Pynchon's Preterite

[Vaska Tumir]

Steelhead resurfaces: 

>Stumbling through Robert Proctor's startling book, *Racial Hygiene:
>Medicine Under the Nazi's*, I came across the following two quotes, one an
>astounding  assertion from Pynchon's ideological mentor Bertrand Russell,

[snip]

Steely, I'm stumped by this last.  In what sense [and why] do you think
Russell was or is Pynchon's ideological mentor?  [This is a bona fide
question, BTW.]

Vaska