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.) $ 88 88 also transcribing units (Editor's note: This is a chapter from Boris Smo- 342-7801 VIDEO TAPE A MEMORY YOU WILL HAVE FOREVER LET US CREATE A WALKING TALKING PHOTO ALBUM OF YOUR NEXT PARTY Weddings Social Events Bar Mitzvas CREATE INC. CALL 559-6022 585-7223 lar's book, "In the Serv- ice Of My People," which will be published this spring.) 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. 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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. MR. and MRS. MARVIN TAMAROFF HEARTILY EXTEND TO THEIR FRIENDS and CUSTOMERS cf33over creelin9 -3 / FOR THE UTMOST OF HEALTH and HAPPINESS ramaRoFF Buick-DMC-Honda 28585 Telegraph Rd. across from Tel-Twelve Mall Southfield, Mich. Phone 353-1300 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. ■ 11=111. 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