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DECEMBER 20, 1978

TELEX:

YURI V. TOKAREV. SOCIAL ID: 140.392.388 -- ADDRESS: DYIETIGARA M 6/25 MOSCOW UNIVERSITY. -- DATE OF BIRTH: JULY 7, 1940, NOVGOROD. -- 5 FT. 9 IN. 150 LBS. COLOR OF SKIN: WHITE. REDDISH HAIR. BLUE EYES. NO VISIBLE SCARS. INTELLECTUAL WORKER. SOCIAL INVESTIGATOR. PROFESSOR OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION, MOSCOW UNIVERSITY. -- MARRIED, TWO CHILDREN. -- PREPARE RECEPTION AND ARRANGE TOUR WITH A QUALIFIED ESCORT THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THAT COUNTRY. -- STOP.

He knocked again softly, and this time somebody invited him in. He pushed the heavy door and closed it behind him.

The room was turn-of-the-century French and St. Petersburg style. A huge table was in the center. About ten people sat in a semi-circle, watching him with curiosity. A few moments went by before someone uttered:

"Come over. Join us."

Yuri forced a smile. It felt like a long walk before he finally reached the only empty chair. The silence was deafening. He cleared his throat. Then the eldest man in the group began to explain in a friendly tone:

"Comrade Yuri V. Tokarev has numerous merits. Merits which are difficult to obtain during the course of a profession such as his. He is a good intellectual worker and fulfills a function that isn’t understood by the public at large."

The old man spoke slowly, accompanying his words with wide and ample gestures. Yuri relaxed; he knew Grigori very well. He knew from the very first word where the old man's speech was leading. So he allowed the introduction to unfold and concerned himself with scrutinizing the rest of the attendance.

He noticed two famous psychologists, both dissidents from Platonov's school of thought. The most famous of the two, no doubt, was the unkempt Professor Karpov. Yuri also quietly identified a much-acclaimed Academy historian who, in the old days, had debated with the likes of Kuusinen and Rosenthal. Finally, he spotted Nietzsky, the biotronist who had allegedly pulverized Basiliev's para-psychological thesis. He did not know the rest of those present, with the obvious exception of Grigori, who was now expounding on Yuri's curriculum vitae.

There was something strange about this committee. As far as Yuri could remember, all of them were controversial characters that had been removed from their important academic posts in days gone by. He felt alleviated by this fact, but he was also a bit worried about the scandalous and reckless tactics they had employed to shake the scientific world with their respective theses. But there they were, and everything indicated that they were back in charge, that they all held "the bear on a tight leash," so to speak.

There was silence once again. Karpov spoke arrogantly:

"Tokarev, you have stepped over the line. Your function is clear: as a professor of comparative religions at the University, and through various publications, your job -- and please listen carefully -- is to contribute to the atheistic education of the masses, according to our concept of scientific materialism."

Yuri could feel the blood pounding in his temples. He had to contain himself when Karpov hurled him a green journal across the table. Yuri recognized the journal right away, the issue dated 1 December, 1978, five months ago.

In that moment, Yuri believed he understood the motives behind the creation of this committee: they were going to grill him about his article, "The Religious Explosion in the World Today." Yet what didn't quite make sense is that, according to Grigori, it was the Ministry of Defense who had established this committee. Why was this branch getting involved in a discussion about his points of view? Nevertheless, he knew that this sort of tribunal, and that he himself, were now in a room that somehow belonged to the Defense Ministry.

Yuri relaxed his body and turned his attention to the other psychologist who now began to speak.

"The program of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union emphasizes that there must be a systematic, broad publicity campaign, with a scientific foundation, in favor of atheism and that patiently explains the weakness of religious belief. Let's see, Mr. Tokarev, what did you do, exactly?"

"Gentlemen, I have verified dangerous changes in the religiosity of different nations. I have issued warnings about the need to study this carefully, and finally, I have insisted that these are symptoms within a much larger picture of collective insanity. "

"Symptoms?" Grigori interrupted. Then, with his gaze fixed on Yuri, he continued, "Comrade Tokarev, you’ve thrown the first stone, and it happened to break the window that will cause you the greatest deal of trouble. You have stated that 'the USSR suffers from myopia' when it comes to the phenomena of psycho-social alterations. You are using a highly irregular and offensive terminology. Symptoms, myopia... What is this all about, comrade?"

Yuri replied, cynically, "I maintain that the most alarming symptoms are: the greatest sightings ever of UFO's, the massive suicide of a thousand Protestant Christians in Guyana, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and the disturbances produced in the Dominican Republic and Mexico by the Catholic Pope."

"That has nothing to do with our way of life!" replied Grigori. "On the contrary, it verifies the decline of capitalism."

Yuri did not measure himself, and now said something that shocked the whole committee.

"The hallucinations about UFO's were greater in number in the socialist camp that in the capitalist camp. The suicide victims in Guyana, who came from the US, were self-declared 'socialists.' The revolution in Iran has polarized millions of Muslims in the southern region of the USSR. Finally, the Pope comes from socialist Poland, who now regards him in wild acclaim."

"Let's get to the point!" exclaimed an imposing woman's voice.

"I've observed one hundred and twelve symptoms world-wide, in only a few months. Half of them took place in the socialist world. If I have suggested a link between UFO's, ritual suicides, and other religious phenomena, it is because I suspect that there is a mental perturbation floating in the air, and it has mystical undertones. We must understand these new trends that are now developing. Otherwise, what happened in Iran, which is totally unacceptable, will begin to occur more frequently."

Karpov had slipped a note to Grigori. When Grigori read it, he interrupted Yuri with a gesture, and said:

"Young man, we have to continue with our meeting, so just wait for me to call you in a few days."

Professor Tokarev stood up and bowed slightly. He walked towards the heavy door, and before opening it, heard a soft murmuring among the members of the committee.

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