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“Ryan”: Report on the Joint Unity Convention of the Communist Party [May 15-28, 1921] 1 Bureau of Investigation Confidential Surveillance Report of the Unity Convention of the Communist Party of America: Woodstock, NY — May 15-28, 1921. DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA collection M-1085, reel 942, file 202600-2265. Report Made at: Pittsburgh, Pa. whose name is Charles E. Scott [Karlis E. Janson] and Date When Made: June 3, 1921. whose name in the United Communist Party is Charles Period for Which Made: May 15-28, ’21 E. Stewart. Report Made by: H.J. Lenon. Caucuses were held until Wednesday afternoon [May 18, 1921], when at 3:00 pm both parties as- Title and Character of Case: sembled in joint session with a man named Swift, whose name is Dr. [Jacob] Hartman, and who is lec- UNITY CONVENTION turing for the medical relief of Soviet Russia, acting as OF COMMUNIST PARTIES, impartial chairman. Woodstock, Ulster County, New York, The United Communist Party had elected at its Radical Matter. Party Caucuses Nelson [Jay Lovestone] of New York, Baker [Will Weinstone] of New York, and Duffy [Al- Facts Developed: fred Wagenknecht] of the Central Executive Commit- tee as its steering committee. At the first session, Reso- AT PITTSBURGH, PA. lution, Liquidation, Constitution, and Program Com- mittees were elected from both sides to work together The following was received from a strictly upon their orders of business. confidential source:— † At the next session on Tuesday [May 17, 1921], the New York delegation submitted a resolution, which “On May 15th [1921] the delegates assembled was voted down, and the members of the steering com- at Kingston, New York, and proceeded by automobile mittee were replaced by Elk [Ludwig Katterfeld] and to the Overlook Mountain House on top of Overlook Duffy [Wagenknecht] of New York, and Fox [=???]. Mountain at Woodstock, Ulster County, New York. Several lengthy speeches were made by members of By Monday afternoon [May 16, 1921], a com- the New York delegation in defense of their resolu- plete delegation of 30 men from the United Commu- tion, but were not considered favorably by their Party. nist Party and 30 men from the Communist Party had The next 2 days were taken up with going over all arrived, and each Party began its Party caucuses. In the new program which was [plucked?] from the these addition to those present was the representative of the and statutes of the Third International as both Parties American Agency of the Communist International, objected to the wording of the platform, saying it †- Examination of the microfilmed files of the Bureau of Investigation for 1921 makes it clear that the Bureau had a top level informant in the apparatus of the Pittsburgh District of the United Communist Party. Internal documents issued for very small audiences leaked in a steady stream to the Pittsburgh office of the BoI; secret information from a Pittsburgh informant had brought the Bureau onto the tail of Edward Lindgren, shadowing him on the train back to New York City and thereby (inadvertently) taking down UCP headquarters on April 29, 1921. It now seems absolutely certain that this individual was the UCP member from Pittsburgh attending this convention under the pseudonym “Ryan” — the identity of whom remains to be determined. 1 2 “Ryan”: Report on the Joint Unity Convention of the Communist Party [May 15-28, 1921] sounded like being to much from either side. Party. At the suggestion of Scott [Janson], Cook [Can- After that, the committees submitted their re- non] and <illeg.> [=???] were finally elected as mem- ports at the joint session and after lengthy discussion bers of the Central Executive Committee, which now of both sides, a program was finally adopted that was consists of 10 members. suitable, some extracts being taken from the program At this point in the joint session, a radiogram of both Parties, but in wording and in sense, practi- was received from Moscow stating that the delegates cally the same as the previous ones. from both Parties would not be received at the World At the next sessions in the next couple of days, Congress [of the Comintern] until both Parties were the Constitution Committee submitted its report, and united. International delegates were then elected, which after lengthy discussions, changes were made in the consisted of Baldwin [Oscar Tyverovsky] from the constitution, to the effect that the policy the former former Communist Party and Davidson (Bob Minor) Communist Party had was altered to demand the elec- to attend the World Congress of the Red International tion of District Committees, Sub-District Commit- of Labor Unions, to be held July 1st at Moscow. tees, and Organizers, in place of being appointed as Resolutions were submitted by the Resolution formerly. Committee sending greetings to the Third