South Africa and the Communist International: Volume 2 Bolshevik Footsoldiers to Victims of Bolshevisation, 1931-1939 PDF
Preview South Africa and the Communist International: Volume 2 Bolshevik Footsoldiers to Victims of Bolshevisation, 1931-1939
SOUTH AFRICA AND THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL: A DOCUMENTA RY HISTORY Volume II Bolshevik Footsoldiers to Victims of Bolshevisation 1931-1939 Institute of Universal History, Russian Academy of Sciences 'The Party is beyond the realm of realities, we are simply theoretical and our theory is less connected with practice.' Moses Kotane, 1934 SOUTH AFRICA AND THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL: A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY Volume II Bolshevik Footsoldiers to Victims of Bolshevisation 1931-1939 Editors APOILON DAVIDSON, IRINA FIIATOVA, VALENTIN GORODNOV, SHERIDAN JOHNS FRANK CASS LONDON• PORTLAND, OR First published in 2003 in Great Britain by FRANK CASS PUBLISHERS Crown House, 47 Chase Side London N14 5BP and in the United States of America by FRANK CASS PUBLISHERS c/o ISBS, 5824 N.E. Hassalo Street Portland, Oregon, 97213-3644 Website. www.frankcass.com Copyright © 2003 Institute of Universal History British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data South Africa and the Communist International: a documentary history Vol. 2: Bolshevik footsoldiers to victims of bolshevisation, 1931-1939 1. Communist Party of South Africa - History - Sources 2. Third International - History - Sources 3. Communism - South Africa - History - Sources I. Davidson, A.B. (Apollon Borisovich), 1929- 324.2'68'075 ISBN 0-7146-5281-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data South Africa and the Communist International: a documentary history/editors Apollon Davidson ... [et al.) p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. Contents: v. 2. Bolshevik footsoldiers to victims of bolshevisation, 1931-1939. ISBN 0-7146-5281-4 (cloth) 1. Communism - South Africa - History - 20th century. 2. Communist Party of South Africa - History - 20th century. 3. Communist International - History. 4. Soviet Union - Relations - South Africa. 5. South Africa - Relations - Soviet Union. 6. Communism - History - Archival resources. 7. Russia (Federation) - Archival resources. I. Davidson, A.B. (Apollon Borisovich) HX450.5.A6S672 2003 324.268'075-dc21 2002041405 All rights reseroed. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or othe,wise, without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book. CONTENTS Glossary of Selected Names ix Glossary of Selected Organisations xii List of Acronyms Ii List of Abbreviations liii List of Illustrations lvii A Note on the Documents lix Introduction: The Documents in Volume II lxi 1. Letter from Negro Bureau to Eastern Secretariat, 1931 3 2. Letter from J. Gumede to International Secretariat, League Against Imperialism, 1931 4 3. Report by J. Ford to European Secretariat, RILU, 21 February 1931 (Extracts) 5 4. Lener from ECCi to Central Committee, CPSA, 20 June 1931 (Extracts) 9 5. Report of A. Nzula to ECCi on Situation in CPSA, 5 August 1931 14 6. Resolution of Political Secretariat, ECCi, 18 October 1931 (Extracts) 18 7. Autobiography of M. Kotane (late 19311 19 8. Instruction for Eugene Dennis, ECCi Emissary to CPSA [19 January 19321 20 9. Lener from S.P. Bunting to ECCi, 10 February 1932 22 10. Report of D. Wolton to ECCi, 7 April 1932 (Extracts) 23 11. Letter from ECCi to S.P. Bunting, 15 July 1932 25 12. Minutes of Meeting of Political Commission, Political Secretariat of ECCi, 15 July 1932 (Extracts) 27 13. Lener from E. Dennis to ECCi, 16 July 1932 (Extracts) 28 14. Resolution of CPSA, July 1932 (Extracts) 31 15. Letter from E. Dennis to ECCi, 22 July 1932 35 16. Letter from E. Dennis to Comintern, 22 October 1932 36 17. Lener from S.P. Bunting to ECCi, 26 October 1932 46 18. Report of Committee of Opponents of PB, CPSA to ECCi, 13 November 1932 49 19. Minutes of Meeting of African CPSA Members, 13 November 1932 59 20. Speech of A. Nzula at World Congress, International Red Aid (MOPR), 18 November 1932 63 21. Lener from M. Kotane to Comintem, 30 November 1932 66 22. