"He Will See War Through"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 166, 16 July 1941, Page 6

"He Will See War Through"

RUSSIA'S LEADER

TALKS WITH STALIN

AUCKLANDER MET HIM

AGAINST HOME BACKGROUND

"THERE was little about him when A he came into the office to indicate that he might be,the bearer of a story of such notable proportions— a short, thick-set man with the voice, the manner and the reefer-type coat that indicated the one-time sailor. But he had a story about Russia to tell, and when he added in that story, "Joe Stalin told me," the point of the story jumped like a barometer at the approach of a hurricane.

Had he met Stalin personally, he was asked.

"Six times." he said. "Twice in his flat in Moscow and four times at the home of my brother-in-law in Stalingrad."

He wouldn't give his name for publication, but he showed a card which marked him as a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, added that he had been 34 years in the British Navy, ending as a warrant officer, and that for three years in the Great. War he was a pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service —forerunner of the Fleet.' Air Arm. Those were his credentials, and he told his story with a wealth of intimate detail that indicated truthfulness, ii indications were needed.

• lJelative of Commissar His point of contact with the leader of Soviet. Russia was the brother-in-law, one Abraham Palitzin. a Russian Jew, who is now Commissar of Industry in the district of Stalingrad. In other words, he is in charge of the greatest industrial district of Soviet Russia, an area corresponding to Britain's Birmingham, or Sheffield, with a population of 2,000,000 people. It takes one-third of the electric power from the famous Dneisterpol power station. Palitzin. who was educated in the University of Kiev as a veterinary surgeon, was arrested in 1896 (under the Czars) for a student prank with political aspects, and was sentenced to 15 years' exile in Siberia.

His further adventures were highly romantic. He escaped two years later from Irkutsk, and made his way to the coast on foot, a distance of 1000 miles. He stowed away aboard a ship and landed eventually at Singapore, where he was "kicked off." Between then and his arrival in Britain some time later he stowed away on eight different ships—his lack of any other language than Russian making it impossible for him to get work.

"My father had a big carrying business in Woodbells. Essex. ' and one night when I went out to the stables I found Abraham curled tip in a pile of straw. All he could say was 'England' and 'pleeze.' hut w'e got a Polish-Russian tailor in the district to speak to him. and when mv father found he was a qualified veterinary he gave him a job looking after the horses. He proved a first-class business man in the next few years, and saved my father, who was easy-going, thousands of pounds. Eventually he married my sister.

"After the revolution he was in touch with the Soviet Government, and was eventually invited hack. He was appointed to his present position in 1934."

Stalin As Fellow-Guest

Coming back to his storv, the teller recorded how, in 1937, he was in England on a visit from New Zealand and was invited by his sister, Martha Palitzin, to pay them a visit He arrived in Stalingrad on April 21 of the following year. The dav after his arrival Palitzin told him that he was expecting a visit from M. Stalin in a few days' time, and that he would be staying with them.

"Sure enough, on April 26, a car drew up outside and a man walked to the door and rang the bell. I will never forget how impressed I was with my first sight of him. My first thought was: 'What a fine Lifeguardsman you would make.' He stood about sft lOin or 31 in in height, well proportioned and erect, with handsome features, eyes set wide apart, a strong jaw and nose and heavy cavalry moustache.

"He seemed a warmly human man, and I can picture him now, most clearly, smoking that huge curved pipe of his—an ounce of tobacco would make four smokes for him— and with a bottle of beer in front of him. He seemed to be fond of his beer, although a temperate man. When he shook hands with me he took my right hand in both his hands, and I noticed that he alwavs seemed to do that. It was the on'ly unusual personal habit I found in him."

Stalin seemed to know a great deal about the outside world, and when New Zealand was mentioned as the home of the visitor the Russian leader referred in terms of high eulogy to the late Mr. M. .1. Savage, who was then Prime Minister. He was a great man, he said.

"His features did not seem those of a typical Slav, and later I asked him through Abraham regarding his nationality. fie answered that in ♦he socialist, philosophy all men were brothers—so what difference die! nationality make? He was a most unpretentious man, wearing simple dress, with tunic buttoned up to the neck. He was wearing a fur coat when he arrived, but. as it was manv degrees below zero outside, and good fur coats cost about £5 in Moscow, that was not an unusual item of clothing."

Attitude to War During the three days and nights that the Soviet leader was with them, Stalin was mostly occupied in inspections of the many factories, foundries and other works under his brother-in-law's charge. Any conversation he had with Stalin liad to be through Palitzin, as Stalin apparently spoke no English. Stalin, he noticed, was most polite in his dealings with Martha and her children, and before lighting his pipe always asked her permission.

Greatly daring in the intimacy of their contact, the New Zealand visitor asked what side Russia would take in the event of a European war. Stalin answered him gravely—he rarely smiled, he noticed—that if he could keep out of it he would be on no one's side. He quoted the tremendous losses suffered by Russia in the Great War and the later troubles that ravished that country, and added that no country could afford to waste the youth of consecutive generations when they were needed to work for the betterment of humanity.

