April 14 Saturday – Four autographed notes by Clemens on a four-page letter by an unspecified reporter of the NY Times, requesting his opinion on Maxim Gorky’s trip to America to raise funds in the cause of Russian emancipation. Sam refused to be interviewed but answered written questions with written answers, with the priviso that they would be printed verbatim, if at all.  Two of the notes follow:

We were quite willing to accept France’s assistance when we were in the throes of our Revolution, & we have always been grateful for that assistance. It is our turn, now, to pay that debt of gratitude by helping another oppressed people in its struggle for liberty…

In as much as we conducted our own Revolution with guns and the sword, our mouths are closed against preaching gentler methods to other oppressed nations. Revolutions are achieved by blood & carnage alone. So far I know there has been but one Revolution which was carried to a successful issue without bloodshed. / Mark Twain [MTP: American Art Assoc.-Anderson Galleries catalogs, Jan. 29, 1936, Item 119].