◆ SpookStack

Director, FBI ~ Lo. ars , “ao ann — === ——— *ehanees in Russian law code which 19 basis for hope that’ ~~~ leaders are trying to change things for the better. There ia one thoughts when you relate what you know re the USS2 . ; with what you sce there, it is hard to know what to think. _ You have the Russian pcople, so kind and friendly, combined Se : with a political, social, and economic set-up which doecsn't 3 - make sense. Cno cannot look throush rose-tinted glasses. a . . em eae ee Oe ft -: SCLARTECE PICKETT: One of our najor interests in Russia was to icentity ourselves with the people who had attended the : conference in Sweden composed of Swedish, American, and po English rriends and Eaotist ministers from Russin. Tho second re reached Lenincrad, where we entered Russia, there 0 _ Was a Bantist minister we set in Sweden and we spent the evening in nis church. Leninszrad has @ planned depression ‘due to the fact that it has been abandoned as the capitol in favor of Noucov, and it is nezlected and underdeveloped : - as to industry. “here arc lots of handsome palaces, but no industry or trace. There was a conrregation of 1,709 in the Baptist church where re spend the evening, mostly older ' women. the service was-tyo hours long — a rich experience which included prayer, two germong and lots of singing. The farther last und South we went the lerrer the proportion of men in the churches. In xiev there was 2 cross section of the population = young and old, men and women rho exhibi- ted a sense of appreciating the profouad meaning of ths eervica end of the place of the church in the life of tha . peeple. In the 1950 conference, the sorsches read wore — - £2 of. -praise-for Comamicn end for Stalinj- this-one- ----- -———-— recomized as the price paid for the right to worship. They _ believe the area of fracdon has expanded since then. There were 200 boys in the Eantist seminary, which is run by the church end not by the state. ‘they are fundamentalists in religious belicf. They exphesiza love of Cod and make applicaticn of their belief to life. They are afraid of too mich education. In cach church, there is a pagtor anc 2 _threce or four lay assistants, ‘there are tio sermons at each : eervice. There is gone contact with tha Orthodox church, but . "ss fn Hoecow ond the cities, tho orthodox churches have been made : into gusouns under the government. In the country, many ' a churches have beon torn down or are in state of decay. 55 ay nae ere still active fn Koscow and there were 5,000 at the . _ - . Ny ; : an ~. ts . : : . . . / » - : ”— -_ 9 _ - . / ~~ , *. 5 * ws ake — - . Fanaa 7 . — 34 ~ . SOT oa = * fis ar Poe