16
Friday, April 11, 1981
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
DICTATING
MACHINES
Russia's 'Dollar Inquisition' of the 1930s Recalled
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Editor-in-chief emeritus, JTA)
(Copyright 1981, Inc.)
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(Editor's note: This is a
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The "Dollar Inquisition"
took place in Soviet Russia
at the beginning of the
1930s, and continued un-
abated for some time. The
outside world knew nothing
about it because its victims
were forced to remain silent
when they were released by
the GPU.
This situation was
further obscured by the per-
sistent efforts of Soviet cen-
sorship which made a con-
centrated effort to keep the
slightest hint of the opera-
tion from emerging into the
open. However, as corre-
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MEW
891-1818 co
spondent of the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency in Mos-
cow, I broke through the
wall of silence.
In those years, Russia
was not the country it is to-
day. She was impecunious
and chaotic. She was so
dreadfully backward eco-
nomically that the populace
was forced to wait in long
queues to obtain ordinary
bread let alone other com-
modities.
Her own currency was
worthless abroad.
Neither did she have any
products to export. Be-
sides, she was compelled
to import machinery
from other countries,
even the engineers who
were to build up her in-
dustries. To achieve
these aims she was sorely
in need of foreign cur-
rency.
In this extreme need for
foreign currency to pay for
goods abroad, which she ur-
gently needed to strengthen
her military and civilian
industries, the Soviet gov-
ernment sold a number of
artistic works 66m her
museums to foreign buyers.
I myself, witnessed one such
purchase, made by Samuel
Lamport, an American
Zionist textile manufac-
turer.
The Soviets also quietly
and systematically- in-
itiated the "Dollar Inquisi-
tion" among their own
populace.
This inquisition was not
applied exclusively against
Jews, but it did impinge on
very many Jewish families.
The GPU would arrest any-
one suspected of owning dol-
lars or czarist gold rubles.
The victim would be tor-
tured until he surrendered
his gold or currency, or until
he convinced them that he
really had nothing to give
up. Such victims were then
released with a warning not
to reveal their experience to
anyone.
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Because many Jews
had relatives in America,
suspicion fell upon them
more than on other
people. But among those
arrested were many
non-Jews /too; some who
had one been wealthy
and were now suspected
of having old coin or dol-
lars from "the good old
days" hidden away. Also,
former rich peasants in
the villages had fallen
victim to the "Dollar In-
quisition"; they were
suspected of having
buried czarist gold ru-
bles somewhere.
I learned of the "inquisi-
tion" by this incident: The
chauffeur of "Agro-Joint,"
had suddenly vanished from
Moscow for two whole days
without anyone knowing
where he had gone. He was
not a Jew and he had no
family.
On the third day he
turned up on the job, but
was no longer that jolly,
carefree Russian youth he
had always been. He
avoided speaking to anyone
in the office, because
everyone there suspected
that among the employees
of "Agro-Joint" there were
agents of GPU.
However, while driving
me about in the "Agro-
Joint" automobile, he told
me of how he was tortured
because it was suspected
that American Joint Distri-
bution Committee workers
who came to Russia to visit
Jewish colonies had tipped
him in dollars for driving
thein around Moscow.
After hearing this ac-
count, I began to make
inquiries among the Jews
in Moscow, and, bit by
bit, I got to know how de-
eply the "Dollar Inquisi-
tion" had affected Jews. I
then went to •the Foreign
Commissariat with a
lengthy cable on the mat-
ter to the JTA in New
York, pointing. out also
that it touched also non-
Jews.
The censor, as may have
been expected, would not
pass my telegram. He said
he didn't believe such
things were going on. I then
told him that I would allow
him a few days to check my
facts, and that if he would
not pass my telegram, I
would have to go to Berlin
and dispatch my message in
greater detail from there.
That seemed to have made
some impression on him.
I also added that I would
like, through his mediation,
to present a written inquiry
to Stalin himself on the sub-
ject, before I even disclosed
the news to other foreign
correspondents in Moscow.
A few days later the cen-
sor informed me that he
would pass my telegram on
two conditions: First, that I
don't use the term "Dollar
Inquisition," but r ather say
it was the arrest of persons
who had concealed foreign
currency and gold, contrary
to the long established law
which decreed that they be
exchanged in government
banks for Soviet rubles.
Secondly, I was to em-
phasize the fact that these
arrests had nothing to do
with anti-Semitism because
non-Jews were also being
apprehended.
I agreed to ; both stipu-
lations because they con-
tained a certain degree of
truth and because I had
no other choice.
Of course, I never re-
ceived a reply to my query to
Stalin. But the "Dollar In-
quisition" was stopped im-
mediately after my cable
was dispatched.
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