Hardy, Frank, 1917 -

Journey into the future / by Frank J. Hardy. (Melbourne : Australasian Book Society, 1952)

Hardy used Lincoln Steffens quote, from which his title is derived, as the epigraph for his book. It is an account of a trip he made to Russia with his wife, Rosslyn in 1951. Frank Hardy had become a Communist during the war and had worked for the Army Education Service magazine Salt, which had many Communists on the staff.

After the success de scandale of Power without Glory and the subsequent court case, Frank Hardy and his wife were sent to attend the World Youth Festival in Berlin. From East Germany they proceeded to Russia where they were treated well and shown the usual sights.

Journey into the Future was written from a sense of idealism as were most accounts by sympathetic Westerners who visited the Soviet Union. Hardy particularly noted the speed of post-war reconstruction work, which was being achieved.

In late 1968 he returned to the USSR, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia. This time he wrote a series of articles, "Stalin's heirs", which appeared in the Sunday Times in Britain and were reprinted in the Bulletin in Australia (from 11 January 1969) These were critical of the Communist regime and he was told he would not be allowed to return.