OPEN
LETTER OF DEAN REED TO ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN
Dear
colleague by art Aleksandr Isayevich!
I,
as an American artist, must reply on some of your charges, published
by capitalist press all over the world. In my opinion, they are
false charges and the peoples of world must know, why they false.
You stamped the USSR as deeply sick society, struck by hatred and
injustice. You say that the Soviet government could not live without
the enemies, and entire atmosphere in the hatred, which does not
stop even before the racial hatred. You probably speak about my
native land, but not about yours. Indeed precisely America, but
not the USSR, it wages wars and creates the stressed situation of
possible war, in order to give the possibility to its economy to
act, but to our dictators and military-industry (VPK) to acquire
still more wealth and power on the blood of Vietnamese people, our
own soldiers and all freedom-loving peoples of world. Sick society
is at my native land, but not at yours, Mr. Solzhenitsyn!
Specifically,
the USA, but not the USSR, became the most violent society, which
the history ever knew. America, where the Mafia has more economic
power, than even the largest corporations, and where our citizens
cannot walk at night along the streets without the fear to undergo
the attack of criminals. Indeed precisely in the USA, but not in
the USSR, their fellow citizens killed in the period with 1900 more
people, than it perished American soldiers in both World Wars, and
in Korea and Vietnam! Specifically, our society is considered convenient
to kill any progressive leader, who finds courage to raise voice
against some our injustices. That is what a sick society is, Mr.
Solzhenitsyn!
Further
you speak about the racial hatred. In the USA, but not in the USSR
for a period of two centuries remain unpunished the murders of the
Negroes, whom they hold in half-slavery. In the USA, but not in
the USSR the police beats and arrests any Negro, who attempts to
appear in defense of his rights.
Then
you say that the freedom of speech, the honest and complete freedom
of speech - here is the first condition of the health of any society
and ours also. Attempt to extend these thoughts among the suffering
peoples, forced to fight for existence and to live in spite of your
will under the oppression of dictators, who are held in authority
only because of the aid of the USA.
Tell
about your thoughts to people, whose health consists only in the
fact that half of their children dies during the delivery, since
they do not have money for the doctor, and they suffer entire life
without the medical service.
Tell
about this to people of capitalist world, whose health lies in the
fact that they spend entire life in the fear of unemployment. Tell
to American Negroes, as much them helped in fact the freedom of
speech in the process of their rightful fight for the equality of
rights with the white, when after two centuries of the freedom of
speech in an American-like kind in many regions of the USA they
think that to kill Negro is like to go to bear hunting!
Tell
to the workers of capitalist world about your ideas about the freedom
of speech as of the first condition of health, if because of the
shortage of money their children cannot develop their mental abilities
in the school, and therefore they will never learn to read! You
speak about the freedom of speech, while the major part of the population
of the world is still speaking about the opportunity of learning
to read! No, Mr. Solzhenitsyn, your definition of the freedom of
speech as the first condition of the health of society is faulty.
The first condition consists in making the country of healthy mentally,
moral, spiritually and physically, so that its citizens would read,
write, work and to live together in peace.
No,
Mr. Solzhenitsyn, I do not admit your first condition of the health
of society and especially in your definition and context. My country,
known for its freedom of speech - this is a country, where the police
will attack participants of peaceful marches. In my country peaceful
marches are permitted, and so far war continues in the same time,
since demonstrations, evidently, do not change at all the policy
of government. Do you really think that VPK, which rules in my country
and in a half of the world cares about the freedom of speech? Its
rulers realize, that they and only they possess ability to make
decisions. Truly the freedom of speech is in the words, but not
in reality.
You
stated that the USSR does not march in step with XX by century.
If this is true then this is because the USSR goes in front by one
half step of XX century! Do you really propose to your people to
abandon the role of a leader and advanced guard and to return to
the inhuman and cruel conditions existing in the remaining part
of the world, where the injustice truly abounds in the atmosphere
of almost feudal conditions of many countries? Mr. Solzhenitsyn,
in the article it is also said, what you - long-suffering writer
from the Soviet Union. Apparently, this means that you much suffer
because of the absence of moral and social principles, and that
your conscience torments you during quiet night hours, when you
remain one by one with yourself.
It
is correct, that the USSR has its own injustices and deficiencies,
but indeed everything in the world is relative. In principle and
in reality your society is trying to build really healthy and fair
society. The principles, on which is built your society, are healthy,
clear and fair, while the principles of my society are cruel, mercenary
(selfish) and unfair. Obviously, there can happen some mistakes
and injustices in life; however, there is no doubt that a society
built on fair principles has more prospects to come to fair society,
than that, which is built on injustice and exploitation of a man
by man. Society and government of my country are behind the time,
because their sole purpose consists in to keep a status quo in the
entire world. Specifically your country attempts to make progressive
steps into the name of humanity, and if it is not perfect sometimes
and stumbles at times, then we must not condemn entire system for
these defects, but must greet it for its courage and striving for
laying new ways. 
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