MEET ME ON THE BARRICADES

He sighed with relief and began to eat at a slower,
less feverish tempo, thinking:

—Individual terrorism may be un-Marxian but
it’s a damned satisfying thing to think about some-
times.

Looking up from his food, he asked:

“Are you an anarchist?”

“I am beyond labels,” Ascaso replied. “I have
reached the point where I am interested only in
programs.”

“I thought you might be an anarchist, because
you are opposed to the People’s Front in Spain.”

“But large numbers of anarchists do support the
government. And that is one aspect of the tragedy
of Spain.”

“Tragedy?”

“Yes, my dear friend, tragedy. Because the gov-
ernment is no longer revolutionary; no, it’s not even
as liberal as the Roosevelt administration here in
America. The civil war has become a war between
two factions of Spanish capitalism.”

“But radicals all over the world support it as a
war in defense of democracy. Why, even the
liberals . . .”

Ascaso laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

I02