Monday, 20 November

Heavy snow, cold

I studied Russian from 11.00 until 1.30. I talked to my teacher Mishina about when I went to watch Sea Gull in the evening, I saw the main female character Alice Koonen who was more than sixty years old play a teenage girl, Nina, of eighteen. It was disgusting. But she argued forcefully how good she was. Probably people like Mashina have never had contact with the outside world, and she has been trained to think that everything of the Soviet Union’s like material and customs are all the best in the world. It was ridiculous and very pitiful.

An article in the current issue of War and Labour Class magazine said the New York Commercial was anti-Soviet, and it was the headquarters newspaper of the Chinese Kuomintang. The Soviet Government is really very narrow-minded.

Both London and New Delhi broadcasts said that He Yingqin has been sacked. Chen Cheng (陳誠)[1] has replaced him as the Minister of Defence. H.H. Kung as Minister of Finance has been replaced by Yu Hongjun (俞鴻鈞). Chen Cheng is a very forward person, and Yu Hongjun has the reputation of being honest and incorruptible. I am glad that the government has got the right people.

[1] Chen Cheng (1897-1965) was a very senior military and political leader of the Nationalist Government.