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 1 April 1933 68 23. Report to Comintern, 8 June 1933 70 V CONTENTS 24. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 3 August 1933 74 25. Letter from M. Kotane to Communist Party of Great Britain, 12 September 1933 76 26. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 9 January 1934 78 27. Obituary of A. Nzula by J.B. Marks, 22 February 1934 79 28. Letter from M. Kotane to Politbureau, CPSA, 23 February 1934 80 29. Letter from a Group of Johannesburg Communists to PB, CPSA, 27 February 1934 83 30. Letter from D.G. Wolton to ECCi, 13 March 1934 (Extracts) 85 31. Letter from D.G. Wolton to ECCi, 13 March 1934 90 32. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 11 April 1934 93 33. Minutes of Special Meeting, Johannesburg Branch, CPSA, 24 May-2 June 1934 (Extracts) 94 34. Resolutions of Political Commission, ECCi, 3 June 1934 101 35. Letter from Comintern to CPSA, 27 June 1934 108 36. Letter from L. Bach to PB, CPSA, 9 July 1934 113 37. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 10 July 1934 115 38. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 31 October 1934 117 39. Letter from J. Marks to ECCi, 1934 122 40. Letter from M. Kotane to ECCi, 20 February 1935 123 41. Letter from J. Gomas to H. Haywood, 18 March 1935 124 42. Letter from J.B. Marks to ECCi, 15 July 1935 125 43. Letter from E. Roux to J. Gomas, 12 September 1935 127 44. Telegram from M. Kotane, J. Gomas and E. Roux to ECCi, 14 September 1935 129 45. Letter from J. Gomas to ECCi, 16 September 1935 (Extract) 130 46. Telegram from Five CPSA Members to ECCi, 17 September 1935 131 47. Letter from Kuusinen and Marty to CPSA, [14-20 September 1935] 132 48. Report of E. Mofutsanyana to ECCi, 20 September 1935 132 49. Letter from E. Roux and Others Communists to ECCi, 20 September 1935 (Extracts) 135 50. Telegram from E. Mofutsanyana to ECCi, 22 September 1935 138 SI. Report of E. Mofutsanyana to ECCi, 25 September 1935 139 52. Letter from E. Roux to ECCi, 12 November 1935 147 53. Statement by E. Roux to ECCi, November 1935 (Extracts) 148 54. Statement of L. Bach to South African Commission, 23 November 1935 (Extracts) 154 55. Circular Letter - Invitation to a Meeting of Anglo-American Secretariat, 27 December 1935 155 56. Report of M. Kotane to Anglo-American Secretariat, 31 December 1935 156 vi CONTENTS 57. Autobiography of J. Mpama, (1936] 160 58. Autobiography of L. Bach, 10 February 1936 170 59. Draft Resolution Prepared by ECCi for Adoption by 9th Congress of CPSA, 25 February 1936 173 60. A. Marty's Report to G. Dimitrov, 11 March 1936 176 61. Address of A. Marty to South African Commission, 13 March 1936 178 62. J. Mpama's Statement to South African Commission, 13 March 1936 181 63. Resolution of Secretariat of ECCi on the Situation in CPSA, 17 March 1936 186 64. M. Kotane's Statement to South African Commission, 19 March 1936 188 65. Statement of J. Mpama to South African Commission, 19 March 1936 192 66. Statement of A. Marty to South African Commission, 19 March 1936 (Extracts) 197 67. Programme of Action Proposed to CPSA, 19 March 1936 200 68. Letter from M. Kotane to G. Hardy, 1 September 1936 211 69. Minutes, Sixth Conference, CPSA, 5-6 September 1936 (Extracts) 212 70. Address of J. Mpama to Sixth National Conference, CPSA, September 1936 (Extract from Conference Minutes) 215 71. Letter from J.B. Marks to ECCi, (19361 216 72. Minutes of Politbureau, CPSA, 26 January 1937 221 73. Report of G. Hardy to ECCi, 9 February 1937 225 74. Address of A. Marty to his Secretariat, 11 March 1937 235 75. Statement of A. Marty and Responses, A. Marty's Secretariat, 17 March 1937 237 76. Decision of Secretariat, ECCi, 3 April 1937 239 77. Letter from I. Wolfson to