Spencer's 1931 Travel Diary

Russia!!
Saturday – July 25
Finland-Russia, En Route.
Leningrad – Hotel Europe
10:30 AM – RAJAJOKI – Finland – Breakfast
Last stop before entering Russia
11:00 AM –Crossed Border – Officials borded [i.e. boarded] train – slowly pulled into [transliterated: Beloostrov] 3 hours here – Watches ahead 1 hour. Declared all valuables. Members of Red Army & G.P.U- about – Officials quite nice.
2:45 – Pulled away.
4:00 – Arrived Leningrad at same station that Lenin did in Oct 1917 & in front of which he made his great speech, which started the Second Revolution & put Bolsheviks in Power. Bus ride to Hotel. Lord & Lady Astor. Bernard Shaw & Lord Lothian – also here – “Hotel Europe”. Took walk & pictures with Jack Holt. "Lunch". Religious Service at Kazan Cathedral 6:30 PM. Byzantine Cathedral. Walk their gardens – palace of former Grand Duchess – Graf. Zeppelin with escort of aeroplanes on way to artic [i.e. arctic]. 8:30 – Cinema – powerful portrayal of spirit & methods of New Russia- Perfect technique & acting. Dinner at 11:30 – A great day. [space] Quite light at midnight. A palatial suite for Russ, Ed. Lee & me.

Russia [space] Informal service
in Dr. Eddy’s room
by John Haynes Holmes
Sunday, July 26. Leningrad.
Little House of Peter the Great
9:30 – Breakfast in our luxurious suite
11:00 – Hermitage of Catherine the Great (II) Art Museum. Priceless collections of old Masters – Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Murillo, Frans Hals, Pieter Janssons [i.e. Janssens], Ruisdael, Potter, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Rubens, & others
1:00 – Czar’s Winter Palace] – Throne Room
3:00 – Fortress of Peter & Paul – Built by Peter the Great – Tombs of Peter. Catherine Alexander & all Great Monarchs. Dungeons, Cells for Political Prisoners. Also where Trotsky won over the army without a shot.

Czar’s Village – Children’s Village – Sanatorium
Industrial station [space] Communal Dining Hall
Monday – July 27 [boxed: 40,000 meals/day]
Leningrad
Dyetskoye- Smolney [i.e. Smolny] – Dumas
9:00 – Breakfast again in rooms
10:00 – Wild, fast & dusty Bus ride to Czar’s Village (Nicholas II). Dates back to Peter I. Developed by Catherine II. Hill County. Now The Children’s Village]. Museums. schools, play-grounds. lakes, sanatoria. Group on lawns. questions. 3 Mechanics. Family Group. See enlarged notes. Bus again to Palace of Alexander I. Occupied by Nicholas II. Saw Aug 31 here & Picture of Czarina. First visit was Palace of Elizabeth. Saw place where Nicholas interviewed ministers, foreign ambassadors etc & where Czarina listned [i.e. listened] in. Children’s Sanatoria – for T.B. [i.e. tuberculosis] Prevention 6 weeks each child – longer if necessary – all year round. Classes in winter. Play & gardening in summer. Evening – sightseeing ;-
Square of First Revolution – 1825
Scene of Rev'n of October 1905 – Massacre – 2500 killed
Square of Victims of Rev [i.e. Revolution]. 1700 killed
Cathedral of St. Isaacs – Anti-religious museum
Houses of Rest Lakes, Lagoons, Islands
Chinese Temple. [Toredo? i.e. Tauride] Palace.  

Children’s Crêche [i.e. Crèche] [space] 30,000 meals per day
Modern Communal
Kitchen
Tuesday – July 28
Leningrad – En Route to Moscow
[Haltourez?] Textile Factory] – Factory Kitchen
11:00 A.M – Left for Textile Factory – 8000 workers
Director – sub-director (export?) committee Sub-committees. Committee meeting room. School room. Reading room. Factory Kitchen. Childrens crêche [i.e. crèche]. Night School. Football Field. Safety Posters, Health Posters. Fire Posters. Hospital with nurse & doctor. Insufficient workers. Some machines idle
2:00 – Factory Kitchen & Communal Dining Hall Recently built – Serves 30,000 meals a day Concrete – Large Windows. Marble Foyer. Tile Lower Dining Room. Modern electric lighting Ventilating. Food appetizing, in Glass cases. Upper Dining Room – Orchestra, Palms, Large Round Bay window. Kitchens – Mechanical equip. Great cauldrons Tile Floors & walls.
5:00 P.M. – Dinner
7:00 P.M – Group Met with Mr. Hamar – formerly ran all pencil factories here.
10:00 P.M. – Left for Moscow after 4 days of marvellous revelations – that will, unfortunately. be incredible to many back home.

