"Aleksandr I.Solzhenitsyn. Words of Warning to the Western World " - читать интересную книгу автора

But from our experience I can tell you that
only firmness will make it possible to withstand
the assaults of Communist totalitarianism. We see
many historic examples, and let me give you some
of them. Look at little Finland in 1939, which by
its own forces withstood the attack. You, in 1948,
defended Berlin only by your firmness of spirit,
and there was no world conflict. In Korea in 1950
you stood up against the Communists, only by your
firmness, and there was no world conflict. In 1962
you compelled the rockets to be removed from Cuba.
Again it was only firmness, and there was no world
conflict. And the late Konrad Adenauer conducted
firm negotiations with Khrushchev and thus started
a genuine detente with Khrushchev. Khrushchev
started to make concessions and if he hadn't been
removed, that winter he was planning to go to
Germany and to continue the genuine detente.
Let me remind you of the weakness of a man
whose name is rarely associated with weakness -
the weakness of Lenin. Lenin, when he came to
power, in panic gave up to Germany everything
Germany wanted. Just what it wanted. Germany took
as much as it wanted and said, "Give Armenia to
Turkey." And Lenin said, "Fine." It's almost an
unknown fact but Lenin petitioned the Kaiser to
act as intermediary to persuade the Ukraine and,
thus, to make possible a boundary between the
Communist part of Russia and the Ukraine. It
wasn't a question of seizing the Ukraine but
lather of making a boundary with the Ukraine.
We, we the dissidents of the USSR, don't have
any tanks, we don't have any weapons, we have no
organization. We don't have anything. Our hands
are empty. We have only a heart and what we have
lived through in the half century of this system.
And when we have found the firmness within
ourselves to stand up for our rights, we have done
so. It's only by firmness of spirit that we have
withstood. And if I am standing here before you,
it's not because of the kindness or the good will
of communism, not thanks to detente, but thanks to
my own firmness and your firm support. They knew
that I would not yield one inch, not one hair. And
when they couldn't do more they themselves fell
back.
This is not easy. In our conditions this was
taught to me by the difficulties of my own life.
And if you yourselves - any one of you - were in