The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-09-04
Trotsky's Murder
Unleashes Drive
Against Labor
BY FRANK JELLINEK

Trotsky's enigmatic murderer, Jacl
Jackson or Jacques Morton, mar
of dozen aliases and a score o.
alleged nationalities, may become the
Van der Lubbe of the Mexican rev
olution. For the first time since the
Mexican fifth column" campaign
opened in the U. S. press some siz
months ago, Mexican authorities are
pretending to give serious credence
to Trotsky's repeated allegation of an
infiltrating GPU in Mexico.
Whatever the true motives of the
enigmatic murderer, who was either
more seriously injured by Trotsky' s
secretaries than the medical report
shows or has relapsed into nervous
breakdown after his crime, no evi.
dence whatsoever has yet been pro-
duced that he had any connection
with the alleged GPU or with the
Mexican communist party.
A confession purported to have been
found in Jackson's pocket, held by the
police three days before its release for
publication, contained such inconsis-
tencies in style that many expert
enced observers were inclined to ac-
cept the text only with serious reser-
vations. This alleged confession,
parts of which showed personal re-
sentiment against Trotsky, is likely to
be exploited in drive to prosecute
and even suppress radical Mexican or
CARNATIONS.
With the supporters of rival presi-
Dental candidates Manuel Avila Ca
macho and Juan Andrew Almazan
both claiming a $40 plurality in the
elections, some sort of deal is ex-
pected in order to avoid the civil war
otherwise inevitable. Washington,
Mexico City believes, is very much
interested in avoiding civil war, while
nazi agents are working hard to pro-
mote it.
Since Almazan has the backing of
the conservative classes, the deal in
wolves a swing to the right by Avila
Camachos party of the Mexican Rev
olution, which contains many old-time
machine politicians whose political
sympathies and interests are opposed
TO any continuation of President Car
denas' labor -orientated reforms.
general drive against alleged tools
of the GPU will go far to appease
these elements.
In the current acknowledgements
struggle the great question is whether
the Mexican Workers Federation, with
will
be strong enough to oppose the drive
that Trotsky's murder has unleashed.
The CTM like the Mexican commun-
list party, has strongly condemned the
murder and opposed terrorist meth
DDS, but even beside Trotsky's grave
renegade CTM member sought to
make it's leader Vicente Lombardo
Toledano, indirectly responsible for
the crime.
There is no evidence yet that Jack
son acted as Van der Lubbe, the
Reichstag arsonist, for either side
There is every evidence that he is
a maniac fanatic with a personal
grudge against the man whom he had
been taught to regard as demigod.
But already most of the Mexican
press and certain elements in the
police have begun to pervert the pres
entation of evidence in the interests
of a cleanup" of labor organizations.
A series of detentions for questioning,
which in Mexico may continue for
weeks without benefit of habeas cor
pus. is already foreshadowed. The
police, however, deny formal arrests.
No connection has been established
between the murder and the previous
mysterious attempt on Trotsky on
May "a this year from which, against
all probability, the aged revolution
airy escaped unframed. There is a
strong similarity, however in the way
in which both were exploited.
Strong vigilance has already made
an Almazanist reactionary rising so
difficult as to be almost impossible,
but it may be necessary to appease
strong groups within the Almazanist
files in order to circumvent future
trouble even after Avila Camacho |
takes office. A scapegoat was needed |
The murdered exile himself frequent |
ly indicated an almost mythically |
GPU, denouncing the Mexi-
can Workers Federation leadership as
the opus conscious or unconscious
tool.
If appeasing elements in the party
of the Mexican Revolution accept this
version, it is feared that Avila Ca
macho's electoral victory will not be
quiet such triumph for Mexican pro-
gressive forces as was at first be-
ieved.