On 27 June, Emmanuel telephoned the office of A. N. Pirozhkova (an engineer at Metroproekt, I. E. Babel's wife, non-Party). Over the telephone she told him: “I'm awfully glad to hear your voice. I was very worried about you. I wanted to call, but I just couldn't take the chance, since I was certain they would tell me you weren't there.” Emmanuel made a date that same day to stop by for her after work. He stopped by and started to see her home. Emmanuel asked why she had been so worried. Pirozhkova said: “What, can it be you don't know anything? I'm truly amazed they haven't gotten to you. Masses of people have been arrested. I have the impression that everyone to a man who had any connection at all to the Trotskyites has been arrested.” To his question of who it was who'd been arrested, Pirozhkova answered: “Of my friends they've taken Marusia Solntseva, Efim and Sonia Dreitser, Okhotnikov's last wife Shura Solomko, Lialia Gaevskaia, and also Iasha Okhotnikov was arrested again.” Pirozhkova had got the impression that they were arresting everyone to a man, and she was even concerned for herself and Babel.

Pirozhkova relates that she asked Babel: “Can't they arrest you?” To which Babel replied: “As long as the old man (Gorky) was alive, that was impossible. And now it's still difficult.” They were told by Sonia Dreitser about the arrest of Efim Dreitser, Pirozhkova was herself convinced of Sonia's arrest when she went to visit her and found the room sealed. About the arrest of Marusia Solntseva, Babel was informed by her current husband, Dzhango Goglidze (Gogoberidze). This latter is a member of the Party, he was very indignant at the arrest of Solntseva and asked Babel several times to intervene in this matter. He (Goglidze) said to Babel, “They are always viewing Solntseva as an adjunct—either to Okhotnikov or to Lominadze. But she is her own person.”

Pirozhkova related that Babel consulted with her and decided to intervene in this case. Babel decided to choose specifically for intervention Maria Solntseva, of whose innocence he was more certain than with respect to the others. Babel decided to go to Gorky when Com. Yagoda was there and speak with him in the presence of Nadezhda Alekseevna Peshkova, whom Yagoda regards well.

Pirozhkova related that André Gide had dinner at their place (Babel's) on 26 June of this year. Besides him, Eisenstein and some French writer dined, too. Living with Babel in his apartment is André Malraux's brother, Rolland Malraux, who has stayed to work in the USSR as a film director.

Em[manuel] asked: “You mean Gide and Babel's other French friends know about these arrests?” Pirozhkova replied that she thought they didn't. According to Pirozhkova, André Gide throughout the entire dinner spoke about his delight at what he had seen in the USSR, he spoke about everything with delight. After he left, Babel asked Pirozhkova whether she understood what Gide had been talking about (she is studying French). Pirozhkova replied that she had understood he was delighted with everything going on here. Then Babel told her: “Don't you believe this delight. He's as crafty as a devil. We still don't know what he's going to write when he gets home. It's not so easy to guide him. In comparison with him, Gorky is a country sexton. When he gets back to France, he (Gide) could come out with something diabolical.”

Emmanuel and Pirozhkova, conducting this conversation on Nogin Sq[uare], suddenly ran into Babel, who was waiting for a tram. Pirozhkova told Babel: “This is Roman, who it turns out wasn't arrested.” Babel asked Em[manuel] jokingly: “Aren't you ashamed you weren't arrested?” He asked Em[manuel] whether he was working. Em[manuel] replied he wasn't. He asked: “They won't give you a job or you aren't looking for one?” Em[manuel] replied that he just couldn't seem to get a job. Then Babel said: “That may be what's saved you, since you're not on anyone's books anywhere.” The threesome walked as far as Babel's apartment and he invited Em[manuel] to have dinner with them. Babel started questioning Em[manuel] about the arrests. Em[manuel] replied that he hadn't seen anyone for a long time and had learned of the arrests only today, from Pirozhkova. Babel asked whether Em[manuel] knew any of the former Trotskyites who had not been arrested so far. Em[manuel] replied that because they were neighbors and old friends, he occasionally stopped by to see N. V. Poluyan and knew that she had not been arrested.

Babel questioned Emmanuel about Smilga—where he was and how long his sentence was. Babel said he simply could not find out or understand the reasons for the latest mass arrests, but even if there were weighty reasons for this, what could people like Iashka Okhotnikov and Noy Bliskavitsky [sic]

Recte “Bliskavetsky” throughout.

have to do with these matters? “After all, they've spent these three years in solitary confinement. For Okhotnikov and for Noy Bliskavitsky, another arrest and another sentence mean expulsion from life,” said Babel. “In essence, this is a slow execution.”

“If we need to settle Kolyma,” said Babel, “they could simply suggest people go there to work in such a way that they could not refuse.”

When Babel went into his room, Pirozhkova repeated a number of vile rumors she'd heard from Babel about the VKP(b) leadership in connection with Gorky's death.

Immediately after dinner, Babel went to his room to sleep and in parting invited Em[manuel] to stop by.

To Babel's [sic]

Recte “Emmanuel's.”

question as to whether he knew about the fate of A. K. Voronsky, Babel replied: “Certainly, of course I know. Voronsky was expelled from the Party, but he also wasn't arrested and they even let him keep his apartment.”