cardboard. I at first demurred but he insisted, so I finally accepted them but told him, "OK, I'll take them with thanks, but, as we say in America, "Don't get any ideas!” I guess he got the message because nothing overt happened.

But it turned out that he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw Soviet, was a television engineer retired, had been a communist for 40 years and had been arrested both by the old Polish government and the Germans. We had a most interesting discussion about politics and economics and it was borne in on me that people are victims of propaganda no matter which side they are on. For instance, in discussing the Czech invasion he told me with a straight face that the Russians "had to move in as the West Germans, British, and Americans were poised on the border to invade themselves." Naturally I told him that was the most errant nonsense but people believe what their authorities tell them which goes for Americans too.

After having dinner with him in a little Polish restaurant which I paid for somewhat to my surprise I didn't know whether it was because he couldn't afford it or whether, in a socialist country where everyone works, women pay for their own meals or what we went back to the hotel and the tour group arrived about 11 a.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 23 — Did the city tour this morning. We saw a film about the war and the destruction of Warsaw. It was really ghastly

800,000 people killed. The Germans not only destroyed it as a city but destroyed the destruction you might say. They went about dyanmit- ing buildings that were already destroyed. Hitler had told them to leave no brick on top of another and they certainly tried to follow orders. All the more miraculous to see the city as it is today. The people appear to be happy, lots of new buildings, shops full of goods, cars on the streets, etc. In the afternoon we took a drive in the country out to Chopin's home which was a pretty little cottage. We enjoyed a Chopin concert there by a pianist who came along with us. I learned that the peasants still own their own land and can sell some of their goods on the open market. A man can employ up to five persons besides his family mem- bers in his business and can earn up to 10,000 zlotys a month (about $400 but in terms of their price structure would be several times that in purchasing power). Above that the income tax is confiscatory. It just shows that parts of the private incentive capitalist structure and parts of the socialist structure can live together. I found this to be true with modifications in all the other socialist countries, too. It is not Russian communism as we have been led to believe.

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