34
PARTISAN REVIEW
this as the French line, the Italian line and even the English line,
but to hear it expounded in my own living-room gives me a chill.
Inevitably the Hiss case must be dragged in. What, C. demands,
is so awful about what Hiss did, if indeed he did do it, which C.
gravely doubts, considering the nature of his accuser? In the first
place, what secrets were available to Hiss to pass on? And in the
second place, if he acted in the cause of peace, why do we condemn
him instead of hailing him as a hero?
Then what about Fuchs, we ask? Fuchs was not accused by a
Chambers; he confessed. Does C. consider Fuchs a hero too? Well,
answers C., Fuchs is psychopathic, is he not? Perhaps, we reply.
If
he is not, says C., and if he acted on high principle, yes, he must
be respected too. We press the obvious point: suppose it were a
pro-Nazi who on
his
high principle gave away our state secrets to
Hitler. Would the same judgment apply to him? C. begins to mod–
ulate. No-o-o, because, after all, we can't make a parallel between
Hitler Germany and Stalin's Russia. Oh, can't we, say we- but
we all go on at a great rate, getting nowhere.
For what it all comes down to, in C.'s mind, is the fear of
war. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more to be dreaded than another
armed conflict. There will be no Europe left, and the Europeans
know it. There will be no America left, but the Americans don't
know it. Speaking in the name of all men of conscience, C. makes
his pronouncement-he would rather live under Stalin than die
for our questionable democracy. We find it conventionally wearisome
to try to explain that that may be the option confronting him but
that as to ourselves the choices are rather different and therefore
differently to be resolved: we prefer taking our chances on dying
for democracy to facing certain death under Communism. He is
discomfited by our passion but untouched by our reasoning.
As
he
leaves he kisses my hand and murmurs jocularly- the joke is heavy
with its barb-"I'm really not a Communist, you know. You don't
have to report me to the FBI."
And of course this is precisely what I do know, that he is not
a Communist nor has ever been one. He wouldn't dream of joining
a Communist party or taking Communist direction. He is a good
intelligent man; and in part he is only trying these ideas on for size.
