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PARTISAN REVIEW
real nature of the whole affair and its
moral and psychological character. As to
the former, we have all of us posed, in
various ways, always with moderation and
with regard only for the interests of truth
and freedom, the serious problem of Sta–
linist totalitarianism and the democratic
rights of the Russian people. We have
stood for free thought as against regi–
mented thought, and have opposed meth–
ods which demoralize the workingclass
movement. That is the only reason we
have been hated and persecuted-110me of
us for many years-by the Communists.
Two of us, in the pr.isons of the U.S.S.R.
and in the GPU prisons of Loyalist Spain,
have considered these questions at our
leisure-with the executioner's revolver in
the background.
As to the moral-psychological methods
used in this affair: there is something
humiliating and degrading in being forced
to defend one's self against accusations
that are literally insarie, charges which
could not stand the slightest examination,
put forward without a shadow of proof,
hut dangerous just the same, since no one
would believe that slander could be man–
ufactured on such a whblesale scale.
These methods, on a larger stage, served
for the Moscow Trials, and, in Mexico it–
self, for preparing the ideological ground–
work for the murder of Leon Trotsky.
Our own experience confirms us in our
belief that the fight against the poison of
totalitarianism requires first of all psycho–
logical hygiene. We must patiently try to
cleanse social and ideological struggles of
slander, of vicious lies fabricated to order,
of incitements to pogroms, of such low
political tricks as to use the suffering and
heroism of the Russian people as a cover
for the machinations of the GPU abroad.
May we, finally, through your maga–
zine, express our thanks to all the indi–
viduals whose friendly support has been
so precious and comforting to us in this
affair.
MEXICO CITY
Sincerely,
JuLIAN GoRKIN
MARCEAU PIVERT
GusTAV REeLER
VICTOR SERGE
P.S.
It
has not been possible to get in
touch with Grandiso Muniz, hut we are
sure he would be in general agreement
with this letter.
