TRYING TO UNDERSTAND RUSSIA
SIR,—Mr. John Moscow says, truly, that what is wanted between us and Russia is the free exchange of ideas and information, and (rather blandly) "a good deal less moral indignation about an issue which is so confused" (which sounds like an echo from pre-Munich appeasers). To clear our confusion and avert moral indignation (though there is extremely little of this, there should, of course, be none between allies) it would be nice if the Soviet Government were to say a few words to us about the reasons (no doubt excellent, but so far obscure to us here) for their mass deportations of the populations—men, women and children of all classes— of Poland and the Baltic states to Siberia and elsewhere, and their repeated refusals to allow the access to these deportees (many of whom are reported to be starving) of the International Red Cross, U.N.R.R.A., or any other relief organisations. These deportations probably seem so natural to the Soviet Government and people that they may not realise that to outsiders they seem rather odd, even rather impertinent, and are causing in many of us those sighs of perplexity which, as Mr. Nicolson says, sound in Soviet ears like hurricanes of abuse. It is a great pity, and might surely be remedied by a little explanation.—Yours faithfully,
ROSE MACAULAY.
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