BANNED IN MOSCOW
MEMO from the Editor BANNED IN MOSCOW (And elsewhere) The trans-Atlantic telephone con-nection was a poor one, but I had no difficulty hearing the anger in Sid Lens's voice. "They turned me...
...We tried to get Human Events to send a gift subscription to the Blanksburg library, but so far as we know it didn't work out— leaving the good library patrons of Blanksburg hanging precariously in the balance...
...Just the Soviets...
...The Progressive^ Veteran contributing editor was calling from Warsaw...
...Not to worry: The logotype reproduced elsewhere on this page is not our latest at-tempt at redesigning The Progressive, nor does it herald publication of a Far Eastern edition, The logo came from a reader in Japan who sent along this explanation: "You might be interested to know that you are the namesake of a magazine in Taiwan that did not get past the first issue...
...When he took off from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, he still hoped the visa would come through while he was in Europe...
...If we add yours, we will have to pay for a subscription to Human Events, in order to keep things even, and we have no extra money...
...Sid had no problem -gaining admission to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia...
...April 1981 was the premier issue, and I believe there are to be no more...
...It was from that list that we selected a public library—I have no wish to embarrass the librarian, so I'll call it Blanksburg—and notified it that thanks to a generous benefactor, it would be receiving a free subscription to this magazine...
...They turned me down," he s?id...
...Thank you anyway...
...No explanation...
...I knew without asking who had turned him down, and for what, because we had discussed it before he departed early in'July on a 'round-the-world trip...
...If anyone can send more information about the Taiwan Progressive, we would like to hear...
...The Vietnamese raisedno obstacle...
...Sid left without obtaining the Soviet visa for which he had applied...
...Now it had been officially denied...
...But Sid Lens, lifelong peace activist, disarmament crusader, founder of the Mo-bilization for Survival, is turned down...
...The Progressive'^ f?ll printing (20,000...
...There are donors who designate the libraries they wish to endow, and others who leave the selection to us...
...was confiscated at the binder's, except for about 400 copies which were hidden away some-where and managed to get out...
...We cur-rently have a balanced.representation of conservative and liberal publications...
...Strange Company for the Soviet Union to be in, but come to think of it, it isn't the first time...
...When the late Shah's late government told Sid Lens he would never be allowed back into Iran, that was understandable...
...This is what the Blanksburg librarian wrote: "Thank you for informing us of the gift subscription...
...Even more curious: Just about any con-servative writer can readily obtain a Soviet visa...
...When the Republic of South Africa told him he was unwelcome, no one could claim to be surprised...
...Some readers choose to help The Progressive by buying gift subscriptions for public libraries or libraries at public schools or Colleges...
...It was a curious business...
...We keep a list of libraries that ought to be—but are not— receiving The Progressive...
...To our dismay, the gift was turned down...
...I therefore promise to add twelve new subscriptions to The Progressive, one per month, for twelve months, beginning now...
...They help themselves, too, since such subscriptions are tax-deductible gifts...
...However, we do not wish to receive The Progressive as a gift...
...In Taiwan, there are both single-issue bannings and one-year—which is to say 'for good' in most cases—bannings...
...Then, if just one-tenth of those subscribers would...
...Finally, some good news: Chris Owen, who writes to us on the stationery of the Owen Piano Company of Canoga Park, California, recently sent a gift subscription order and this note: "In light of the present political Situation, I feel more compelled than ever to offer any help I can...
...Let's see now—if just one-tenth of our current subscribers were to follow Chris Owen's splendid example, our circulation would more than double at the end of a year...
...See his reflections on the Polish Communist Party Congress on Page 16 of this issue...
Vol. 45 • September 1981 • No. 9
