Lenin’s Businessman

THE DEATH of Armand Hammer last month was marked by unrestrained encomia. In addition to a full-page obituary, the New York Times published an editorial that lauded the multi-millionaire’s “keen eye for art,” his “bold business sense,” his “restless intelligence and prodigious energy.” The editorial went on to praise his “tireless efforts to improve relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.” Somewhat bafflingly, the piece concluded with the tribute that Hammer was “probably the only American who could have told Mr. Gorbachev what Lenin was really like.” Quite why Mr. Gorbachev would particularly want an American to tell him “what Lenin was really like” was left unclear.

Mr. Szamuely is a freelance writer living in New York.

GS

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George Szamuely

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THE DEATH of Armand Hammer last month was marked by unrestrained encomia. In addition to a full-page obituary, the New York Times published an editorial that lauded the multi-millionaire’s “keen eye for art,” his “bold business sense,” his “restless intelligence and prodigious energy.” The editorial went on to praise his “tireless efforts to improve relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.” Somewhat bafflingly, the piece concluded with the tribute that Hammer was “probably the only American who could have told Mr. Gorbachev what Lenin was really like.” Quite why Mr. Gorbachev would particularly want an American to tell him “what Lenin was really like” was left unclear.

Mr. Szamuely is a freelance writer living in New York.