Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow and the Chinese Revolution - KU ...

front of the library. It stated that an important member of the CC of
the Party would address the student body at 2 P.M. that day. Who was
the important member? The bulletin did not say, but we all guessed
it must be Stalin. Our mood was one of anxiety mixed with excitement.
We rushed to the auditorium long before the appointed hour.
Several hundred pairs of young, shining eyes were fixed upon the stage.
At last the stage curtains went up, and Stalin appeared smiling on the
stage. The auditorium was packed. Besides the chiefs of various departments
of both Soviet and Comintern organizations, a good many
dignitaries from the Trotskyite opposition turned up, carefully taking
note of Stalin's every word. While there were a great many Russians
crowded into the auditorium, both Stalinists and Trotskyites, Rector
Radek was not among them, and in his absence the secretary of the
Party's branch office at the university served as host.
Stalin was no orator. From the standpoint of elocution he did not
compare to Trotsky or Radek. But he excelled in using simple vocabulary
and simple phraseology to express complex thoughts. Hence,
while his speech did not possess great agitating power, it was quite
convincing. He answered the questions one by one, pausing after each
paragraph to permit the interpreter to translate. When the interpreter,
Chou Ta-ming, told him that he could talk a little longer between
pauses, Stalin smiled and said, as I recall, "I'd rather not talk too long
in a stretch; then you will not forget so much in your interpretation."
We all laughed on hearing this remark and were impressed by Stalin's
thoughtfulness and thoroughness.
Unfortunately, Chou failed to make a good showing that day.
Because of either nervousness or excitement, his interpretation was
none too good. We unanimously demanded that Chou be replaced
with P'u Shih-ch'i (P'u T'ao-ming), in spite of the fact that Chou
would lose face. At first Stalin thought that the shouts and catcalls
directed at Chou Ta-ming were meant for him; but later when he
learned that the disturbance was over the interpreter instead of an
unfavorable reaction to his speech, he smiled.
P'u Shih-ch'i was met with cheers when he appeared on the stage.
His interpretation was much better, and we were able to grasp more
fully the fine points of Stalin's important speech. His talk lasted three
hours. Strangely enough, whether as a security precaution or simply
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