BERNARD LEVIN IN MOSCOW Sin,--This was a sad disappointment. Perhaps
we expected too much, Truly there is not much to be witty and humorous about in Moscow.
The article will give much joy, however, to the Communists and I expect to see it reprinted in full in the Moscow joke magazine Krokodil. The Rus- sians like to publish these articles as laugh material for their readers, and I am afraid this time the laugh is certainly on Levin. He will hardly be able to complain if the Russians give him the treatment he gave Ian Fleming, who was equally fatuous and inaccurate about Hong Kong.
Firstly, what would Bernard want with a phone book when he cannot read Russian? When I was in Moscow; I simply went downstairs to the kiosk which stands at every street corner, paid twenty kopecks (about twopence) and got any number I wanted out of the phone book. It costs a lot of money to buy new printing machinery to print phone books and, as few people (comparatively) in Moscow have a phone. I suppose it hardly seems worth the ex- pense. The Moscow Evening News is always carry; ing 'ads' telling people, 'Use the telephone to send greetings on birthdays and anniversaries.' Of course, it suits the party machine not to issue a new book, but I suppose they will get around to it in time. After all, Moscow has only had a milk delivery for about eighteen months. Formerly, one carried a pail to the milk shop. Mr. Levin noted the 'high
prices.' I wish he would let our Foreign Office know what the secret internal exchange rate is; they would love to know. So would I. There are about four different rouble rates, but the only two which Mr. Levin is likely to know about are the tourist rate and the diplomatic one.
The little maid with the frilled cap and streaming ribbons who sits on each landing of the hotel throughout day and night sat there, I can assure Mr. Levin, who should know better, long, long before the Revolution, chiefly at that time to look for burglars and suchlike. I am quite sure she is also useful to the secret police if they want information, but that is not why she is there.
Incompetence and disorganisation were also there long before the Revolution and have little to do with Communism.—Yours faithfully, White House, Regent's Park, NW 1 [Bernard Levin writes : 'I shall reply to this letter, and others received .on the subject, next week.'— Ed i to r, Spectator.]
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