Scientists in the Basement

One of GJ's many invaluable roving informants sent me this book, 'America Through the Back Door'. It's a 1952 East German translation of a book by one N. Vassiliev, who claims to have spent three years in America in the late 1940s. According to the jacket blurb, he promises to show us the "backwardness of the social organization in 'God's own land'", including the desperate farmers who "don't own a single blade of grass on their farms", the misery in the slums, and the "scientists living in basements" (?). Stay tuned for a review an excerpts sometime in the next few weeks!

Does anyone happen to have any more information about this book or its author? (The author's name is 'N. Wassiljew' in the German transliteration, the German translation is by Marga Bork). I'd love to get some background, if any exists.

Comments

[M. Möhling]

> he promises to show us the "backwardness of the
> social organization in 'God's own land'"

Thank God that's not an recurring theme hereabouts. Unrelated: whether commies, Nazis (Commies, nazis?), Wilhelm II's loyal subjects, or violently pacified profiteers of post-war riches--we just have a thing against those 'US-Amerikaner' (and their xxxxist minions). 'Scientists in the Basement?' So sent it to the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, maybe they lost their copy during the reunification shuffles. Certainly some PhD candidate needs to check up on that classic.

[so]

http://d-nb.info/576753092