"He was an affable sort of chap " commented the story-teller, referring to Stalin's general demeanour in the house.

His next meeting took place about the end of June, 1938, when his brother-in-law took him on a journey to Moscow, via the second great industrial centre, Nijni-Novgorod. They arrived at night and went immediately to Stalin's home in another part of the city from the Kremlin area. The visitor was surprised to find that this home was a fiat in an apartment building reserved for officials. A maid answered the door, took their names and came back a moment or two afterwards with instructions to follow her.

In Stalin's Flat

Another surprise was in store, for they were led down a passage to the kitchen! There Stalin was sitting at the kitchen table smoking his pipe, a bottle of beer opened before him. He was conversing with a woman, who was cooking. "I understood from my brother-in-law that she was Mrs. Stalin, but I can't be sure of that. His daughter. 18 or 19 years old, was also in the flat." Describing the apartment, the narrator said that it appeared to be of seven or eight rooms. The walls and ceiling were panelled and there was little of a decorative nature, barring a few etchings. The furniture, of a middle-class English tj-pe, was mostly leather-covered and of good quality.

Breaking his narrative, the speaker commented that he understood Stalin's salary was about 150 roubles a week, a rouble being worth then about 1/9, but more than that in the scale of values ruling in Russia. His brother-in-law earned 100 roubles a week (about £9). The wage for skilled workmen was one rouble an hour for a 47-hour week with overtime, also at one rouble an hour, up to 12 hours. Commissars and officials lived rent free.

It was during conversation that night that inquired regarding the question of religion in Soviet Russia. He had noticed that a seven-day week was worked, and inquired about the cutting out of Sunday. Stalin explained that there was a considerable difficulty about the question in Russia, where, of a population of 100,000.000. about 10.000.000 were Mohammedans whose holv dav was Friday, 00 to 05,000.000 Jews and Seventh Day Adventists, whose Sabbath was Saturday, and the remainder Christians of various denominations who observed Sunday. Every man had a consecutive haif-dav and day off each week (13 consecutive hours). They were allowed to choose their own dav of rest, according to their beliefs. *

"So much for godless Russia," commented the teller of the story, who said that his brother-in-law. a Jew, and his sister, a Protestant, each attended their own services. He described the Russian point of view to the Orthodox Church which had been found, he said, to be corrupt. Religion was practised without hindrance, but the churches were not allowed to take any part in politics.

Stalin explained that when Lenin came into power he was an idealist and tried to establish a system that was 100 per cent Communist. Before he died he found that it was too perfect an ideal to live up to at present, and ho had to make concessions in the way of allowing a certain amount of private trade. From being a majority party, the Communists had become the minority partv in the State. He (Stalin) had had" to make further concessions because he realised that the day of real Communism was still far in the future.

Crucifix in Room "Throughout, Stalin gave no indication of his own religious beliefs " said the informant, "but then he said and did a strange thing. He went on. as far as I can remember Abie's translation, 'Communism is like Christianity, almost impossible to live up to. Many say that Christianity has failed. Th'e onlv thing is that nobody has given it a trial yet.' "Saying that he walked to one of the walls, pulled back a curtain and disclosed an alcove. There was a large crucifix, about 4ft high. 'There is the world's first Communist.' he said 'and that it what humanitv did to Him.' "

The narrator commented that he had heard that Stalin was trained for the priesthood. To his own knowRussian leader knew his Bible backwards," and often quoted • - suppose they will say that is the devil quoting Scripture? " he commented.

Once again he met Stalin on their return to the capital on the same journey. On the occasion referred to above they had dined with him, i but this was purely a business visit ! though again it was to Stalin's flat' rhe visitor was in Stalingrad until late June. 1939. and during the 1G months of his stay there were three other occasions when the Russian leader came to stay with the Palitzins, but for shorter periods than the first occasion. Military Preparations t h °s e occasions concerned h\? v, v? testing of a new big bomber built in one of the Stalingrad factories. It was a fourengined job, 70ft long and with an bStt wing span. It was armed he said. with eight machine-guns (Biownings carrying a 3SI r*ir tridge), and eight .38 mm', cannon Its speed was said to be 350 mph and it carried nine tons of bombs or' stnpped down. 64 men with full guns^ inClUding c 'Sht machine-

He had examined the tvpc of rifle carried by Russian soldiery and found it to be an improved tvpc of Mauser, much better than the German model.

"My brother-in-law tolcl mc that owing to transportation difficulties it would take 30 days to mobilise the first army, totalling 18.000.000 men and that a further 12.000.000 could be mobilised in 60 days. That was &?, tot ?l a .U n r they could'put in the field. At that time, he told me thev were so well equipped that there was a spare rifle for each one of those men if necessary, and 10.000 rounds of ammunition for each rifle in store! '

Thus his story told, the visitor departed, but he had one final remark • .••,} * see . Britain lias signed a pact with Russia. I don't know what wiil happen, but I am confident of thi' Stalin will stick it out to the finish.''