John Dos Passos

I have come to think, especially since my trip to Spain, that civil liberties must be protected at every stage. In Spain, I am sure that the introduction of GPU methods by the Communists did as much harm as their tank men, pilots, and experienced military men did good. The trouble with an all-​powerful secret police in the hands of fanatics, or of anybody, is that once it gets started, there’s no stopping it until it has corrupted the whole body politic. I am afraid that’s what’s happening in Russia.

John Roderigo Dos Passos (author of the U.S.A. trilogy), “Statement of Belief,” Bookman, September 1928.