In order to understand the past better, Winston reads a children's history book. Published by The Party, it says that ideal cities have been built, and everyone is happy and healthy. However, Winston takes a look around London and sees a crumbling, decaying city. Everyone lives in misery and fear. At that point, Winston believes he may be fantasizing, believing and seeing things that are not really there, because the only official record is from The Party. Winston suspects that history to be false, but then begins to doubt himself. He realizes that if The Party said 2 plus 2 equals 5, everyone will have no choice but to believe it to be true.


Winston Recalls Proof of The Party's Lie

Winston remembers that in what must have been the mid-60s, the original leaders of the revolution were arrested in a purge by The Party. They then confessed to many crimes, including treason with Eurasia. Most of the leaders were executed, except three. Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford were imprisoned and tortured before being released.

Winston then remembers that one day he had come across a newspaper photo at work which stuck inside a roll of other newspapers. The photo had the date of publication and showed that Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford were in New York City on the day they were supposed to have been committing treason with Eurasia.