Evening star., 1938-07-03
Third hternati0nalS Founders
Exile, Suicide and Prison Have Their Ranks.


Vienna As . spy against Czechoslovakia.
Ivan Mondok was active in the Comintern
until he was shot to death in the Soviet
Union in connection with the Strombach
affair.
The third convention elected Lenin,
Trotzky. Muna and Brandler as its hon
orary presidents. The German section had
by that time become = great party with q
strong leadership. The leaders were
Brandler, Thalheimer, Paul Levi, Ruhle,
Maslov and Ruth Fischer. Thaelmann,
Heinz Neumann. Max Hoelz, Eberlein and
PECK. Lenin had 4 high regard for the
political talents Of Paul Levi After the
unsuccessful uprising in Germany in 1928
the group Of Levi. Brandler and Thai
heimer was expelled from the CominteM,
because these leaders demanded 4 change
in tactics, asserting that the old methods
would not work in Europe. Levi became q
Social Democrat; nervous troubles caused
him to commit suicide. Ruhle. . former
co-worker Of Liebknecht, left the party in
1924 and is now an oflcal Of the Mexican
ministry Of education. In 1927 Maslov and
Ruth Fischer were expelled. Eberlein IL
doing forced labor in the Soviet Union.
Thaelmann Is in = German prison. Max
Hoelz died . sudden death in the SOVIET
Union; according to Official reports his
death was an accident. according to private
information 1t was suicide. Only PECK and
Heinz Neumann have survived as members
49, he ovtv vnlo nt
part in the last decade of the Comintern.
He led the rising in Canton where the
failure of the rebellion was followed by An
determination Of the Communist party. He
saved his life. At present he lives in
Switzerland rs = penny-a-line translator.
section were Fritz David. executed with
Zinoviev, and Suesskind, the former editor
in chief Of the Rots Fahne, who saved him.
self. after Hitlers rise to power. by escaping
to the Soviet Union, where he Is now in
prison, no one knows where.
Execution. Suicide sr imprisonment.
The founders of the French section and
delegates to the third convention of the
Comintern, Rosmer, Loriot. Souvarine and
Frossard were expelled long ago. The
Hungarian section sent in two new men,
Pogany and Rudas. Pogany was expelled
for embezzlement, and Rudas. one Of the
last theoreticians of the Comintern, re-
Gently fed from the Soviet Union and
reported to Hungarian police The italian
delegate, Bordiga. was expelled long age
and Is now in q Mussolini prison. 1t Is
possible that he is dead. Serrati, the other
founder of the Italian section, was expelled
in 1924 and is now dead. Roy Of India.
Bell of England. Roland Hoist of the Meth
erlands and Miss Kostrszewa Of Poland
all have been expelled. The Finn, Kuusinen
is still . member of the party. United
States Representative John Reed died in
Moscow OF typhoid fever. A later delegate
Lovestone. was expelled. The Bulgarians
Dimitrov, Kolarov. Popov are still member,
of the party Shatskin representing the Or
gsnization OF Communist youth. was ex-
PEELED and Is now doing forced labor in
Siberia. Tomsky, representing the trade
union international, committed suicide be-
fore arrest and thus escaped the fate Of
Zinoviev.
Such have been the fortunes of the
founders Of the Third International.
have not enumerated all the other leaders
of the Bolshevik party Of Lenin, rs Rykov
Kamenev, Muralov. etc. because they were
not active in the Comintern and also fol
the reason that their names are familiar
to the readers Of the daily press. as all
Of them have been either executed OF
condemned to forced labor have not
mentioned later leaders, such as Yilek
| Bolen. Doriot, etc, because there have
been too many Of them and their fate has
been similar to the fate of the founders
They withdrew from the party or were
expelled, executed, imprisoned, condemned
| to forced labor.
Only 10 years, and we have witnessed
an endless series of the most touching
tragedies of disappointed hopes. suffering.
and death. March 2, 1898, was the 19tf
anniversary of the foundation of thu
Third International. It is possible that thi.
international will not be in existence
| two years from now; it is also possible thai
it may be revived. Lenin's case shows how
difficult and futile it Is to forecast thu
! future even when the forecaster has
thorough knowledge of the laws Of logic.