As one prominent Tcheka operative advised, “Don’t seek for incriminating evidence as to whether the prisoners took part, by deed or word, in a rebellion against the Soviet government. You have to ask him what class he belongs to, what is his origin, his education and profession. It is those questions that should decide the fate of the defendant—and therein lies the meaning of the red terror.”[lxxii] Even Lenin thought that was going too far, but such concerns did little to stem the flow of blood.
