"Of course not. Bear with me, I was but making background. To
accomplish these things, the Party had to, and did, become a strong,
ruthless, even merciless organization, with all power safely--from its
viewpoint, of course--in its hands. And, in spite of all handicaps and
setbacks, eventually succeeded in the task it had set itself. That is
the achieving of an industrialized nation."
The Hungarian pursed his lips. "But then comes the rub. Have you ever
heard, Major Mauser, of a ruling class, caste, clique, call it what
you will, which stepped down from power freely and willingly, handing
over the reins of government to some other element?"
Joe vaguely remembered hearing similar words from some other source in
the not too distant past, but by now he was fully taken up by the
astonishing Sov officer. He shook his head, encouraging the other to
continue.
* * * * *
Kossuth nodded. "They tell me that in ancient Greece and Rome, tyrants
or dictators would assume full powers for a period long enough to meet
some emergency, and would then relinquish such power. I do not know. I
would think it doubtful. But whether or not such was done in ancient
Greece, it has been a rare practice indeed, since.
"A ruling caste, like a socio-economic system itself, when taken as a
whole, instinctively perpetuates its life, as though a living
organism. It cannot understand, will not admit, that it is ever time
to die."
The Hungarian waggled a finger at Joe. "At first, when there was
insufficient even of the basics such as food, clothing and shelter, Party
members soon learned to take care of their own, explaining this deviation
from the original Party austerity, by various means. Nepotism reared its
head, as always, almost from the very beginning. Party members wished
their children to become Party members and saw to it that they secured the
best of education, and the best of jobs. And ... how do you Americans put
it ... the practice of you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, became
the rule. Soon we had a self-perpetuating hierarchy, jealous of its
position, and jealous of the attempts of outsiders to break into the
sanctified organization. Marx and Engels wrote that following the
revolution the State would wither away." The colonel laughed acidly.
"Instead, in the Sov-world it continually strengthened itself. A New
Class, as the Yugoslavian Milovan Djilas called it, had been born."
The Hungarian seemed to switch subjects slightly. "And a new
development manifested itself. At first, Russia alone was of the
Sov-world but as she became increasingly powerful, she exported her
revolution, taking over in such advanced countries as, let us say,
Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Here, supposedly, would have been the
conditions under which the original ideas of Marx and his collaborator
would have flourished, but the Party moved in its heavy bureaucracy
and prevented any such development."
Bela Kossuth laughed gently. "Ah, ha, but this led to one of the
ironies of fate, my friend. Because as the Sov-world expanded its
borders it assimilated peoples of far more, ah, sharpness, shall we
say? than our somewhat dour Russkies. In time, bit by bit, inch by
inch, intrigue by intrigue--"
"I know," Joe said. "The capital of the Sov-world is now not Moscow,
but Budapest."
"Correct!" the Hungarian beamed. "At the very first, we Hungarians
tried to fight them. When we found we couldn't prevail, we joined
them--to their eventual sorrow. However, the central problem has not
been erased. We have finally achieved, here in the Sov-world, to the
point where we have the abundant life. The affluent society. But we
have also reached stagnation. The Party, like a living organism,
refuses to die. Cannot even admit that its death is desirable."
He held his hands out, palms upward, as though at an impossible
impasse.
Joe said, suddenly, "What's all this got to do with me, Colonel
Kossuth?"
The Hungarian pretended surprise. "Why, nothing at all, Major Mauser.
I was but making conversation. Small talk."
Joe didn't get it. "Well, why come here at all? Max said you were
rather insistent about seeing me, in spite of doctor's orders."
"Ah, yes, of course." The Sov officer came to his feet again and
clicked his heels. "My superiors have requested that I deliver this
into your own hands, as well as copies to the West-world Ambassador,
to General Armstrong and Dr. Haer." He handed a document to Joe.
Joe turned it over in hand, blankly. It was in Hungarian. He looked up
at the other.
Lieutenant Colonel Bela Kossuth said formally, "The government of the
Sov-world has found Major Joseph Mauser, Dr. Nadine Haer, and General
George Armstrong, _persona non grata_. As soon as your health permits,
Major, it is requested that you leave Budapest and all the lands of
the Sov-world, never to return."
He clicked his heels, bowed again, and started for the door. Just as
he reached it, he turned and said one last thing to Joe Mauser.