All Russian Central Soviets of Trade Unions
Wednesday – July 29
Moscow – Sightseeing
Dr. Julius Hecker | Red – “Beautiful”
10:10 – Arrived October Station- Grand Hotel. Russ & I together – Our Room looks out upon the Red Square & St. Basils Famous Old Church of the 15th century. Breakfast
Afternoon - Sightseeing Bus tour The Kremlin, Church of Redeemer (dismantling), Palace of Labour. Moscow River. City Steam Electrical Generating Station. New Workers Homes. Great Apartment Houses. Rubber Factory. Workers Club, School, auditorium, library, exhibit room, music circle, dramatic circle, athletic gymnasium, military circle, etc etc. Outside Park – Radio. Apts near by. Factory – 4000 employees Contrasts – Old Residences & new. Dr. Julius Hecker – Native Russian Christian, educated in America, preached there, returned. 10 years here now. Preached - now lecturing, Philosopher – writer. Interprets New Russia to us – especially its spirit & pacific & militaristic dualism.

Handicraft Shop Soviet Square
Lenin [space] Mr. Bisker
Thursday – July 30
Moscow Lenin Institute
Museum of Revolution – Opera
Galina took us to the Museum of the
Revolution – which portrays in paintings, posters, armaments, models, figures graphs & by other means the long, gory, era through which the masses of Russia have come & achieve their great emancipation & chance for constructive effort, Russ, Ed. Helen & I walked to the Handicrafts shop, in & out of courtyards & apartments & talked with the jewelers wife in English. Mr. Bisker the lawyer spoke in the afternoon on the course, law practice, marriage, & divorce. In the evening at 7:00 we passed in silent homage, with 5000 others the body of the Great Man who more than any other ushered in this great millenium [i.e., millennium]. Vladimir Ilyitch [i.e. Ilyich] Lenin
Opera in the Evening – Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades – Splendid 45 piece symphony, excellent company, good settings & in all a fine production.

Maurice Hindus – World Fliers
Friday – July 31
Moscow | Albert A. Johnson
Park of Culture & Rest
9:00 – Spent hour with Maurice Hindus in his room at the Metropole discussing the proposition for [Marjorie Bragg?] & the new book Mr. Hindus has in view. At Noon, the “Round the World Fliers” Pangborn & Herndon came in to dinner
Afternoon – Splendid talk & question period with Mr. Albert A. Johnson. independent observer, economist & author. Late Afternoon & evening:- The Expansive great Park of Culture & Rest. A great constructive effort itself Karlman Pantek – Returned [Kung?]. Am. I.W.W.

H. Li – Sylvia Chen.
Saturday – Aug 1
Moscow – I.G.E.Co.
Dr. Hecker – Peace & Def. Demonstration
Made my way with Ed. to the head office for Russia of the International General Electric Company. Interesting time with Mr. [Pragst?], Mr. Wilson & Mr. [Trone?]. Dr. Hecker spoke to us again in the afternoon. Today is Russias great Peace & Defence Days – so we all went again to the “Park of Culture & Rest” Sat in with 100,000 throng in main demonstration & met Sylvia Chen, daughter of China’s great man Eugene Chen, and a Portugese  Negress Mother. She

Continuation: H-2

obviously combines both strains, and with a natural charm, grace of body, winning smile, cultured English voice, and a strong philosophic bent, makes a most interesting & attractive personality. She is a dancer, I find, of note & is now endeavouring to develop & express in the dance the pulse of the New Russia. All in a little girl of about 19! Li was another interesting study - also Chinese but an English voice - journalism & translating – 500 roubles a month. Lost my companions but that didn’t matter with the enthusiastic group of immigrant young people I soon found myself among. There were around 200,000 additional people in the park engaged in sports, folk dancing, boats, walking or a few amusements. No Money – so walked home thru varied streets & districts – 45 mins. - late but perfect ease.

