THE WEEK

national review will not publish a review of Alger Hiss’ book, which the editors have read. We do hot account it a book, but a political maneuver. The contents of the book are irrelevant; they are, even, uninteresting. We do not propose to treat Hiss’ innocence as a School of Thought. No more would we deal seriously with a book that sought to establish the validity of the Protocols of Zion, or the guilt of Dreyfus. We shall, in due course, comment on the reception given to Alger Hiss’ book. It is ferment and confusion, not vindication, that Alger Hiss, Communist, hopes to effect. We do not propose to give him a hand.

In Poland tension seems to be mounting between the majority of the people, Seeking increased freedom and better economic conditions, and the Gomulka government, committed to a regime that is (with whatever modifications) still Communist. Riots have been reported from several towns, the most severe in Jaroslaw, where police and special troops used tear gas in combating local riots. Jaroslaw is a barracks city for Soviet military units. There are indications that the underlying cause of the disturbances there was resentment against the Russian occupation. Gomulka, meanwhile, is trying to re-establish a monolithic editorial line in the Communist party press, and to shut down thereby the public criticism that played so large a part in the partial thaw that took place last year in Poland.

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national review will not publish a review of Alger Hiss’ book, which the editors have read. We do hot account it a book, but a political maneuver. The contents of the book are irrelevant; they are, even, uninteresting. We do not propose to treat Hiss’ innocence as a School of Thought. No more would we deal seriously with a book that sought to establish the validity of the Protocols of Zion, or the guilt of Dreyfus. We shall, in due course, comment on the reception given to Alger Hiss’ book. It is ferment and confusion, not vindication, that Alger Hiss, Communist, hopes to effect. We do not propose to give him a hand.

In Poland tension seems to be mounting between the majority of the people, Seeking increased freedom and better economic conditions, and the Gomulka government, committed to a regime that is (with whatever modifications) still Communist. Riots have been reported from several towns, the most severe in Jaroslaw, where police and special troops used tear gas in combating local riots. Jaroslaw is a barracks city for Soviet military units. There are indications that the underlying cause of the disturbances there was resentment against the Russian occupation. Gomulka, meanwhile, is trying to re-establish a monolithic editorial line in the Communist party press, and to shut down thereby the public criticism that played so large a part in the partial thaw that took place last year in Poland.