|
[one-sixth of the world's surface]
Preface
When I left America in the summer of 1931 my chief interest was Soviet Russia. But after completing my travels through the Soviet Union I had the urge to discredit the saying "one half of the world does not know how the other half lives," at least as far as I was concerned.
By continuing my travels through almost every country of Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, I was able to judge and compare better the country of Russia and its people, than if I would have embarked directly for New York after my Russian tour. The time I spent traveling through the other nations of the world not only afforded me the opportunity to observe the customs of each country but gave me the leisure to think over what I had seen in the Soviet Union plus the opportunity of meeting and talking with the people in other -countries and getting their viewpoint on Russia.
I present ONE-SIXTH OF THE WORLD'S SURFACE, therefore, not so much as a personal opinion; rather as a symposium of ideas-a socialized outlook for a Socialist Union.