Invitation to the Dance

Having bought ample space in two such solidly capitalistic papers as the N.Y. Herald Tribune and the N.Y. Times, 326 citizens of more or less good will invited the nation to follow the newest Communist party line. The occasion: the tenth anniversary of Georgi Dimitrov's epic Reichstag trial. The citizens: a spicy mixture of Earl Browder, Arturo Toscanini, Lillian Hellman. The party line: a united front of "progressives, liberals and democrats" behind Georgi Dimitrov. (Most newspaper readers asked themselves blankly: "Now who the hell is he?")

With a creditable power of memory, the signers of the testimonial ad recalled practically everything that Dimitrov, the burly General Secretary of the late Comintern, had said--ten years ago. But as to some of Dimitrov's more recent teachings, the 326 men & women suffered from amnesia. A merciful mental blackout had made them forget what the General Secretary wrote only four years ago:

>The British and American "bourgeoisie fools the working masses with the myth that this is a 'war against fascism.' "

>The war is to be blamed on the "Social-Democratic," "democratic," and "radical flunkeys of imperialism" in Great Britain and the U.S.

>The "American bourgeoisie is ... encouraging the further spreading of the flames of war," and even intends "to devitalize Japan."

Their innocent minds unmolested by any such torturing memories, the 326 newly loyal followers of Georgi Dimitrov implicitly endorsed Comrade Browder's modest definition of him as "the father of the Teheran Conference," the leader of the "all-inclusive unity of all the democratic and progressive forces of the world." Explicitly they pledged themselves to victory "in his name."

Three things were clear beyond any doubt: 1) Georgi Dimitrov is a courageous and disciplined agent of World Communism; 2) Earl Browder, for one, is not so sure that the Comintern is dead; 3) Arturo Toscanini is the world's greatest living conductor.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.