By Selwyn Duke
There is a price to be paid for embracing lies. This truth is never more evident than in an almost-forgotten story from American history: The depression-era emigration of Americans to the Soviet Union.
The New York Sun has just run a review of a book about this event; the reviewer is Richard Pipes and the book is The Forsaken, by Tim Tzouliadis. It is an interesting story about Americans who were taken in by Soviet propaganda and, amazingly, went behind the Iron Curtain in search of a better life.
But they were in for a rude awakening. After relinquishing their American passports and becoming disenchanted with existence — I won’t call it "life" — in the Soviet Union, they found that they had long passed the point of no return. Stalin wouldn’t let them go, and when they complained, they ended up in gulags, where most of them perished.
Not only is there a price for embracing lies, there’s also one for spreading them. As to this, there are villains in this story, such as George Bernard Shaw, who was enamored of socialism and helped spread Soviet propaganda. This helps explain why he is regarded as a literary giant, as the left just loves their own. Yet, one has to wonder how much blood he had on his pen. The book also exposes other useful idiots. Writes Pipes:
Much of the book deals with American-Soviet relations during the 1930s
and 1940s. We are given examples of the incredible naïveté of Franklin
Roosevelt, who lacked even elementary knowledge of the Communist
regime: He is quoted as asking, "How could Stalin afford to buy all
these factories?" There are vignettes of the no less naïve vice
president, Henry Wallace, who visited the concentration camp at Magadan
and found nothing amiss, as well as of the despicable American
ambassador to Moscow, the multimillionaire Joseph Davies, who liked
everything in the Soviet Union and even took Stalin’s show trials at
face value. These public figures eclipse the poor devils who had
themselves migrated to the Soviet Union — and who flit in and out of
the pages of this book, faceless and nameless.
Wow, Roosevelt asked, "How could Stalin afford to buy all
these factories?" That’s precious. And they say George Bush is stupid?
Of course, Roosevelt was essentially a socialist himself, which is why he proposed a 100 percent tax on all income over $25,000. That’s right, 100 percent. However, due to Republican opposition, he had to settle for 90. This explains why he is regarded as a great president. Yes, the left really does love their own.
Read the rest of the book review here.
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