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On the way to Irkutsk, an old Russian city on the banks of Lake Baidal, Solzhenitsyn stopped briefly in Cita after visiting nearby collective farms. He openly pleaded for just treatment of the peasants who were robbed of their land under communism. In Irkutsk, Solzhenitsyn was asked about the secret to his evident vitality in spite of his advanced age. Solzhenitsyn replied, "First, camp toughness. Second, God's help. Third, a constant inner goal." His goal has always been for spiritual revitalization.

In Khabarovsk, Solzhenitsyn paid tribute at a mass grave for 12,000 Gulag victims, laying roses and crossing himself. To a swarm of photographers, he appealed, "Don't take pictures of me, take pictures of the graves."

Despite the healthy turnouts for Solzhenitsyn's speeches, there has been very restrained national news coverage. Anita Deyneka of Deyneka Russian Ministries in Wheaton, Illinois, has noted a bias against Solzhenitsyn in the press. "Even [the] more progressive, democratic newspapers have been skeptical and even cynical, generally treating Solzhenitsyn like an anachronism."

Yet, the Russian proverb, "One word of truth outweighs the whole world," continues to guide Solzhenitsyn as much today as during his days in the Gulag. Solzhenitsyn may find his way into the hearts and minds of everyday Russians, surprising the cynics by yet again pointing the way to an expression of true freedom in Russia.

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August 15 1994, Vol. 38, No. 9