the same. What else is new?”
Sammy thought, Well at least I’ll live until morning at this rate. Yet he too had trouble staying awake.
“And at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, dear comrades,” Krauss continued, “there were young revolutionaries who later formed the German general staff. Up until 1848 it was only the revolutionaries that wanted a united Germany. It was the Fichtebundler, because Professor Fichte believed in a just state. Fichte,. Fichte, Fichte, comrades! Remember Fichte! Fichte can be considered the father of German nationalism and German socialism all in one! Fichte was a 1 Hegelian, and it was Hegel who believed that in order to bring about social justice, you must have a social state. And that social state, must be a strong, a very strong, advanced state, which is the state of Marxism. In all of these phases of history, the German working class took a progressive part.
“And what did beloved Hegel say? He said world history occupies a higher ground… . Moral claims which are irrelevant must not be brought into collision with world-historical deeds and their accomplishments. The litany of private virtues: modesty, humility, forbearance, and philanthropy, must not be raised against them. … So mighty a form as the State must trample down many an innocent flower—crush to pieces many an object in its path. Yah ha hah!”
A very tall Soviet general, Pashin, walked into the room and looked around. Pashin sat down beside Sammy. Krauss droned on. Sammy realized that Pashin had to wait for the Russian translation, which followed the French version. That took some time, since it was translated into Spanish first, and Sammy could understand it immediately. What the hell, he thought, and leaning over, he interpreted for the general. “Regarding then the Fichtebund,” Krauss continued, “many of the German nationalists, especially the Prussians, escaped from Germany, yah. Let us not forget Scharnhorst, yah, let us not forget how he advised Pavlov, the commander in chief of the Russian Army who fought against Napoleon at the battle of Borodino. How Scharnhorst advised Pavlov about every move he made before and after the battle—”
Sammy noticed that as he interpreted for the general, the man was getting red in the face and breathing heavily. He suddenly stood up and bellowed in a rage: “Swallich! What? Goddamn sausage-suckers —no goddamn sausage-eater is going to tell me that General Pavlov had to be told anything. Maybe he let the little Kraut creep wipe his boots—”
The French commissar shouted, “Sacrebleu! I’m not going to listen to this bullshit that a filthy boche had anything to do with defeating our great emperor Napoleon!”
“Hey Sammy, what’s going on?” A couple of the Americans were jabbing Sammy on the shoulder. The noise had awakened them.
“Well, actually, guys,” Sammy said, “Krauss’s political line is kind of stale. Where’s the Popular Front in all this? I think he’s gotten himself into a little hot water.”
The Russian and the Frenchman shouted at once until the Russian announced that he was Pashin, commander of the Soviet tank corps. When the French commissar realized who the man was, he shut up.
The commissars bolted to attention, standing on their toes.
General Pashin turned to Sammy. “What’s going on here? This is the most stupid bullshit session I’ve ever heard. Don’t they have anything better to do with their time?”
“Well actually, sir,” Sammy said. “This is not a bullshit session. I’m on trial, and will probably be executed by morning.”
“You are being tried—by them?”
Pashin pushed himself to the front of the room, pushed over the table, picked up the five-foot-six Pohoric in his arms and threw him against the wall. Pohoric fell over. “You son of a bitch. You have the nerve to try one of our boys?”
“He’s an American!” Pohoric screamed.
“Don’t tell me. I know one of our boys when I hear him and see
Sammy thought, Well at least I’ll live until morning at this rate. Yet he too had trouble staying awake.
“And at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, dear comrades,” Krauss continued, “there were young revolutionaries who later formed the German general staff. Up until 1848 it was only the revolutionaries that wanted a united Germany. It was the Fichtebundler, because Professor Fichte believed in a just state. Fichte,. Fichte, Fichte, comrades! Remember Fichte! Fichte can be considered the father of German nationalism and German socialism all in one! Fichte was a 1 Hegelian, and it was Hegel who believed that in order to bring about social justice, you must have a social state. And that social state, must be a strong, a very strong, advanced state, which is the state of Marxism. In all of these phases of history, the German working class took a progressive part.
“And what did beloved Hegel say? He said world history occupies a higher ground… . Moral claims which are irrelevant must not be brought into collision with world-historical deeds and their accomplishments. The litany of private virtues: modesty, humility, forbearance, and philanthropy, must not be raised against them. … So mighty a form as the State must trample down many an innocent flower—crush to pieces many an object in its path. Yah ha hah!”
A very tall Soviet general, Pashin, walked into the room and looked around. Pashin sat down beside Sammy. Krauss droned on. Sammy realized that Pashin had to wait for the Russian translation, which followed the French version. That took some time, since it was translated into Spanish first, and Sammy could understand it immediately. What the hell, he thought, and leaning over, he interpreted for the general. “Regarding then the Fichtebund,” Krauss continued, “many of the German nationalists, especially the Prussians, escaped from Germany, yah. Let us not forget Scharnhorst, yah, let us not forget how he advised Pavlov, the commander in chief of the Russian Army who fought against Napoleon at the battle of Borodino. How Scharnhorst advised Pavlov about every move he made before and after the battle—”
Sammy noticed that as he interpreted for the general, the man was getting red in the face and breathing heavily. He suddenly stood up and bellowed in a rage: “Swallich! What? Goddamn sausage-suckers —no goddamn sausage-eater is going to tell me that General Pavlov had to be told anything. Maybe he let the little Kraut creep wipe his boots—”
The French commissar shouted, “Sacrebleu! I’m not going to listen to this bullshit that a filthy boche had anything to do with defeating our great emperor Napoleon!”
“Hey Sammy, what’s going on?” A couple of the Americans were jabbing Sammy on the shoulder. The noise had awakened them.
“Well, actually, guys,” Sammy said, “Krauss’s political line is kind of stale. Where’s the Popular Front in all this? I think he’s gotten himself into a little hot water.”
The Russian and the Frenchman shouted at once until the Russian announced that he was Pashin, commander of the Soviet tank corps. When the French commissar realized who the man was, he shut up.
The commissars bolted to attention, standing on their toes.
General Pashin turned to Sammy. “What’s going on here? This is the most stupid bullshit session I’ve ever heard. Don’t they have anything better to do with their time?”
“Well actually, sir,” Sammy said. “This is not a bullshit session. I’m on trial, and will probably be executed by morning.”
“You are being tried—by them?”
Pashin pushed himself to the front of the room, pushed over the table, picked up the five-foot-six Pohoric in his arms and threw him against the wall. Pohoric fell over. “You son of a bitch. You have the nerve to try one of our boys?”
“He’s an American!” Pohoric screamed.
“Don’t tell me. I know one of our boys when I hear him and see
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