Cold Warrior Crozier epsonal Bio Oataiis Soviet Terror Text by James P. Lucier/Photograph by Rick Kozak

Brian Crozier has written a massive account of the evils of communism, from its inception under Karl Manx and Valdimir Lenin to its eventual demise on Miidiaii Gorbachev's watch. Brian Crozier has been one of the waj James Burnham s The Machiavel most distinguished chroniclers of lians, Defenders ofFreedom. Many years Brian CpozIbp: The scholar humanaffairs ofthe second halfof later he was to become Bumham's suc as foreign correspondent the 20th century. Born in Australia, he cessor at National Review, carrying on anddefender ofthe West. became a dailyjournalistin Great Britain "The Pwtracted Conflict" columnfor 18 and later returned to his homeland to years. Born: Australia, 1918. workfor the Sydney Morning Herald, His new book. The Rise and Fall ofthe Brought up bilingually in eventuallyplunging intoforeign affairs Soviet Empire, is a massively docu France and England. coveringthe insurrection in Malaysiafor mented account of the reign of terror, Reuters and the Indochina War from both in the Soviet Union andabroad. Also Career: Stoke-on-Trent City Saigon. Crozier edited the confidential a painter and a musician, Crozier is Times', Hampstead News\ World Reportfor The Economist, start looking forward to a forthcoming per London News-Chivnicle; ed the Institute for the formance ofa suite of Sydney Morning Herald; Study of Conflict in Lon his piano works. foreign correspondent for don and, in the lateseven- a Insight: You began Reuters and The Economist, ties and eighties, orga- 6nin your account of the editor, WorldReport, com nized aprivate intelligence mentator for the BBC; agency to counteract dis- ^wanted^ Lemn. What did Lenmt™'"" columnist for National information coming from 3^ rSVOlU" have in his program that Review for 18 years. the Soviet Union. He was tiontlOf that was different from cited in the Guinness Book would Books: The Rebels (moy, ofWorld Records in 1988 Franco (1967); De Gaulle as thejournalist who had qnrpadtnallbpicdU LU all ' LeninBriantookCpozIbp:a practicalWell, (1973); Chiang Kai-shek conducted the most inter- countriesCOl of view of revolution. {\916y,Free Agent: The views (65) with heads of ^[^0th6 world ' Marx had sat inhis lit Unseen War 1941-1991 state. tle place in London (1993); TheRise and Fall of Crozier began his ca consulting the British the Soviet Empire (1999). reer as a member of the Museum Library and, notoriousLeftBook Club, organized by with Engels, drafted the Communist Tlie fork In the road: "I start Communists and Marxists, and was Manifesto. But he wasn't a political ed professional life as a deeply influenced by Arthur Koestler's leader. What Lenin did was to read and musician. I won a scholar book Spanish Testament, written during absorb Marx, and in his earlier years ship for piano composition Koestler's time as a Communist. Laterhe writequitea numberof booksarisingout at Trinity College ofMusic. learnedfrom Koestler that the book vir ofthat. But his idea was Marxism-Lenin- But I hadn't had any lessons. tually had been dictated by Willy Muen- ism — he wanted "to have a revolution Unfortunately, they put me zerberg, the head of the Soviet NKVD that would succeed and spread to all under a man who was only (secretpolice) in Western Europe. countries of the world without excep interested in brass bands and In the meantime, Croziers views had tion." popular songs — none of been tuiTied around by a book written in Insight: So the term "Marxism-Lenin- which interested me. So we 1947 by Soviet defector Victor ism" is not just a conjunction but has two spent our entire time quar Kravchenko titled I Chose Freedom, an components: One is the theory ofMarx reling and he refused to early account ofJosefStalin's atrocities and the other is the action ofLenin. renew my scholarship." in the Ukraine. Thesecondbookwhich he BC: Yes, and Lenin was completely says "taught me to think about politics" ruthless. A lot ofCommunists at the time

December 20,1999 icture Profile

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36 • Insight December 20,1999 BC: The role of Ronald Reagan, for whenStalin'scrimeswerebeing exposed BC: I wouldsaythatit was neitherof were trying to make believe that Lenin those things. It was Stalin's decision, obvious reasons, was more important than that ofMrs.Thatcher,althoughMrs. wouldn't have done the same. But that's which I think was taken in 1943 when he Thatcher was certainly an ally. Reagan absolute nonsense. Leninwasthe creator declaredto the Westernworldthat he had ofwhat became the KGB. dissolved the Comintem, which had been did more than any other leader in the world to force the collapse of commu Insigllt: Oneofthe things that you do the instrument for spreading commu in your book is to document thepurges nism all over the world But Stalin didn't nism. He did thatby refusing to give in ofthe party andtheslaughter ofmillions actually dothat; hejusttransferred all the onany point ofsubstance inhis meetings with Mikhail Gorbachevand other Sovi of civilians. Are these historical facts Comintern's functions to the Interna accepted bytheacademic world now? tional Department of the Communist et leaders. This more than anything was BC: