A Letter To Dr Hewlett Johnson...

Dear Dr Hewlett Johnson,

After to reading your statement from 1939, I was shocked to see how a visitor had interpreted the situation in the USSR! Yes, I agree that the USSR was a “land where none are unemployed” and this helped the production rate, which is obviously a positive result.

However, I believe you have some facts wrong! For example, you state that there is “no fear of underwork, no fear of overwork”, but this is actually incorrect. They had to work hard laborious hours in order to produce enough harvest for Stalin otherwise they would starve. He would’ve taken everything they had if they didn’t make the quota, which would have left them without food. Being a visitor like you are, you have no experience working under his command and don’t know the problems they encounter on a daily basis.

In addition, you state that there is “no fear” in the communities, which I have to disagree with you on! Fear is what made the people work harder. They were scared of the fines or the lack of food they would get if their production was not good enough.

To conclude, I don’t think you are wrong... just misinformed. As a visitor in the USSR from 1939, you only see what has been shown to you. You see how the production has increased and how the USSR has developed but you do not see the fear that he has caused. You don’t see what is happening to the people who have made this change in the USSR. You describe the country as a utopian world and that is not the case.

Hopefully, you take my information on board and see the situation for what it truly is.

Sincerely,

Imogen