The Case of Comrade Djilas

The Djilas case is obviously of the first importance, another sign of that molecular disintegration at work in eastern Europe and a further proof, if any be needed, that the hope for political stability on the continent is sheer chimera.

When news of the Djilas affair reached this country, the press played dreary variations on the theme, when thieves fall out, and The New York Times, conscious of more sophisticated responsibilities, pointed to “Western influences” behind Djilas’ dissent from Titoism, an observation which caution might have taught the Times to forgo. The Djilas case is obviously of the first importance, another sign of that molecular disintegration at work in eastern Europe and a further proof, if any be needed, that the hope for political stability on the continent is sheer chimera.

What is remarkable about Djilas is not that he deviated, but the extent to which he deviated, the public characte...