murders and these prosecutions are only acts upon the tragic stage which the Soviet leaders arrange to divert their. sadly duped followers from their own failures. What is going on behind the scenes? You are doubtless familiar with the much advertised fiveyear plan, heralded as an indication of what was to be done to make an economic industrial unit of 150 million people who, for centuries, have pursued an agricultural career. The plan prepared and publicized by politicians goes far beyond what any technical man would hold possible, even in a country better trained and better equipped than is Russia. Kotwithstanding enforced labor under guard of a starving people, it begins to appear that the plan cannot be carried to completion in anything like the time allotted. Consequently, the politicians fear for their rule, and something must be done to divert attention from themselves, even to the extent of punishing innocent men charged with frustrating the grand scheme. The few intelligentsia that have been allowed to live seem to have been chosen for the sacrifice. Some of these men are known in the United States. One of them presented papers a t the last International Conference on Bituminous Coal, held a t the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He has been chief of the Thermo-Technical Institute of hIoscow and is internationally known for his work on pulverized fuel and low-temperature carbonization. Others of the group of eight under trial are well known in other chosen fields. The Soviet charges that some of these men, while abroad on scientific missions, have plotted the destruction of the present rulers. Everyone really familiar with Russia knows something of the methods used by the secret police to get confessions where they are needed, and no matter what statements are made under such circumstances, they cannot be believed any more than could the confessions obtained by the ancient Spanish inquisition. The methods for obtaining votes approving official opinion or action are of the same kind. The economic situation in Russia appears bad indeed.
December 1, 1930 The Soviet is reported to be barely able to meet foreign obligations, to say nothing of placing new orders for equipment desired for the execution of the five-year plan. It becomes necessary from a political point of view to divert attention, and should the collapse occur it must not be connected with the real causes. Where plots do not exist, they must be imagined and court proceedings must progress accordingly. The daily press has indicated by recent dispatches the development of a chain of events which shows something of Stalin’s methods. Engineers, professors, and other technical people are to be tried on a large scale. Foreign governments are to be involved if possible. If he can provoke foreign governments mentioned in his indictments, war might result, but that would merely play into his hands, for he might save himself and promote world revolution if such a war should eventuate. At all costs, if the five-year plan fails, as it seems it must, the cause must be shifted to the technical experts and must not remain on the shoulders of the politicians. This condition has been carefully checked and there is every reason to believe that the facts are as indicated. That is the red game. What is America doing to help play it? More than a thousand engineers and technically trained men are now in Russia, engaged in promoting the industrial program. If the program fails, they may find themselves in grave danger and it is not unlikely that a number of “regrettable accidents” may remove some of the individuals from the stage of life. Dozens of firms have extended credit and thereby become pawns in the game. If by any miracle the plan succeeds, the Soviet will only be further strengthened to carry out its devastating program in other countries, particularly those that are industrial. The program would have failed long ago if foreign experts had not gone to the rescue. The intellectual classes in Russia have been reduced with one excuse or another to a mere handful of those who, in the past, could be counted upon for substantial contributions to the advance of science. Even when completed it is doubtful if plants now under construction can be operated with native talent, and failure to get results expected by the political leaders means only one thing in Russia, and shooting is the favorite route. Attracted by profits of the day, we feel too many of our own industries have been blinded to the possible effects of tomorrow and of a decade hence. Too high a price can bc paid for trade and its accompanying monetary profits. It is here we have shown dangerous complacency, too murh of our reputed “dollar diplomacy,” and too little regard for world welfare. A continuing list of offenses committed by the Soviet arid its representatives against world decency might be written. Only recently the attempt to interfere further with our economic progress in the hope of better preparing American soil for the blessings of communism was pointed out when the Secretary of Agriculture called upon the Chicago Board of Trade to explain certain short selling of grain which had been uncovered. While many countries have taken steps to protect their industries from Russian dumping, the United States
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until quite recently allowed lumber, manganese, pulpwood, and coal produced and handled by enforced labor to be dumped on the American market. We contend against communism in America, and do what me can to encourage it in Russia. The average man resents the imposition of another’s ways and views, yet far too many remain dangerously complacent toryard the “harmless” communist who not only would force his ways upon us but cheerfully employs murder as an efficient method of overcoming those who disagree. Intolerance is not involved in the opposition to communism. The Russian experiment a t home under Russian conditions is one thing. The operation may be a complete success, even though the patient succumbs to the treatment. It is only when cunning fanatics attempt to infect us that complacency becomes dangerous. Many of those who have made investigations in Russia have been willing to base their opinion on what was prepared for them to see. Those who have been able to detach themselves long enough to investigate independently, and particularly if they speak the language, find things of which they dare not write. To speak frankly might implicate those with whom they had been in contact and would still further endanger them should return to Russia be necessary. That is one measure of the present extent of communistic influence. Those American citizens who are in Russia on technical missions should leave the country without delay. This may be a matter of personal safety. Further, they owe it to their Russian scientific colleagues for, by withdrawing support, even Stalin and his small group may be forced to recognize the importance of world public opinion. Men trained in science and engaged in making additions to our knowledge belong to the whole world. hlore than that, an aggressive and consistent campaign should be waged in these United States against the continuance of technical assistance, against further commercial relations of any sort, until there are ample assurances, faithfully carried out, to treat the people of the suffering country, whether they are technically trained or not, in accordance with the standards of enlightened and civilized countries. An occasional fanatic may be entertaining, but a whole nation of lunatics is going too far. Sanity cannot be promoted by playing the red game. It can be furthered by a policy in which the profits or trade today become forgotten in the more constructive objectives of tomorrow.