World’s largest Bell
Sunday Aug 2
Moscow
The Kremlin – Mr. Hamar
Special visit of whole party to the  Kremlin the ancient fortress which has been fought over for 700 years & which has always formed the heart of Moscow. First wall of Oak built in 12th century, second of pine in 13th cent. & the present brick wall was built in the 15th cent. Napoleon entered & occupied the Kremlin for a few days in 1812. Saw throne chairs of all Czars & Cathedral of Ascension where they have all been crowned since 1479. Cathedrals of Archangel where all Czars before Peter the Great 1700 are buried- (We saw Tombs of the later ones from Peter on in the Fortress of Peter & Paul in Leningrad.) Saw magnificent court jewels, crowns, robes, chairs, swords, clocks all set with precious Jewels or made of pure gold or silver I have never yet seen such concentrated wealth - & in this straightened circumstances our respect for the Russians has gone up enormously that they did not sell these many precious things – as they might easily have done for fabulous sums

Continuation: A-2

An interesting demonstration of the good [sense?] displayed by the present government is the chart slowing the expenditure of 7,000,000 roubles on the coronation alone of the last & its corresponding value in various produce. Also a drawing of the bridge catastrophe killing or injuring over 1000 people-peasant witnesses – Both above the case of coronation mementos. We saw the huge boots of Peter the Great, which he made himself. Also the clock made for the Czarina on which two Gold eagles drop a real pearl every minute. Passed by the two modest rooms where Stalin lives & works all hours of the night & day :| Ed. & I met Mr. Hamar (Hamar Pencils) in Torgsins later & had a most interesting talk with him. See Notes. Later Russ & I met George [Hiskens?], young Iowa. scientific agriculturist & Hog export, returning home after a year in Russia.

Mr. Chen – Caroline Graff
check-up
Monday – Aug 3
Moscow
Bolshevo OGPU – Reclamation Colony
7:00 – Up early & at the 50 additional cards
10:00 AM Left by bus for the Bolshevo OGPU Reclamation Colony- about 30 miles out; while another party left for one of the smaller communes, the Professors Rest Home & Dr. Hecker’s Home. The Reclamation Colony was one of the most amazing revelations we have yet seen. 1680 hardened ex-convicts living harmoniously without walls or guards & 6 only unarmed officials, busily learning to remould their lives, in work, play, school, hobbies, music, etc all under self-government & none but self-imposed constraint. Thieves averaging 9 convictions each, none less than 3 and a sprinkling of murderers. Majority marry & remain there permanently. Like it? Just ask & watch their faces! Whole-some frankness & comeradie [i.e. camaraderie]-“[Ivanish?]” abounds. Such is part of the work of the dreaded G.P.U.

Continuation: I-2

Dr. Eddy, in all his travels proclaims there is nothing in the whole wide world to equal it!
Bus ride Back – Gene, Ed & I with Nina & Galina – Russian customs, their home life – questions galore! Gene – “Dates?” Ed’s“Stepping Out”. Some fun explaining – but the wholesome attitude of these Russian young people!
5:00 – Went to Metropole Hotel to see Mr. Chen with Lee. Eugene Chen now Minister of Foreign affairs in new Canton Gov’t & Lee expects to see him shortly.
8:00: Writing cards. Later out with Helen & Howard McCl. & Jack Holt to American Club. Met Friends on Street. Picture Show. Walked home with Caroline Graff. young southern States American Artist – Poster painting of Soviet in Moscow. Walked back to Hotel.

Russian Questionare [i.e. Questionnaire]
Tuesday – Aug 4
Moscow
Dnieprostroy - [transliterated: GR ANDERS] (Mr. Anders)
Went to Moscow Head Office of Dnieprostroy Development with Helen McClusky. Mr. Anders took us into his imposing private office. We conversed without great difficulty in English & German. He was most obliging, cordial & pleasant, & brought out all manner of blue prints, photos & specifications relating to the whole development, & answered all my questions. Russians did the actual design with Col. Cooper & associates as consultants only. Evening – Worked out Russian Questionaire [i.e. Questionnaire] with Jack Holt, Ed Howard, Helen & Russ.

We’re all in a motley mixture of Russian, American & other clothes – but its a grand & glorious carefree feeling
H.T. Transmission
lines. Steam Station
8 Lines radiating out
Wednesday – Aug 5
Moscow – En Route to Tambov Collective Farm – 700 miles
Today has been a little less full than others. I stayed in, all morning packing most things to be left in Moscow & a few to take on the jaunt to the farms & villages. Also completed & posted another batch of 52 cards. Goodbye to Galina & Nina – our Guides; Hendreika (off for Odessa & Beirut) and the Müssen group – who we will meet again at Montreux. Bernard Shaw has just returned from the farm we are now journeying towards. Count Karolyi – former Prime Minister of Hungary is with us on this visit. – Sunset, - Purple Haze. – Fertile Valleys. Clouds & Sky Tints. Winding Rivers

