Show Authors Author's Background Andrew Smith author of ot I IWas IWas Was Vas a a. Soviet Worker was born in Czecho M Mr lr Smith Is a machinist by trade who early found himself in the radical radical radical radi radi- cal movement in this country In 1912 he joined the Socialist party which he be left in 1919 he was one of ot the organizers of the Workers Work Work- er ers era party the tho original Communist Communist Communist party in the United States During his years of ot radical activity activity ac ac- ac- ac Mr Smith wrote many articles ar ar- ar- ar for the foreign language papers of this country In 1929 he went with a com communists m- m to the soviet union There he spent a month After his return to this country he again took to journalism and wrote a great many articles about tho the achievements oft ot of the the sov ct government He also wrote extensive extensive ex ex- reports on his trip at that time which were published by bythe bythe bythe the friends of ot the soviet union I left for tor the U. U S. S S. S R. R where I hoped to locate permanently he says He received a great sendoff sendoff sendoff send- send off by American Communist party officials and rind was selected as correspondent correspondent correspondent cor cor- respondent for the communist party officials and was selected as correspondent for the communist communist fist paper Ludu In III 1935 however Mr Smith returned with his wife Maria to this country a disillusioned man His book I IVas IWas IWas Was Vas a Soviet Worker is a record record record rec rec- rec- rec ord of ot that disillusionment It is isa isa isa a deeply controversial document and since its publication a few weeks ago has been both praised and damned R. R L. L Duffus who wrote the review of ot Mr Smiths Smith's book boole for the New York Times Book Review says that If it is doubtless some of the truth about Russia it is certainly not the whole truth |