“On one occasion, my telephone at home started tinkling in an odd way. I took off the receiver, but heard nothing; so I started banging the cradle. A tired voice at the other end of the line said: “Please don’t keep banging, have patience. We’re switching you over to another recording machine. It’s a complicated system, you understand.”

(“Why I Left Russia’ by Anatoli Kuznetsov, 1929 – 1979)

John Lentell

9th January, 1970