Thursday – Aug 6.
En Route to Tambov
A beautiful day when we awoke early this morning, passing huge fields of crops, grain & vegetables & more fine valleys. Arrived at station about 9:00 A.M. Raining Hard
Met “Walter”- Young Australian of Russian parentage, who has returned. Now translator in factories. Also Russian who wanted to talk Esparanto [i.e. Esperanto] with us. Hot Chi at the station for 5 kopecks. Started off on hay-wagons for the Commune – 18 miles –3½ hours. Lots of hay & straw aboard – thank the lord. But it was a great trip. We passed through ancient villages –

Continuation: B-2

Thurs. Aug 6
outwardly appearing as they have for ages past – Log Houses occasionally covered with plaster; mostly thatched roofs but a few more modern ones with metal roofs. About a dozen houses in a single row each side of the street. see thatched outbuildings stables & kennels. But the character of the life is altered, for these people have now pooled their land and sow, work  & harvest it together with the aid of tractors & threshing machines. We stopped & talked with one village group out in the fields busy at their harvesting. They seemed cheerful, but there was a little doubt as to how it would turn out – as they had not been collectivized long enough to tell. We climbed a hill to the high land & drove along the high road overlooking a great vally [i.e. valley] with other squalid villages – but always the elaborate white church in the midst. Now miles of prairie land in all directions, No fences, no trees, no shrubs – only a flat road– no ditches, a single pole electric line & fields of grain. Clouds! Clouds! Clouds! I have seldom seen such beauties of the sky. This was one of the features we had noticed of the film – “The Five year Plan” – which Isabel, Doug, Buster & I saw in New York. The huge, heavy; fleecy, flighty, dark, snowy-

Friday – Aug 7
2nd + 3rd [space] Sections of Lenin Communal
Hiking through Villages
Breakfast – Rich Coffee, Fresh baked sweet bread, butter & new cheese. Started at 10:00 AM & walked & talked for 6 hours through villages, collectives & Communes depicting each type of farm life from the poor peasant to the Kulaks – both still individualists to the organized sections of the commune. It was liking [i.e. like] walking the gamut of many centuries. Here was a village of poor die-hard individualist peasants – with mud 

Continuation: E-2

Friday Aug 7
huts, 10 people sleeping in a single room, four children above the stove, 2 older children & 4 adults on straw on the floor – practically no furniture – but the Ikon still in the corner – no horses or cattle & still beating out a meagre existence with the hand flail. The fine-looking old Kulak was the leader in their determination to remain private & their resistance to the commune. Just across the foot-bridge there was a similar village- but one would say of several hundred years later characteristics – material & mental. The houses were better - not so different outside but much better inside several rooms, plastered & white – washed walls, beds, tables chairs, singer sewing machine, books, counting board & instead of the ikon – Pictures of Stalin & Lenin. And they had joined the commune as a section. Visited their School house where we found a bright

Lost Fountain Pen – Shower Baths
Saturday Aug 8
4th & 5th Sections – Lenin Commune – En Route back to M [i.e. Moscow].
Packed & left Central Section at 10: 00 AM after Showers! & another good breakfast. Many wagon jolts, walking – More miles of unbroken prairie country, countless acres of sun-flowers, rye, lentils & wheat. More primitive villages, another picturesque valley – and forests! 5th Section of Commune also Impressive! Dinner there & a great swim in our birthday suits, with the ducks in the river, clean water & a sandy shore. Ministers & all. 6 Churches from the hill top. Long talk with Gamble.

Au Revoir to Lee & Gamble – off on the Trans-Siberian – 12 days – to Pekin [i.e. Beijing], Lee on
to Canton
Sunday Aug 9
En Route back to Moscow
Moscow – Departure for Poland
Arrived back at 11:00 AM like of [i.e. a?] gang of unkept [i.e. unkempt], unshaven hoboes. Dr. John Haynes Holmes & all. How good clean clothes & a bath did feel! Ed & I had a stroke of luck in getting Galina to ourselves for the afternoon & what good use we did make of those 5 hours – “Institute for the Protection of Mother & Child” Dr. Martinson, “Voks", Int’n [i.e. International] Book Store, Torgsins, Pictures & Ida Cohen. Supper, packed & left at 10:30. Au Revoir to Mrs. Hanna, Mrs. Tobinson & Galina. – Young Konsomal