Smyrna times., 1932-04-13
SERVES DECADE I'm
RED RANKS AS SPY
Canadian Tells of Mos
cows Hopes Of Secession.

IOrOntO.-Sergt. JOnn Leopold OF
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
told a criminal court jury here re
Gently how for ten years he had
been an active member of the Cana
dian Communist party, even acting
as secretary of the Regina branch
and attending a grand Communist
conference in Moscow, to get the
low down for the Canadian govern
ment on the aims and ambitions Of
the Reds in the Dominion.
When he testified in court against
nine alleged Communists charged
under the new federal law with be-
ing members of IAN illegal associa-
tion," Leopold wore his red uniform
for the first time in a decade.
Throughout all the preceding ten
years his wearing apparel has been
working mans rough clothing and
his haunts the secret councils and
conclaves Of the alleged emissaries
in Canada of Moscow.
Tells of Moscow's Dreams.
He told Of Moscow's hopes. for
Canadian secession from the Brit
ish empire, Of plans formulated for
a Red revolt in Canada; of secret
codes and communications from
Moscow; of an "a" Communist party
which worked legally in the open,
and a ~ party which worked lille
gally underground and of shake
up of the Canadian Communistic arm
at the demand of Moscow because
it was not sufficiently active in TO
menting strikes and unrest among
the working population.
Leopold's entrance into the wit
ness box reserved for the last item
of the crowns case in the sensa-
tional trial, and recognized as
desperate crown effort at convic-
ton, for. with LeOpold's public tes-
timony went his further usefulness
as police spy in the Red ranks. Nine
pairs of ScOwling eyes glared at
him from the prisoners dock as he
relentlessly barred the secrets of
the Canadian Red organization and
revealed the secret names by which
individuals were designated in
party communications
The pretentious aspirations of the
Communist element, involving Cana
dian break with the British empire
and Red revolt in the mining and
industrial centers of the Dominion,
reveal for the first time the reasons
for the anxiety of the Dominion
government in Strengthening Cana
dian laws against Illegal organiza-
tions and seditious utteraGce. When
the Bennett government at the last
session OF the Canadian parliament
took onto itself virtually autocrat-
&c authority to deal with uprisings
or movements aimed at government
authority, it had before it all the in
formation which Sergeant Leopold
gave to the Criminal court But the
government revealed nothing Of 1t
TO parliament at that time.
Became trusted Member.
Sergeant Leopold was known In
the Communist party which he
served as Regina secretary as J. w.
Esselwain. He said he became one
Of the most trusted members. His
sensational testimony relative TO
Moscow's interest in Canadian Sc
cessiOn from the British empire
came when he was discussing the
inner councils of the 1925 conven-
tiQn Of the Communist party of Can
ada.
At this 1925 convention, he said,
one Moriarity was the delegate from
the Communistic international head
quarters at Moscow. Moriarity, he
said, reported that since the pre-
vious international conference in
Moscow, commission has been set
up to discuss the prospect Of Cana
dian independence.
what did they mean by that?"
asked Special Crown Prosecutor Nor
man SommerviIle.
Secession from the British EN-
pire," Leopold replied.
This Moscow commission, Leopold
explained, had consisted Of members
of the executive committee of the
Communist International.
Leopold introduced and identified
a literal trunk load of Communistic
literature and communications which
had figured in one way and another
In Canadian Communistic activities,
and in the relations of the Canadian
party with its Moscow directing
heads.
One OF the interesting revela-
tions was the code system used by
the party. 1t was cipher code, he
said, based on certain page in
recognized publication of the party.
BY writing numbers certain letters
were Indicated as, for instance, the
number 81 would mean the fifth let
ter in the seventh line Of the des.