Gareth Jones

[bas relief by Oleh Lesiuk]

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Gareth Jones' letter to former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George sent from Berlin on 27th March 1933 in which he informs his employer of a  Soviet famine.

[Also included is Gareth's covering letter to A.J. Sylvster, Lloyd George's Secretary.]

Source: House of Commons Archives – Lloyd George papers’ section on Jones.

 




Berlin

[Monday] March 27, 1933

My Dear A.J., 

I have just arrived from Moscow and enclose a letter for the Chief [Lloyd George], with an interview with Litvinoff. 

My visits have been a great success, met Hitler, Goebbels, Litvinoff, etc., etc. I studied the Labour Camp Movement, by which employment is given to nearly 300,000 young Germans. 

So I have first-class information. 

Perhaps the Chief would like to see me. I shall be arriving in London on Thursday and leaving for Cardiff (Western Mail) Friday night. If I could come to Churt some Saturday afternoon, I should be delighted to give the Chief my views of the situation. 

Would you be so kind as to ask a messenger to forward all my letters to the Reform Club, so that I can get them on Thursday morning. 

With best greetings.

 

Gareth


 

Berlin, March 27, 1933.

 Dear Mr. Lloyd George, 

I have just arrived from Russia where I found the situation disastrous. The Five-Year Plan has been a complete disaster in that it has destroyed the Russian peasantry and brought famine to every part of the country. I tramped alone for several days through a part of the Ukraine, sleeping in peasants’ huts. I spoke with a large number of workers, among whom unemployment is rapidly growing. I discussed the situation with almost every British, German and American expert. I had interviews with the following: 

Litvinoff

Karl Radek

The Commissar for Finance, Grinko

The Vice-Commissar for Light Industry

The Vice-Commissar for Education

The President of the Atheists (who has given me a special message to you as a Baptist!).

The British and the German Ambassadors 

The situation is so grave, so much worse than in 1921 that I am amazed at your admiration for Stalin. 

Before going to Russia, I went to Germany where I met Hitler and flew with him in his aeroplane to attend a giant meeting in Frankfurt, had a long conversation with Goebbels and other Nazis, with Breitscheid, von Schleicher, etc. 

I made a special study of the Labour Camps, which impressed me deeply. I also visited Checho-slovakia and Danzig. 

Therefore I have much material on which you may want to question me. On Saturday April 1st, I begin work at Cardiff on the “Western Mail”. Should you wish me to come to Churt at anytime – perhaps a Saturday afternoon – I should be delighted to come and report. 

About the German situation, I am not so alarmed and believe that the English newspapers have lost their heads. 

In the meantime I enclose my conversation with Litvinoff. 

Yours sincerely

 

Gareth Jones.

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