Mission to Moscow Page #8

were bound to be killed?

Loss of life

was inevitable.

Once we determined

on our course of action,

we couldn't afford

to be particular

about sacrificing

a few lives.

Yerekov, were you

equally agreeable

to sacrificing the lives

of innocent men

for the sake of your,

shall we say,

ambitious plans?

Uh, more or less.

Don't answer me more or less.

Did you, in effect,

agree with yagoda?

That if workers

were to perish

as a result of your acts

of terrorism,

well, let them perish.

Yes or no.

Yes.

That at least

is a frank answer.

Now, citizen, yagoda,

you have admitted that these numerous

acts of terrorism and sabotage

were part of a general plan

to weaken the soviet union.

Did you help

to formulate this program?

We all helped.

But in the main, the

program was trotsky's.

You make this statement

from personal knowledge?

I didn't see trotsky,

if that's what you mean.

He was out

of the country.

Yes, i am aware of that.

And how did you know it was

trotsky's orders you were following?

Because he sent us

letters of instruction.

Beside that, two of us were

in direct contact with him.

Who were they?

Pyatakov

and krestinsky.

Krestinsky,

did you hear the statement

yagoda just made?

Most of it.

Most of it? You are

sitting right next to him.

Are you hard of hearing?

No, i'm not.

Yagoda,

do you recognize this man

as the one you referred to

in connection with trotsky?

He is the same man,

although he seemed quite

different at the time.

Were you able to hear that,

citizen krestinsky?

Yes, i heard it.

And is it the truth?

No, i'm not

a trotskyite.

I had nothing

to do with him.

Accused rosengoltz,

you have heard

these conflicting statements.

Which one is true?

Krestinsky is not

telling the truth.

Accused grinko,

is krestinsky

telling the truth?

No, he is not.

How do you know?

I was

among those present

when he told us

of trotsky's program.

We discussed ways

of carrying it out.

Where did these meetings

take place?

Sometimes in his office,

sometimes in my office.

The people's

commissariat of finance.

You heard all of this,

i trust.

I do not feel very well.

I can well understand.

No further questions,

mr. President.

We shall proceed with the

examination of citizen radik.

Citizen radik,

take the stand.

In the preliminary examination,

you also admitted

participating in this plot

that was to prepare the way

for trotsky's program.

Please, tell us what that

program was as you understood it.

Our eventual aim

was to take over

the government

of the soviet union.

Quite an ambitious one,

citizen radik.

And just how was this

to be accomplished?

We realized that

the present government

was strongly entrenched

with the people,

so that our only chance

at success would come

in the defeat of russia

by some foreign power.

Very interesting.

And so it was trotsky's plan

to do everything possible

to weaken this country's

defense in the event of war.

Yes.

A war that you

were determined

russia should lose.

Yes.

What'd i tell you?

Meaning that

your actions show

that you desire

to bring about our defeat.

Exactly.

And these actions of yours

were deliberate?

Apart from sleeping,

i never in my life

committed

an undeliberate action.

And this was not a dream.

Unfortunately, no.

How did trotsky approach you

about helping to carry out

his defeatist program?

Never directly-

always by letter

or through

intermediaries.

When did these

contacts begin?

In the autumn of 1934.

I was at the diplomatic

reception,

talking with behein,

when we were approached

by count von-

the accused will refrain

from mentioning the name

of any foreign official.

Citizen radik,

you are sufficiently versed

in politics to know

what testimony is forbidden

in open court.

I deeply apologize,

mr. President.

It slipped out

before i thought.

Then be careful

in the future.

Continue your testimony.

Well, this

unnamed gentleman

approached us

at the party

and began talking

very casually.

Yes?

"Mr. Trotsky," he said,

"seems to be more interested

than the stalin regime

"in bettering

the relations

between

our two countries."

Of course, we understood

he was sounding us out

to find out whether trotsky

had been speaking for himself

or whether he had any substantial

backing in this country.

What did you tell him?

That there were certain

realistic politicians here,

among whom i included

myself and bukharin,

who were out of sympathy

with the policy

of the present

government

and were anxious to

cooperate with trotsky

in bettering

the relations

between this

other country and ours.

In short, you admit going behind

the back of your government

to join hands

with a traitor

who was making overtures

to a foreign power.

Yes, if you wish

to put it that way.

What way would you put it,

citizen radik?

At the time our bloc didn't

consider trotsky as a traitor.

I notice you say "at the time,"

but we'll come to that later.

Now, i have

just one more question.

What was the country whose

representative approached you

in connection with trotsky?

The country is germany.

No further questions.

As if germany

had any interest

in russia's political quarrels.

Obviously,

the stalin government is shaky,

and they're trying

to cover it up

by inventing

this fantastic foreign plot.

But these men are on

trial for their lives.

Why should they

give testimony

that's bound

to convict them?

Houston,

haven't you

an english

expression?

You might

as well be hung

for a sheep

as a lamb.

Or for a wolf

in sheep's clothing.

What's your opinion, mr. Davies?

Based on 20 years

of trial practice,

i'd be inclined

to believe these confessions.

As an american lawyer,

mr. Davies can't

be expected to understand

all the intricacies

of european politics.

The american ambassador,

general,

may not be familiar

with intricacies

of european politics,

but he is fast learning

that "mein kampf"

is being put

into practice by germany.

Court will resume with the

questioning of citizen bukharin.

Do you recall the

conversation mentioned by radik

at the diplomatic reception?

There were

so many conversations.

I don't recall

this particular one.

But if radik

says it occurred,

i have no grounds

for not believing him.

Would you mind

giving a more direct answer?

Did the conversation take place?

Yes or no.

Couldn't say no

nor can i deny it

that it did take place.

So, the answer

is neither yes nor no.

Nothing of the kind.

Because facts exist,

regardless

of whether they are

in anybody's mind.

This is a problem

of the reality

of the outer world.

Citizen bukharin,

would you please

answer my questions

without giving us

a lecture in philosophy?

The lecture

wasn't intentional.

At any rate,

you admit similar conversations.

Yes.

With representatives

of germany?

Of germany and japan.

What was the general purpose

of these conversations?

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