Theacademicworldin generalhas Party. This didn't become known for whatprovoked thecollapse. yielded tothe evidence, butthere are still many years. But the turning pomt was twofold. exceptions. Forexample, in Britain we TTiat in myview wasthe realstartof One was Reagan's decision to occupy Grenada.I havesingledthis outbecause lave the curious case of ^, the Cold War. Immedi professor Eric Hobs- ately after the fall of itwasthefirst strategic defeat oftheSovi )awm,who was bom in Nazi Germany, Stalin's et Union. Grenada had been taken over Austriabut has spent all International Depart Ijy a communist group led by Morris his academic life in ment was bombarding Bishop. By occupying Grenada, the Americans under Reagan forced the Britain. After the col eagan ; the whole world with hostile propaganda and communists to retreat — which was lapse of the Soviet did more Union, he publicly reaf disinformation. enormously important strategically. The firmed his support for than any Insigllt: Why is it that other turning point, which was more communism, "^en the other leader by 1988 the leading important, was the Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI, because at thatpoint Labour Party came to to force the Western authorities on power, he was made a the Soviet Union still the Soviets wereabsolutely incapable of Companion ofHonorby collapse of ; operated under thebelief rivaling us. They just didn't have the TonyBlair'sgovernment. communism. it would continue forev resources. Insight: After Lenin er? What happened? Insight: What was the role of Gor came Stalin. What was BC: In the 1980s the bachev? Did he have a plan that got out Stalin's contribution to Soviet nomenklatura — ofcontrol, orwashejustriding thewave? the Evil Empire? thatis,theprivileged people, theofficials, BC: I have never shared in the worship ofGorbachev. I think he was very clever BC: Stalinwas the perfect Leninist— the members of theparty who enjoyed a he fulfilledwhat Lenin would have done higher living stand^d, travel and other atpublic relations, and the way hefooled ifhe had survived. perquisites — had become completely theWestern leaders wasquiteadmirable Insight: Many people wouldsay that cynical. They nolonger believed in the in its way. But his policy was to assure survival for the Soviet regime with the there's not muchto choose firombetween communist philosophy, but they were Nazism and communism. So why did the doing allright and were notinterested in West picking upthe check. Hewas suc United States and the Soviet Union creating acounterrevolution. Thatwasan cessful for a while. becomealliesinthe war againstNazism? interesting turning point because they Insight: Why did it come apart in Was thata greatstrategic mistake? wereno longercommitted to spreading 1989? BC: Unfortunately, whether welikedit communismto othercountries.They did BC: The mainthingwasthe SDI.As a ornot, itwas inevitable. WhenHitler and n't believe in it anymore. result, thethreat ofwaragainst theUnit Stalin signed tiieirpactin 1939, it wasa The main evidence for that reached me ed States had ahnost ceased to impress great shock tothe Western world because intheearly eighties fix)m conferences that the Reagan administration. insight: And the future of Russia it meantthat Hitler could go ahead with were taking place in the Western world, today? his invasionofWestern Europe without particularly in Germany. The NTS, the worrying about what Stalin might do. anticommunistnational group that func BC:Itis hard to be optimistic. I was a Stalin himself was taken aback when tioned out of Frankfurt,provided nearly fan ofBoris Yeltsinin the days when the Hitler broke the pact and invaded the all the translators for these meetings — West was mainly worshipping Gor SovietUnion. ButStalin couldn'tbelieve which was really rather fimny, because bachev. Russia has not ceased to be a it;hewas totally committed tofiiendship you had Soviet delegations at interna problem, butitisnotthe same problem withHitler, andtheRedArmywasn'tpre tional meetings with the interpreting that it was. Much as I admired Yeltsin at pared. being done byanti-Soviets. Naturally the a time whenhe wasbeing ill-treatedanc Insight: In thepostwar period wehad two groups gottalking, with the Soviets isolated by Gorbachev — and I also admired thecourage hedisplayed during the so-called ColdWar. Somebelieve the saying we don't believe a word of this the crisis of1993 when he climbed onto Cold War was the result ofRussia's fear stuff. of the West, and others say the Westcre Insight: Whataboutthe roleofRonald the tank — he has ceased to be a credi atedthis atmosphere. Whatdoyouthink? Reagan andMargaret Thatcher? ble leader. December 20,1999 38 • Insight LAW SCHOOLS wouldn't comment for the record on (continuedfrom page 17) the ideological diversity of their insti tutions because they didn't want to temptation of the judiciaryto legislate. overgeneralize about problems they Thatis,they agree on the principles ; didn't know in detail, and they would of federalism as outlined in the Fed- ^ sayless abouttheir owninstitutionsfor eralist Society's statement of purpose fear of repercussions. Most Ubertari- — "that the state exists to preserve an and conservative students inter freedom, that the separation of gov viewed for