Decline And Fall Of Soviet Student

Press, Volume C, Issue 29466, 18 March 1961, Page 4

Decline And Fall Of Soviet Student

(N.Z.P.A -Reuter)

MOSCOW. Retribution has overtaken a Soviet student who was a kev character in a Western best-seller about life in the Soviet Union. He has been interviewed by the Soviet security police, tried by a comrades’ court consisting of his fellow students at college, and expelled from the Young Communist organisation and his institute. The story of the student’s decline and fall was toid in the Soviet Government newspaper. “Izvestia.” recently as a warning and object lesson to all who become "tainted" by bourgeois ideology His fate, however, is not unique. A campaign to clean up Soviet society and drive out the “tunyardtsi" (parasites) and “stilyagi" (teddy boys) has caught others like him. And it has been especially severe on those who. through knowing Westerners, find themselves "on the brink of treason.” Theme of Book “Izvestia” said that the youth in question had appeared in a book entitled “A Room in Moscow" under the fictitious name of "Sergei.” The book was published more than two years ago in the West by a British girl. Miss Sally Belfrage. who lived in Moscow for five months after the 1957 Youth Festival and who got to know some of the capital’s “jet-set.” The life of 'Sergei” and his thoughts, and those of his friends, on the Soviet system, were an important theme in the book. "Izvestia,” writing an additional chapter to the book—which has not been published . here, made it clear that it ■ liked, neither "Miss Sally” . nor what it described as her t "slanderous anti-Soviet lam- ■ poons.” But it was mainly con- . cerned with the youth who, . it said, was a good student • of architecture as well as a I good Young Communist, who • even went to the Virgin Land i grain area to help bring in ■ the harvest. i He did, however, it added. 1 like to boast about his fashionable clothes and colourful English magazines, though on . the whole, he was harmless enough—until he met "Miss Sally.” Then, with other "masters of rock ’n* roll. 1 champions of restaurants market businessmen and ! speculators, he became her • friend.” I Caused Suspicion i “Izvestia” reported that from then on his whole manJ ner of behaviour and the i kind of people he mixed with ' "caused suspicion.” For more j than a year, he frequented Intourist hotels and specui lated in a range of foreign i goods from “razor blades to ’ brassieres.” , But his worst sin was that in "helping Miss Sally to gather material for her slanderous book, he becanie an adviser in a foul ideological diversion." [ His fate, according to the newspaper, was linked with j that of the two Russian > youths arrested by Soviet • security police last year for j being "agents of the Amerii can intelligence." The two i youths. Vyacheslav Repni- • kov and Rostislav Ribkin. featured in newspaper stories i shortly after the trial of

Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot. "Izvestia" said that when these youths were interrogated many fictitious names appearing in Miss Belfrage’s book became clear. And thev told the security police that the youth, "Sergei." "cherished a dream to go abroad." "What is the Game?" The security police acted quickly. “Sergei” was called to account for his action and. in the words of the newspaper, was asked; "What is your game? Are you a student and Komsomol member? Are you a patriot—or an enemy of your motherland?" He made a statement in which he pleaded guilty to being a criminal and a fool by talking with Miss Belfragc "without suspecting that the story of my life would develop into a dirty rumour." The newspaper emphasised that the youth’s actions were punishable under the Soviet criminal code but that "only educational measures" were inflicted on him. He appeared before a court set up by his comrades at the Moscow Architects’ Institute. His father, a professor, was ordered to attend and told the meeting: "I am guilty for failing to implant in my son the sentiment of being proud to be a Soviet man.” “Such Deception" "Sergei,” on the other hand, was rude to the court the newspaper added, and gave no indication of intention of changing his ways He was then expelled from the Komsomol and the institute. “Izvestia” approved the sentence but complained bitterly that the youth was apparently having the last laugh. “Is he hewing wood in the Kareliya snows? Making new roads in the Virgin Lands? Building a new town in the Far North?” it asked. "Oh. no, no. Do not seek him so far from Moscow. He is not far from Kiev, wasting his time on the banks of the River Dnieper. Such deception!”