“Therefore, even though I did become a sincere adherent of Stalin, I still did not turn into a full-fledged little Stalin—that is to say, a funky completely without principle, without conscience, ready to perform any base deed. And never could I believe in my heart or in my mind that we had more enemies than friends, that our task was not to convince ideological opponents but to kill them. For this saving grace, which kept me from reaching the final stage of spiritual and moral degradation, I am indebted to many good people, many good books, many beneficial forcesincluding my childish enthusiasm for Esperanto.” page 120