this article from Yale to the ernmental powers is central to our University of San Francisco said they Constitution, and that it is emphati rarely speak up in class and that they cally the province and duty ofthe judi always "write liberal" on exams ciary to say what the law is, not what because they fear professors might it should be." grade them down for espousing dis Bork and Epstein also agree that senting viewpoints. the prevailing powers in legal peda Little wonder that conservative gogyneed to lighten up. Asa Federal students at the top law schools say it ist Society flyer notes, "Law schools can be dangerous to speak out for their and the legal profession are currently values. David Wiener, a student at the strongly dominatedbya form ofortho University of California-Berkeley law dox liberal ideology which advocates school's Boalt Hall, broke the collec a centralized and uniform society. tive silence last spring when he pack While some members of the academ aged and published a collectionofstu ic community have dissented from dent essays — from all political these views, by and large they are perspectives — that he solicited in taught simultaneously with (and response to campus tensions in the indeed as if they were) the law." 'What would the aftermath of a state proposition that When it comes to the Federalist made racial preferences in the school's Society's callsforlaw-school debates of law. Congress and admissions process illegal. He titled philosophical issues, some on the left the book Vie Diversity Hoax. see no reason to provide a platform for the courts look like Wiener tells Insight, "The point of the right. Bruce Nestor, president the book and the point of my message electof the NationalLawyer's Guild — if Harvard hadn't is that diversity goes much deeper an organization dedicated, among than skin color. We need to respect othergoals,to training activist lawyers hired a Democrat- each individual who makes up those in the service ofredistributing Amer groups. Students are not just part of ica's wealth—travels from his private leaning professor some racial category, but individuals practiceinIowaCity, Iowa, tovisitlaw- with beliefs and experiences beyond school campuses as a guest speaker. in 25 years? The who their parents are." He wants to "The wayI see the complaints that are send a message to law-school admin being made by the Federalist Society," world would be a istrators who "refuse to admit that he tells Insight, "they want to debate individuals themselves have wor± — things that have been fundamentally different place!' worth beyondtheir racial, gender and accepted by the law-school communi sexual affiliations." ty.... I don't think the refusal to debate make up 80.4percent oflaw professors. Has this made Wiener a lightning a bad and outdated idea is a bad idea Republicans make up 41 percent ofthe rod? "It's better for students to be or demonstrates a lack of intellectual full-time working population but only absolutely out front. It's the ones who diversity." 13.2 percent of law professors. show weakness, who show that they can Both sides clearly know you can't In a comparison offactors from pol be intimidated, that have the hardest win — or lose — a debate unless you itics and ethnicity to gender and reli time," says Phillip Johnson, a Boalt have one. But the Federalist Society gious affiliation, Lindgren finds ^at Hall professorwhosays Wiener's"dig seems to be making inroads. By its the most underrepresented groups in nified protest" gave voice to unspoken count, student chapters held 347 law-schoolfaculties are Christians and concerns of many faculty as well. nationally sponsored events in the Republicans in general. White female And Catherine Bailey, president of 1997-98 academic year, which drew a Republicans are the rarest. He points Boalt Hall's FederalistSociety, says she totalaudience of27,000—a51 percent out that, until hiring Alan Ferrel not has little time for those who are afraid increase in attendance from the year long ago. Harvard faculty members to speak their minds until the intoler before. And the nonprofit's funding had not hired a Republican-leaning ance goes away "Ifyou're too chicken has grown by 183 percent since 1993. professor in 26 years. "The question I to raiseyour hand in class you might not Is the Federalist Society just swim would give as a thought experiment is make a good attorney," she says. ming against the tide? Northwestern this," he says. "Imagine what the law, Certainly Bailey has a point. "Inthe University's Jim Lindgren has tracked Congressand the courts wouldlooklike last analysis, the law is what the the representation of demographic ifHarvard hadn't hired a Democratic- lawyersare,"commented FelixFrank groupsatAmerica's top100lawschools leaning professor in 25 years. The furter. "And the law and the lawyers as partofa largerstudytobe published world would be a different place!" are what the law schools make them." next year. He has found that while For now, the vast rnggority of the Unless, ofcourse, the lawyers are able Democrats account for 46.2 percent of dozens of law students and professors to make something of themselves, the full-time working population, they Insight talked with for this article against the odds. •

December 20,1999