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The United Communist Party: a Bureau of Investigation Report by Emil A

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The United Communist Party: a Bureau of Investigation Report by Emil A Solanka: The United Communist Party [Dec. 6, 1920] 1 The United Communist Party: A Bureau of Investigation Report by Emil A. Solanka Document in DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel 928, file 202600-391-90. Report Made at: St. Louis, MO Complying with above request the following Date When Made: 12/6/20 report is respectfully submitted: Period for Which Made: 12/6/20 The St. Louis Office has been unable to ascer- Report Made by: Emil A. Solanka tain the identity of members of the Central Executive Committee of the UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY Title and Character of Case: because of the fact that the parties constituting same operate under assumed names. United Communist Party Employee, some time ago,, secured a copy of a lengthy communication dated August 8th, 1920, Facts Developed: purporting to be from PAUL HOLT [Alfred Wagen- At St. Louis, Mo. knecht], Executive Secretary of this Party, to local The following communication was received by District Organizers and stating that the present Central Special Agent in Charge [J.J.] McLAUGHLIN and Executive Committee is composed as follows: referred to employee: PAUL HOLT [Wagenknecht] — Executive Secretary Chicago, Illinois J.S. HASKINS [I.E. Ferguson] — International Secretary November 29, 1920. and Assistant Editor KARL ROSE [C.E. Ruthenberg] — Editor Dear Sir: BURTON CLEMENS [=???] — Assistant Editor TOM ALDEN [Ludwig Katterfeld] — Technical Director Your letter of the 23rd, re Radical Situation Saint Louis L. SIMON [German or Hungarian Federationist] District, received. Adverting to the last two paragraphs JOSEPH McGEE [=???] thereof, pertaining to the United Communist Party of Amer- ED VICTOR [Louis Hendin] ica, I note that you say estimates of membership are based S.C. SALSOFF [Russian Federationist] on information received from a local District Organizer of M.A. TEMPLE [=???] the Central Executive Committee of the Party. Since the organization of the United Communist Party we have been Without doubt, all the above are assumed exerting every effort to obtain the personnel of the Executive names. Committee, its meeting places, and methods of operation. Undoubtedly the Employee in your office mentioned Information gathered by employee from confi- in your letter, who has had the opportunity of perusing the dential sources would seem to indicate that the follow- mail of the St. Louis District Organizer, can furnish us with ing persons constitute a part of the Central Executive this information from your office record. I would also like to have a complete resumé of all Committee: available information in your office on the United Communist Party of America. ISAAC E. FERGUSON, alias G.E. HASKINS, alias CAXTON — International Secretary and Associate Yours very truly, Editor. CHARLES E. RUTHENBERG, alias PAUL HOLT, Edward J. Brennan, Executive Division Superintendent. Secretary and National Delegate. JAMES P. CANNON, alias BURTON CLEMENS (?), alias 1 2 Solanka: The United Communist Party [Dec. 6, 1920] DAWSON — Associate Editor, in charge of from Belleville, Illinois. The Toiler. FREDERICK J. NEBGEN from Belleville, Illinois, MAX BEDACHT — Associate Editor, in charge of and two delegates from East St. Louis, Illinois. Der Kommunist, the German official organ of the Party. Further, that CANNON read a report on the ALEXANDER BILAN, alias DUBNER — Russian Organizer. National Convention, alleged to have been held at Chicago [Bridgman], and stated “in regard to mass The following is a resumé of information con- action there can be no question as to whether the cerning the UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY on Communist Party is a legal organization or an illegal file in this office. organization because we advocate the overthrow of the Employee’s weekly report on “Radical Activities” government through armed uprising and therefore, we for 6/5/20 states that a split has occurred in the local have to continue as an underground organization until LITHUANIAN and SOUTH SLAVIC BRANCHES we wring the power from the capitalist class.” Also that of the COMMUNIST PARTY. Also that the local JOSEPH NORVELL and ANTON JURKO-VICH organizer, SIGMUND S’RENCO, reported to the were elected delegates to attend District #5 Conven- membership that the National Convention of the tion to be held in Kansas City in the near future; that COMMUNIST PARTY was then in session in Chi- JOSEPH MARTINOVICH was appointed Sub- cago; however, that no delegate had been sent from District Organizer and JOSEPH NORVELL, Section St. Louis. Organizer. Employee’s report for 6/11/20 on “Communist Employee’s report for 6/26/20 states that in- Activities” states that a meeting of the St. Louis Branch formation was received that the UNITED COM- Organizers was attended by one JAMES P. CANNON, MUNIST PARTY was formed at a joint national former editor of The Workers World