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. . The force which has cast Stalin in the role of Robespierre ... is the force of nationalism as exemplified in the Red Army"—i. e. Stalin, the Georgian strongman and Voroshilov, his Defense Minister who is wildly popular with Soviet Youth. Mr. Levine suggests that these two are now deliberately picking off Old Bolsheviks in a judicial "blood purge" based on the needs of Russian Youth. As pro-Stalin as Levine is pro-Trotsky is Earl Browder, sour U. S. Communist No. 1 (see cut, p. 19). Last week the Moscow Trial was perhaps too risky for Comrade Browder to comment upon and he confined himself to fuming because the U. S. adherents of Leon Trotsky have lined up with Socialist Norman Thomas rather than with Earl Browder, a development highly vexing to Joseph Stalin. At the annual Lenin Memorial Meeting in Manhattan last week, 20,000 Communists heard Browder hopefully bellow: "The American Socialist Party swallowed the poison of Trotskyism more than a year ago, and is already in the paroxysms of vomiting it forth again!" At latest reports Norman Thomas had not shown any sign of giving up Leon Trotsky's "ism" o please Earl Browder. "That Monkey Radek!" The Ogpu, in bringing Radek to trial, stuck into the prisoner's box last week the most impish and irrepressible Communist who has ever risen high in that somewhat solemn Party. If the whole trial was just a show, and if anyone conceivably might give the show away—even though shot for it—-the prisoner to watch was Radek, and all Moscow knew it and read every word uttered in confession by "That Monkey Radek."Radek, with his glass of hot tea, his cigaret, and his sardonic way—was he or was he not cracking jokes even before the Soviet Supreme Court, characteristically subtle jokes? Everyone could judge for himself:
¶ Prosecutor Vishinsky in the course of lecturing Prisoner Radek remarked upon the fact that for three months after his arrest Radek had not confessed. "Ask me why I did not confess! Ask me!"shot back the Monkey. "Ask me why I did not confess! Be so good, ask me. I call upon you to ask me why."The prosecutor did not ask him. ¶ Radek confessed readily to everything Vishinsky charged, and then went right on confessing in reductio ad absurdum. Cried the Monkey, nearly if not quite giving the Ogpu show away, "I am guilty of ALL tne charges of ALL the terrorist plots—EV£N THOSE I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT!", and the grimacing Monkey took another swig of tea. ¶ As if inspired by the Monkey, Prisoner Serebriakov soon afterward cut the monkeyshine of confessing that in on the plot to get Stalin were members of the Georgian family of the "Marrying Mdivanis" (TIME, March 23 et ante). Serebriakov said that a "Prince Budu Mdivani" had "connived"with Piatakov and himself to kill "Comrade Laurentius Beria, Secretary of the Communist Party of Transcaucasia, and others."This Moscow monkeyshine quite failed to amuse in Manhattan this week Prince David Mdivani who wanted it clearly understood that the Prince Budu Mdivani of the Moscow Trial is not his brother. "I had only two brothers, Sergei and Alexis,"said Prince David, "and both of them are dead."