22
PARTISAN REVIEW
stand similarities and differences; one should look to the thoughts,
the design, of the builder.
Mostovskoy found himself gripped by a joyful, triumphant
rage - against Liss and Hitler, against the English officer with the
colorless eyes who had asked him about criticisms of Marxism, against
the sickening speeches of the one-eyed Menshevik, against the mawkish
preacher who had turned out to be a police agent. Where would
these men ever find people stupid enough to believe that there was
the faintest shadow of resemblance between a Socialist State and the
Fascist Reich? The Gestapo officer Liss was the only consumer of
their rotten goods. Now, as never before, Mostovskoy understood
the inner link between Fascism and its agents.
And wasn't this the true genius of Stalin? He had hated and an–
nihilated these people because he alone had seen the hidden brother–
hood between Fascism and these Pharisees who advocated a specious
freedom. This thought now seemed so obvious that he wanted to ex–
plain it-to bring home to Liss the full absurdity of his theories. But
he contented himself with a smile: he'd been around a long time; he
wasn't like that fool Goldenberg who'd blathered to the Public Pros–
ecutor about the affairs of "People's Will."·
He stared straight at Liss. Then, in a voice that could probably
be heard by the guard on the other side of the door, he said: "The
best advice I can offer you is to stop wasting your time on me. You
can stand me against the wall! You can hang me! You can do me in
however you like!"
"No one here wishes to do you in," Liss answered hurriedly.
"Please calm down."
"I'm quite calm," said Mostovskoy brightly. "I've got nothing to
worry about."
"But you do have something to worry about. You should share
my sleeplessness. What is the reason for our enmity? I can't under–
stand ... Is it that the Fuhrer is a mere lackey of Stinnes and Krupp?
That there's no private property in your country? That your banks
and factories belong to the people? That you're internationalists and
we're preachers of racial hatred? That we set things on fire and you
extinguish the flames? That the world hates us - and that its hopes
are centered on Stalingrad? Is that what you people say ... ? Non–
sense! There is no divide. It's just been dreamed up . In essence we
• A revolutionary organization of the nineteenth century.