Interna- Further alterations were in the matter of Lan- tional, the Canadian Communist Party, and the Com- guage Federations, as the Communist Party program munist Parties of all countries from this session, stat- demanded the Language Federations to retain all ing that the two Communist Parties in this country finances and the right to discipline its members. The were now united, wishing all Communist Parties fu- United Communist Party took the stand that the Lan- ture success. guage Federations were objectionable to the Commu- Mandates were issued by both sides to 3 men of nist Party and succeeded in having the discipline of each side, who now reside in Moscow, to represent these organizations under direct control of the Cen- them as delegates at the World Congress. tral Executive Committee; also all finances must be A lengthy resolution was submitted by Collins turned in to the Central Executive Committee of the [Zack], dealing with the negro problem in the United United [sic.] Communist Party, and they in turn will States, telling of the vital importance of this problem finance the Language Federations. and that 13 million negroes in this country were in The purpose of the Language Federations is to the labor movement and the need of forming Com- carry on Communist propaganda in a legal way under munist nuclei among them. the guise of National Societies. The matter of disci- At this point Scott [Janson] of the American pline in the Language Federations is strictly under or- Agency announced that he had been especially in- ders from the Central Executive Committee. The ar- structed by radiogram from Moscow of form of meth- ticle of discipline in the constitution remained practi- ods of appeal and approach to the negroes, as Moscow cally unchanged and was accepted. deems it very important that negroes be enlightened A lengthy dispute arose on the number of mem- with the message of Communism immediately. bers the Central Executive Committee should consist Another resolution was submitted by Collins of, the Communist Party demanding 9 members and [Zack], dealing with the Hungarians and the need of the United Communist Party demanding 10. A dead- forming Communist nuclei among the farmers, etc. lock was reached on this, with the result that elections Action will be taken on this immediately, Scott [Jan- were held by each side to elect 4. The Communist son] announced. Party elected Henry [George Ashkenuzi], Sullivan [Al- An Auditing Committee was elected to audit the fred S. Edwards], Moore [John Ballam], and Riley [Jo- books of the former Central Executive Committees seph Stilson] and the United Communist Party elected and to report on all liabilities of the two Communist Nelson [Lovestone], Monroe [Abram Jakira], Elk [Kat- Parties. terfeld], and Collins [Joseph Zack Kornfeder], and al- It was announced by the Central Executive Com- ternates for the Communist Party <illeg.> [=???], and mittee of the United Communist Party in their finance Cook [James Cannon] for the United Communist report that Moscow had sent them a special donation “Ryan”: Report on the Joint Unity Convention of the Communist Party [May 15-28, 1921] 3 of $135,000, but to date only $50,000 had been re- All along the road the Communists had guards ceived in this country — the Communist Party get- stationed and also a guard remained with the Mar- ting $25,000 of this sum and the United Communist shall in the village of Woodstock and other guards were Party receiving the other $25,000. $10,000 of the scattered about the country as farm hands, etc. Addi- money received by the United Communist Party was tional guards were in the vicinity of Ft. Montgomery, given to the defense of the IWW members in Chi- NY, at all railroad depots in Tannersville, Saugerties, cago. Of the sum that the Communist Party received, Kingston, and New York City, taking precautions they have already spent $19,000. against any attempt to raid the convention. The cost of the convention held on Overlook The delegates were placed two in each room and Mountain will be more than $13,000 — $5,000 of at very frequent intervals were searched as they passed this sum being received as special assessment from the through the halls, etc., of the building and daily the membership of both Parties at 50¢ per member. It was rooms were raided by a committee, looking for any voted at the joint session to assess the members each miscellaneous scraps of paper, etc., that would be in- 50¢ to cover the cost of the convention. It was an- criminating in case of a raid of any kind from the au- nounced in confidence by Scott [Janson] of the Ameri- thorities. can Agency that if the control of the Federated Press is It was announced by Scott [Janson] of the Ameri- secured by the Communists, and that as soon as Wil- can Agency that he was certain that the Department liam Z.
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