Show Guests of the Kremlin Right Flattery Helps I Send Message Home I I I By J Lt Col Cot Robert G. G Emmens CHAPTER FIVE I The next morning we got up tip about 9 and had breakfast about 9 30 We Ve refused the drinks offered offered offered of of- I I for that meal But the breakfast breakfast break break- fast was good After the meal we I were told that that afternoon we I would have a bath That was good news But questions as to our baggage baggage baggage bag bag- gage which contained the small amount of oC clean clothes we had been permitted to take on the theraid theraid raid plus our toilet articles and our extra candy etc brought only shrugs from Mike Hike who seemed to know nothing about it I was still not satisfied that anyone in Moscow our Moscow our people I that is knew is-knew knew we were even in the Soviet Union We Ve queried Mike on this point and although he said he didn't know he was sure that they must So I decided 1 I would tr to send a message home to let I my wife know 1 was all right Mike said he would take the message message mes mes- sage and let me know later But Editors Editor's note Col Emmens and four other American fliers were interned In Russia Russin for al almost almost almost al- al most 14 months after alter their B 25 25 which had taken part In Inthe inthe inthe the Doolittle raid mid on Tok Tokyo o in April 1942 was forced to land tand near Vladivostok This Is the tho first eyewitness account of the Ule theU U USSR S S R it by an American since since- the iron curtain was lowered The Tha story appears dait daily In the Telegram ram and in The rue Tribune on Sunda Sundays he suggested it would be better I if I didn't say anything about I where we were or what our mill mili military tary Lary status was mm 1 My wife ife was expecting a baby In another month and I 1 told Mike about that He said he hoped it I would be a boy and asked what we planned to name him The thought suddenly occurred that 1 maybe a little litHe flattery would not be wasted in getting the cablegram sent so I told him I want him to be named Michael The effect See Page 4 4 Column 3 Right Flattery Use Helps Send Message Home Continued from Pago Page One was just right Mike became quite enthusiastic find and overlooked the thelast thelast thelast last two words of the message which to me were the meat of the thing thing- and which said simply Am well Months later I learned that my wife had received that cablegram We Vc spent most of that day looking looking- around at our surroundIngs surround surround- ings We Ve learned that such a place in Russia is called a dacha and andis is usually utilized for billets forRed for Red army officer personnel on rest leaves political house arrests arrests arrests ar ar- ar- ar rests or for an any other purpose where the intent is to keep the tenants away from the people The other room off the other side of the dining room had two beds in it and was occupied by by Laban and Pohl There were two other rooms off the hallway hallway hallway hall hall- way which housed our Rus Russian ian guards Guards Always on Hand Outside was an yard I about an acre in size and a subI substantial sub sub- I fence surrounding the whole area We Ve walked around the I fence ence but not without our guards They all bore arms and we could not move singly or in a group without the Ule same n ber of ac accompanying accompanying accompanying ac- ac companying guard personnel The ground in the front of the building bunding sloped away from the house louse and where the Ute fence was located about 50 feet from the front of the dacha the hill fell off almost perpendicular down to a large arge river Fiver We Ve asked Mike the name of the river and he told us it t was the thc Amur and nd then added that hat directly across the river the theand theland theland land and which we saw was Manchuria About 4 30 Mike told us that we were going now to have the promised bath We Ve had seen nothing lothing like a shower bath or a bathtub and we were wondering just what the procedure would be here lere Three cars were waiting waiting- for or us We Ve drove for about 15 minutes and came to a village The he houses were all dilapidated There were no paved streets The few ew people we saw on the streets looked poorer and more frightened 1 even in the daylight than they had the night wed we'd driven out there We Ve stopped in front of a tiny log lob hut but which formed part of the fence along the little narrow street One of the officers got out and knocked on the door and an old woman dressed in rags opened the door We Ve entered into the tiny anteroom with a n along along long bench along one wall The ceiling ceiling- was so low that I could not stand upright St Russian Style lo Bath All eight of us crowded in here we five and the three Russian officers The old lady then gave each of us a piece of cloth We Ve stripped The old lady stood there waiting for us and Im I'm sure that we five Americans were the only ones who felt the I slightest pangs of immodesty When hen we were all aU stripped the theold theold I old lady opened another door into a larger room from which came I clouds of steam At one end of this room were long benches in tiers like a grandstand There was room for us all aU to sit sit- Explaining Explaining Ex Ex- Ex- Ex that this was a Russian bath Mike took a dipper and out of a barrel of water located in the middle of the room threw water on a pile of heated stones in one corner of the room The result was clouds of hot steam After about a half an hour of soaking the old lady brought us bundles of branches The idea is isto isto isto to dip the bundles of branches I into a barrel of water and then beat yourself or the guy next to you with them After doing doing- this for awhile the one cake of soap one of the officers had procured was passed around and we washed ourselves in the usual manner It was wonderful to feel clean again but discouraging to put on onUle the Ule same dirty clothes As we left the place a number of people were outside waiting to get into the bathhouse It had apparently been set up for us at a particular time But it was obvious that its utility was not to be wasted as long as the stones and water stayed hot We Ve went directly back to the dacha On the way Ski and I discussed the squalor and filth and look of complete despair about everything and everybody Meet tho the Commis Commissar ar When hen we got back to our quarters we met a large and imI important important im im- im- im I looking looking individual individual who had been waiting for us in our I living dining room He was in introduced introduced in- in with obvious reverence by Mike as Commissar The Commissar sar told us he was wasa a political member o of the local command and that our well being came under this supervision and that he had come out to see if we were comfortably settled lIe He seemed quite friendly and was a distinguished looking man in his middle fifties es I have brought you a little I gift ift from my wife It is 15 there on the table he said 1 The gift turned out to be a I large larg-e box of good Russian c ciga- ciga a- a aI I We Ve were out of American until our baggage was brought to us and this was a n welcome gift We Ve thanked him and he asked if he might not come some evening to dine with I 1 us We Ve told him we woul would I course be delighted to have Friday The Tho fliers filers find t tl ha baggage n c hn has been heen sear ear I The They are arc told thc they are be mo e moved l to new quarters JJ T. 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