Close Up (Jul-Dec 1928)

CLOSE L P We are swept on the crest of titanic events. Mr. Reed maintains an extraordinary literary coolness. Where other writers would liave thrown coherence to the winds in excitement and personal feeling, he has always remained the recorder — the camera, so to speak, showing us all the rush of events, itself securely planted, evenly cranked. His analvsis of Lenin is interesting. A strange, popular leader — a leader purely by virtue of intellect; colourless, humourless, uncompromising and detached, without picturesque idiosyncrasies — but with the power of explaining profound ideas in simple terms, of analysing a concrete situation." " We shall offer," says Lenin, " peace to the peoples of all the belligerent countries upon the basis of the Soviet terms — no annexations, no indemnities, and the right of selfdetermination of peoples." We who were left behind made for the Tsarskoye Selo station. L^p the Xevsky, as we passed. Red Guards were marching, all armed, some with bayonets, some without. The early twilight of winter was falling. Heads up, thev tramped in the chill mud, irregular lines of four, without music, without drums. A red tiag crudely lettered in gold, ' Peace ! Land!' floated over them. They were very young. The expression on their faces was that of men who know they are going to die. . . Half fearful, half contemptuous, the crowds on the sidewalk watched them pass, in hateful silence. . ." So to the flight of Kerensky " alone, ' disguised in the uniform of a sailor ' ", to the " Conquest of Power " and the historic Peasants' Congress, and to the proud, victorious words of Trotzky, " A new humanity will be born of this war. . . In this hall we swear to workers of all lands to remain 94