the Comintern, 15 April 1937 241 78. Letter from I. Wolfson to the Comintern, 23 April 1937 245 79. Letter from A. Marty to G. Dimitrov, May 1937 249 80. Minutes of Meeting, PB of CPSA, 11 June 1937 250 81. Minutes of Meeting, Politbureau, CPSA, 12 June 1937 254 82. Report of I. Wolfson to CPGB, October 1937 (Extract) 259 83. Letter from H. Pollitt to A. Marty, 1 November 1937 267 84. Decisions of Meeting in Paris, 4 November 1937 268 85. Statement of H. Basner to A. Marty, 5 November 1937 270 86. Report of R. Michel to A. Marty, 16 November 1937 274 87. Letter from P. Kerrigan to ECCi, 17 November 1937 276 88. Letter from R. Naumann to G. Dimitrov, 3 December 1937 280 89. Minutes of Central Committee of the CPSA, 31 December 1937-3 January 1938 (Extract) 282 vii CONTENTS 90. Report of A. Marty to G. Dimitrov, 6 February 1938 286 91. Report of P. Kerrigan to ECCI, [May 1938] 288 92. Resolution of Central Committee, CPSA, 29 December 193~2 January 1939 289 93. Minutes of Colonial Committee, CPGB, 21 February 1939 (Extracts) 297 Index 301 viii GLOSSARY OF SELECTED NAMES1 Abramov, Alexander L (1895-1937). Soviet communist. Head of OMS2 in 1926-34. Executed in GULAG. Adler, Ray. South African communist from Johannesburg. Alexander, Rachel (Ray) (another surname: Simons) (1914-). South African communist. Born in Latvia, emigrated to South Africa aged fifteen. Prominent activist, organiser and leader of communist and trade union movement in South Africa. In 1938-50 - member of PB of CPSA. Banned from trade union activities in 1953. In 1954 elected to South African Parliament by Africans in the Western Cape but barred from taking her seat under the Suppression of Communism Act. Together with her husband, prominent South African communist Jack Simons, emigrated to Zambia where continued trade union and party work. Returned to South Africa after legalisation of South African Communist Party and of ANC. Was long time member of CC of SACP. Author of: Job Reservation and the Trade Unions (with Jack Simons), 1959; Class and Colour in South Africa (with Jack Simons), Middlesex, Baltimore, 1969. (See: From Protest to Challenge. A Documentary History ofA frican Politics in South Africa, 1882-1964. Vol. 4. Political Profiles, by G.M. Gerhart and T. Karis, Stanford, California, 1977, p. 3.) Amter, Israel (alias: John Ford) (1881-1954). American communist. In 1922- 45 - member of CC of Communist Party of USA, in 1923-5-representative of CPUSA in ECCi. Active in discussions on 'Negro question' in Comintern in the 1920s. Andreiev, Matvei Zakharovich (1888-?). Soviet communist. In 1938-9 - Head of Personnel Department of ECCl 1. This glossary provides maximum possible information about previously unknown or little known personalities who were connected with South African activities of the Comintern. References to more detailed biographical data about such personalities are provided where these exist. In some cases it proved impossible to find any information or even to ascertain personalities behind the names mentioned in the documents. Information about better known historical figures is limited to their activities in the Comintern or in connection with it. Places of birth or death are mentioned only if they had a particular meaning in the context of the Comintern, for example if a particular person was a Russian emigre. The editors felt it appropriate to mention cases of persecution of adherents and followers of the Comtntern either by the organisation itself or by Soviet authorities. To allow the readers the easiest way of using the glossary all names in it are listed as they are mentioned in the text, irrespective of whether these are real names, aliases, or both. In case both a name and an alias are mentioned in the text an alias is referred to a real name if the latter could be established. 2. Names of organisations and personalities italicised in the glossary have glossary entries of their own. ix
The list of books you might like
