LENINISM [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] • Sin,—Since your

reviewer of Stalin's book Leninism tells

us that he cannot modify what he wrote,- I must ask leave to reply.' For his errors of pure fact are -so glaring and so clear-cut (and yet are so common) that it is important to clear them up. For unless this is done there can be no possibility of understanding Russia. And it is highly advisable to understand another country—even if you propose the most hostile action against her. I will try to deal very briefly with the four points which he makes in his reply to my letter.

First, he implies that I am a Communist. I suppose

that it is common form in these controversies to say this of anyone who dares to defend anything Russian. By doing so in this case, however, he merely adds one more- to his

errors of fact.

Second, he reaffirnis his statement that the Stalin-Zinovieff

controversy is " merely splitting hairs." What was this controversy ? Stalin said that Socialism could be built up in Rifssili alone, and has set about the job. Zinovieff denied this, said that it would be futile even'to try, and urged that everything should be concentrated on international revolu. tionary action. I can only say that if this vital and acute difference is a " hair," then it is the sort of hair on which

the World is split.

Your reviewer seems to think that the decision of this issue in friVeur of Stalin does not matter because it has not resulted, and will not result, in the withdrawal of the Russian Communist Party from the Third International. Who ever pretended it would ? But it has, and will, greatly modify the policy of the" Russian party working within the Third International, which I, of course, agree it almost completely controls.

Third, your reviewer gives us his reason for having made that fantastic assertion : " Stalin is not interested in material progress." This is it : " it is precisely because Stalin's astonishing work is a highly technical book of political theory that I conclude that he is not interested in material progress."

What an argument ! In future I suppose your reviewer will conclude that because a scientist writes a book on astronomy he is not in the least interested in his dinner ! Moreover, , even though this particular book of Stalin's is primarily a work of political theory, it is literally full of evidence that Stalin is intensely concentrated on the task of hastening Russia's material progress. Your reviewer tells us that he his " repeatedly searched its four hundred and fifty pages," but can find nothing but political theory, May I assist him ? I will refer him, for example, to the section beginning with page 382. I should have thought that " repeated search " might at any rate have revealed the first three chapter headings. They are : (1) " General Economic Position," (2) " Industry and Agriculture," (8)

" Commercial Problems." In those chapters alone he will find a wealth of exact figures shoWing very clearly the exact material results, the "economic successes, and also the failures, of the Soviet regime down to the year 1926-27. I could pick a passage proving Stalin's passion for material progress from most pages in the book. Almost at hazard I take this one, which appears on page 396 :— " AbOve all, it is incumbent upon us to develop our large-scale State industry at all-costs, and to overcome the difficulties which stand in the way.- Next, we must do what we can to develop the local, the provincial soviet industries. Comrades, we cannot Content ourselves with the development of our centrally admin- istered industry, for -the centrally administered industries, our centralized trusts and syndicates, cannot possibly satisfy the mani- fold needs of a population numbering 140 millions. To satisfy the mUltiform needs of so large a population, we must see to it that in every county, in every province, in every region, in every national republic, there shall be an active industrial life. Unless, in our work to promote economic development, we can arouse the local forces from their slumbers, unless we support local industries by all possible means, we shall never see in Soviet Russia that great blossoming of economic life of which Lenin used to speak."

Now, Sir, I submit to you in all moderation that for a

reviewer to state that the author of such a passage is " not interested in material progress " is a piece of very serious and very definite falsification. I write as one who naturally has very much at heart the high reputation of the Spectator

for impartiality.—I am, Sir, &c., JOHN STRACIIEY.

89 St. LeoUard's Terrace, Chelsea, S.W, 8.

[Our reviewer writes : " (1) I did not say that Mr. Strachey is a Communist. I do not know the precise shade of Red or Pink which he now affects. (2) If and when Stalin ceases to interfere in other peoples' affairs, his difference with Zinovieff may assume importance. Until then it is, I repeat, merely splitting hairs. (3) If Stalin were really interested, in material progress, he would have devoted somewhat more than a fifth of his political report to the Congress of 1925 on this subject. The report fills one hundred pagei ; the sections cited by Mr. Strachey, and one besides, fill twenty pages. But the whole book runs to 450 pages. Would not a man who is, in Mr. Strachey's view, passionately inter- ested in material progress have given rather more than 5 per cent. of his space to that subject ? (4) Mr. Strachey's wealth of exact figures . . . down to the year 1926-27'

cannot be found in my copy. AS the Congress to which Stalin was reporting was held in 1925, Mr. Strachey is perhaps quoting some other document. All that I can find is a number of loose citations of percentages and round figures, selected to show that the Communist regime was not after all doing so badly. Mr. Strachey's own quotation exemplifies the facile generalizations and vague aspirations which satisfy Stalin's admirers. You can see that Stalin is bored with the subject. He is a different man when he is arguing with Zinovieff about the true interpretation of the92;14x•Ic of Lenin.' "—En. Spectator.]