Nothing to Sell UCH small services as we require a t the hands of a barber are supplied by one of those observing, philosophic, genial, and talkative souls who are said to typify the trade. Recently, speaking on unemployment, the barber observed that much of it was due in his opinion to the fact that so few people have learned the art of finishing a job, and so many have failed to provide themselves with sufficient training t o give them anything they can offer for sale. He took as an illustration a hypothetical case that mill serve to make the point quite as well as anything we could select. Suppose, he said, a man wants to apply for a job. It is a good job and he wants to make the best possible impression. He has his hair cut, his hat cleaned and blocked, his suit pressed, and his shoes shined. He pays good prices, but falls into the hands of those who have never learned the art of finishing a piece of work. The bootblack belabors the toes of his shoes until they do shine, but he leaves the heels untouched. The man who presses his clothes is a bit careless and the crease of his trousers is out of place. The hair cut is a bit one-sided, and while the man who irons the hat does a good job, he fails to remove some of the spots. The appli-
Vol. 22, No. 12
cant presents himself for an interview, but the prospective employer gets the impression that he is careless. If the work would be given the same indifferent attention as his appearance he is not wanted. There is a lot of truth in the barber’s observation. As every automobile driver knows, his car rarely leaves the service station better off than when it entered. It has come to be a common saying that when one goes to the garage for repairs, he returns three times to remedy oversights. More than that, it is quitelikely there will be grease on the steering wheel, not to mention the upholstery, and many indications of a lack of attention to detail which makes all the difference between a finished and an unfinished job. These failings are not confined to the arts. They creep into the professions. Some technical men get the reputation of never completing a job. Others cultivate mental laziness which prevents them from developing something of their own to sell. And when we meet times like the present, these are the fellows who are first displaced or dropped from organizations. The moral is so obvious that it need not be stressed.
Protecting the Public VER since its creation the act designed to enable the E adequate protection of the citizens of the United States in matters pertaining to food and drugs has been subject to contention. The necessary regulations for the enforcement of the Federal Food and Drugs Act have likewise provided grounds for extensive argument. I n the years during which the act has been in force, the public has come to understand the protection it affords them, and the major points involved are no longer the subject of serious debate. I t is not generally understood that there is a marked difference in the difficulty of enforcing that part of the act which pertains to food and that which pertains particularly to so-called patent medicine. Where foods are concerned, it is only necessary to show that they have been labeled orbranded so as to deceive or mislead the purchaser to take legal action. This is much easier than in the case of patent medicines, where steps can be taken only provided the “package or label shall bear or contain any statement, design, or device regarding the curative or therapeutic effect of such article or any of the ingredients or substances contained therein which is false and fraudulent.” The word “fraudulent” raises a barrier which has become more and more difficult to hurdle as the technical lawyer has developed his art. Fraudulency involves a state of mind. It is necessary to prove that the suspected violator intended to defraud and that his statements on the label are made in bad faith. It requires no emphasis to stress to the technical mind the difficulties involved in securing convictions under such circumstances, particularly since many judges and most juries have difficulty in distinguishing symptoms from the disease. If the defense is able to create in the mind of the judge the impression that the alleged remedy is of some benefit, however minor, unless he has some familiarity with the technicalities involved, he may easily be led into error. The public is notably gullible, and it is not surprising that, with cleverly worded labels which few stop to read with care, the names of diseases are wrongfully interpreted as a statement that the contents of the package is a specific. The time was, early in the history of the enforcement of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, when the claims made were so broad that all but the least informed and most negligent saw at once the futility of expecting the patented article to be of benefit. The cases of today are examples of excellent finesse,