at Kansas City, Mo., convention held from May 27th to June 3rd [1920] and District Secretary of the COMMUNIST LABOR at Chicago, Illinois. Also that MARTINOVICH was PARTY, who made the announcement that he would active in the coal fields of Southern Illinois in organi- succeed FISHER [Leonid Belsky] of Chicago as the zation work. organizer for the St. Louis District. Further, that a Na- A report dated 7/17/20 states that information tional Convention, attended by 25 Communist Labor was received that CANNON is designated as DAW- delegates, 32 Communist delegates, and 1 from the SON in the convention publication (June 12th [1920] Third (Moscow) International, was held at Chicago, issue of The Communist.) and that the COMMUNIST and COMMUNIST The report for 7/12/20 states that there are indi- LABOR PARTIES united and adopted the name cations that branches of the above Party were formed UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY.† at Christopher, Ziegler, West Frankfort, Illinois, Employee’s report for 6/15/20 shows that a through the activity of MARTINOVICH. Also that meeting of the Branch Organizers for the St. Louis CANNON made frequent visits to St. Louis on Party Sub-District was held at St. Louis on June 15th [1920], business. Also that literature issued by the UNITED attended by the following persons: COMMUNIST PARTY was being received and dis- tributed locally. JAMES P. CANNON, District Organizer, SIGMUND S’RENCO, Another report of the same date on the UNITED JACOB SEREBRENIK of the Jewish Branch, COMMUNIST PARTY states that on July 17th JOSEPH DOVIET of the Lithuanian Branch, [1920], a meeting was held at St. Louis and was attend- MIKE MESSMER of the English Branch, JOSEPH NORVELL and ANTON JURKOVICH of ed by CANNON, MARTINOVICH, NOR-VELL, the South Slavic Branch, JURKOVICH, ROSE WALD, 2803 Victor Street, JOSEPH MARTINOVICH, City Organizer, JOHN BRAUN, 4204 Osceola Street, and SERBEY PETER BONITO, South Slavic representative †- The Joint Unity Convention in question was actually held May 26-31, 1920, at the Wolfskeel Resort on the shore of Lake Michigan, near Bridgman, MI. This location was about 90 minutes away from Chicago. This gathering is not to be confused with the ill-fated August 1922 Bridgman Convention, which was sensationally raided by law enforcement authorities. Solanka: The United Communist Party [Dec. 6, 1920] 3 ZDANIEVICH, 1019 Selby Place; that CANNON, to CANNON, which he received for him at 1222 S alias DAWSON, stated that the UNITED COM- 14th Street. It was not ascertained what name was used MUNIST PARTY, for the purpose of extending its for the address. Also that CANNON stated that the field of activity, would shortly begin the publication of editor of DER KOMMUNIST was MAX BEDACHT, THE TOILER, which is being published at 3207 Clark alias BRAUN of San Francisco. Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, by the COMMUNIST LA- Employee’s report for 7/31/20 on “Radical Ac- BOR PARTY; that this paper would supercede VOICE tivities” states that the headquarters of District #8 of OF LABOR; that it would be a “legal” paper, under this party [UCP] had been established in St. Louis by the direct control of the UNITED COMMUNIST CANNON, the District Organizer, who had been in PARTY. Also that the National Office was making ef- the city throughout the entire week, actively engaged forts to raise a $50,000 fund. Further, that ANTON on organizational matters. Also that at a meeting of JURKOVICH was appointed subscription agent for several Branch Organizers, CANNON requested these THE TOILER in this District. organizers to enlist the aid of some printing shop for A report for 7/18/20 shows that the meeting the work of the Party in the event that it would be- was held at the home of ROSE WALD on July 18th come necessary for the Central Executive Committee [1920], attended besides the parties named above, also to move its present headquarters. He failed, however, by STEVE JURMAN, 619 S 20th Street, Belleville, to say where the headquarters were but intimated that Illinois, WILLIAM LUGGE, Belleville, Illinois, and the heads of the Party desired to have a printing estab- organizers from East St. Louis, Collinsville, and Liberty lishment in every large city, ready to secretly publish Mines (Belleville, Illinois); that it was decided at this their literature. meeting to hold a Sub-District convention at the home Employee’s report for 8/14/20 on “Radical Ac- of JURMAN on August 8th [1920]. tivities” states that there appeared to be considerable Employee’s report for 7/20/20 on the UNITED lull in the activities of the local membership of the COMMUNIST PARTY states that on July 20th UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY, due probably to [1920], a meeting of the local German Branch, held the conviction at Chicago of the leading members of in the home of HENRY TENGLER, 1826 S 10th the former COMMUNIST LABOR PARTY; that Street, was attended by: CANNON stated that the situation as respects the standing of the UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY was CANNON, J.
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