awe Serer Mr. Gibbs has been at one time 1 member of the Independent Labour Pariy. which he ott because of Its tendencies to fire with. communism, dhe. writes this book frankly.
anti-communist, That does not Prevent him from clearly. pereetving Eonaitions in which communism Becomes attractive to n community:
When an economic n Tented? with is, cag the mereee ud. outlook pounded by the" aha ly vole. cause of Comsmuisn od me the. security an of the people. he had taken that as his text, spite of the rather crude eriticiem of "parliamentary institutions might have written a very convincing book. AS it is, by the exercise of much ingenuity in selection, Dullds up what he imagines to be a formidable case against_communisin and at the same time endeavours—although not too obtrusively—to commend the virtues of the Fascist creed. The answer to Mr. Gibbs is that very much the some sort of book could be written by an anti-Fascist and It would be no nearer presenting a balanced judgment of the situation, When he asserts that criticisms of certain aspects of Nazi rule in Germany arise from war propaganda carried on by communists, he surely asking the reader to believe too much. Tt would be Impossible to find 2 stronger indictment of those partly cular spects of Herr Hitler's regime" than in the columns of "The Times." Yet even Mr. Gibbs would hardly pretend that "The Times" lends Itself to communist propaganda, and when he contents himself by saying "ihe accounts as published In the newspapers are harrowing in the extreme", "he Is thereby exposing himself fo the charge of attempting by airy generality {0 get rid of very awkward facts.
Great Britain and Communism 'The truth is that neither the horrors of Russia or the present ordeal of Spain are really relevant to the discussion of the communist problem. 'This clearly emerges from 'Mr. Gibbs' attempt to. carry his examination of the subject so far ateld as China. He gives an accurate enough account of the association of Joffe and Borodin with the early days of the Kuomintang. But when he accuses Great Britain of directly assisting in the formation of com munist areas in this country because of her refusal to intervene in the time of Borodin's regime, he surely is inviting Great Britain to adopt the same attitude which he con-dernns so strongly in the Third International.
Tt would be absurd to attempt to review Mr. Gibbs' prophecies of failure for the Soviet Government of Russia. He would be bold man who would say that Russia has yet worked out lier revolution to Its logical conclusion. Mr. Gibbs does not forget fo note that MI Stalin has replaced his drastic doctrines by a policy which makes Russia's member-Ship of the League of Nations more conrentent to maintain, but he clearly considers that the old Adam Is still Is at the school: at work in the Third International, and he may be tight. But to attempt assess the communist problem merely on the basis of the terrorist methods which professing communists have been misguided enough to adopt In tribute to the local condi-Hons of their. adventure, is unsatisty-Ing. Although no one would deny that It is essential for the British system 0 safeguard Itself against flacks on its parliamentary institu Hons, Mr, Gibbs seems to forget that those attacks are coming Just as strongly from the. dispensers of the very antidote which he evidently favours.
The value of the book Hes In its marshalling of documented evidence against the fantastic destructiveness Which the exponents of the communist creed have sought to establish their doctrines—but that does not mean more than half the story, as has already been hinted—e.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.